Kwanzaa is a beautiful and festive African-American celebration of life that is celebrated from December 26th through January 1st. With seven principles of unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, creativity, and faith, this is a festival with meaning that would be wonderful for all children to learn about. Here are a few Kwanzaa books for kids to read aloud.
I’m sharing all of these books on video as well! Check out the Kwanzaa Books for Kids on my Youtube channel.
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Kwanzaa Books for Kids
My First Kwanzaa Book by Deborah M. Newton Chocolate
During the last week of December, Kwanzaa is a time to dress up in African clothes and gather together with relatives from all over the country. Grandma brings special things to eat, Grandpa lights the candles, and everyone in the family celebrates their heritage.
Grab the Interactive Read Aloud lesson here!
Together for Kwanzaa by Juwanda G. Ford
Kwanzaa is Kayla’s favorite time of year. But this year, it looks as if a heavy snowstorm will keep her big brother, Khari, from getting home in time for the festivities! Will Khari miss the celebration completely? Or will Kayla and her brother somehow find a way to be together for Kwanzaa? Together for Kwanzaa is a perfect introduction to the holiday, this book will teach children all about the traditions and practices that make it a special winter holiday.
Seven Candles for Kwanzaa by Andrea Davis Pinkney
Kwanzaa is a unique African-American holiday celebrated by millions of families every year between December 26 and January 1. The word kwanzaa comes from the African language Swahili, and means “first fruits of the harvest.”
For each day of Kwanzaa, a new candle is lit in the seven-branched kinara, or candleholder. Gathering around it, children and adults share their thoughts, sing songs, tell stories from the past, and dream about the future. On the last day, with seven flames dancing, everyone gathers for a delicious feast of international foods. Then the party begins!
My First Kwanzaa by Karen Katz
My First Kwanzaa is a simple way to get acquainted with the holiday. During the seven days of Kwanzaa we celebrate the importance of family, friends, and community. This warm and lively introduction to a very special holiday will help even the youngest children join in!
Seven Spools of Thread by Angela Shelf Medearis
In an African village live seven brothers who make life miserable with their constant fighting. When their father dies, he leaves an unusual will: by sundown, the brothers must make gold out of Seven Spools of Thread or they will be turned out as beggars.
Li’l Rabbit’s Kwanzaa by Donna L. Washington
Very cute introduction to Kwanzaa with a lovable little rabbit as the main character and a bunch of other friendly animals. The back-matter at the end explains the different principles of Kwanzaa.
A Kwanzaa Miracle by Sharon Savers Gayle
A Kwanzaa Miracle is about an apartment community who are going to be celebrating Kwanzaa. There are two kids who are afraid of their neighbor because she seems very grumpy. A few days after the community decides to have a special ancestral Kwanzaa representative the two children find that their neighbor is just lonely. They, with the help of their parents and the community, make Mrs. Jackson the special ancestral honoree. They have given Mrs. Jackson a Kwanzaa miracle.
Free Picture Book List
Looking for more books to read aloud with your students? Grab this FREE list of books to teach Social Emotional Learning skills! SEL skills are more important than ever before. This book list of social emotional learning topics will make it so much easier to teach these skills to your students. The titles are split up by SEL skill and competency. This will make it easy for you to teach just one at a time!
Save this Book List
Be sure to save this pin to your favorite read alouds board on Pinterest! You’ll be able to come back to this book list when you are ready to read them aloud with your students.
