Incorporating diverse books into our school and classroom libraries is vital. Let the books in your school act as mirrors that reflect the cultures and traditions celebrated by your students, year after year.
If you teach Holidays Around the World, you most likely include the beautiful holiday of Kwanzaa.
Here are 5 of my favorite books to introduce and celebrate Kwanzaa in your classroom!
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Seven Spools of Thread: A Kwanzaa Story by Angela Shelf Medearis
Seven Spools of Thread: A Kwanzaa Story is a story of 7 brothers who are always fighting and making their family’s life a little unbearable. One day, their father passes away and leaves behind a request in his will. The seven boys are asked to use seven spools of thread to make gold. If they fail, the boys will be sent out on their own.
This tale uses folktale-like storytelling techniques to introduce students to the seven principles of Kwanzaa. It cleverly shows the importance of family, tradition, and community.
National Geographic’s Holidays Around the World: Celebrate Kwanzaa by Carolyn Otto
I love a good nonfiction book for my library, and National Geographic never disappoints! This book provides bright, vibrant photographs of real-life Kwanzaa celebrations. It helps tie picture books to real life for students who may be unfamiliar with the holiday.
This is also a great book to revisit text features! It is chock-full of subtitles, photographs, captions, labels, and more.
Li’l Rabbit’s Kwanzaa by Donna L. Washington
This adorable book shares the story of Li’l Rabbit who is not having a very good Kwanzaa at all. His granny is sick and his mom is busy tending to her. This leaves no time for Li’l Rabbit to enjoy the holiday or the big dinner called the Karamu.
Li’l Rabbit decides to take things into his own hands and has a Kwanzaa adventure of his own!
Together for Kwanzaa by Juwanda G. Ford
Kayla has been missing her big brother Khari, and a snowstorm is preventing him from making it home in time for Kwanzaa. Will Kwanzaa be the same if Khari misses it?
Together for Kwanzaa is a great book that details all of Kwanzaa’s special traditions as Kayla reminisces. It is also perfect for those who celebrate and for those just becoming acquainted with the holiday!
Kevin’s Kwanzaa by Lisa Bullard
This is a short and sweet children’s book that details Kevin’s 7 day Kwanzaa celebration. Readers will learn all about lighting the candles, the Karamu feast, the seven principles of Kwanzaa, and more!
One of the best things about Kevin’s Kwanzaa is that it details Kwanzaa’s origin and provides a firsthand account from a child’s perspective.
If you’re looking for a complete Holidays Around the World Unit that includes Kwanzaa, look no further!
This print and digital unit makes lesson planning a breeze.
This unit includes:
- 20 Tradition Passages & Comprehension Questions
- Country Maps with Map Skills Questions
- World Map and Flag Pages
- Scrapbook Pages to Record Important Cultural Facts
- Graphic Organizers
- World Map
- Easy to Assign Digital Activities
- Print Versions for In Classroom Teaching
Here’s What People Are Saying:
- “Lots of good information!! I love how everything is included and there is no extra work for me. I am excited to use this for my social studies classes during the month of December – this will keep them learning and on task all month!!” – Kristen
- “I am using this with in-class and my Zoomers. It is a great resource for geography and the kids are enjoying learning about other countries and their holiday traditions. Thank you for your hard work!” – Jen
- “Love this! New holiday activity to use every year! Everything is there and you can easily use it for reading, writing, and social studies activities to give more time to going deeper into how countries celebrate Christmas and winter holidays. Even I was learning new things!” – Chelsea
Click here to grab the Holidays Around the World Unit for your classroom!
Want to add even more diverse holiday books to your classroom?
Check out this post with my favorite Hanukkah books!
Check out this post with my favorite Diwali books!
Check out this post with my favorite Christmas books!
Thanks for stopping by,
Jenn
