Last month, I gathered up great read-alouds for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I also wanted to include some Hanukkah and Kwanzaa read alouds. So let’s discuss great Kwanzaa read-alouds. These are great to have in the classroom library. Or, you can use these as a daily read-aloud during your Holidays Around the World units.
This holiday focuses on unity, heritage, and community. It begins on December 26th and lasts seven days. The six Kwanzaa read alouds below all highlight and show these principles. Here are my favorite picks for the classroom! All the books below come with an affiliate link to Amazon.
Little Rabbit’s Kwanzaa
Synopsis: Li’l Rabbit was upset that he was the smallest rabbit of the family. He felt like he wasn’t getting to truly experience all the fun parts of Kwanzaa with his family. So, when his grandmother gets sick during Kwanzaa, Li’l Rabbit comes up with a plan to truly enjoy the holiday. He starts gathering helpers to prep a treat for his grandmother. Also, the ending of the book has a little informational list of the seven principles of Kwanzaa.
Together for Kwanzaa
Synopsis: The story focuses on a little girl named Kayla, sad because her brother Khari wouldn’t be home for Kwanzaa because of snow. First, the story goes through different celebrations that Kayla has with her family, while she misses her brother Khari. While telling the story, the reader gets a rich description of different celebrations and traditions that occur during Kwanzaa. In the end, as her family gathers together, Kayla is surprised by a visit from a special family member.
Kevin’s Kwanzaa
Synopsis: This story goes through short chapters that explain a little boy’s journey of Kwanzaa with his family. First, it starts with getting ready for Kwanzaa in chapter one, then, learning about the candles in chapter 2, and finally, it ends with the little boy getting to light the candles on his own. Throughout the story, the reader learns the facts and traditions of Kwanzaa is an easy-to-understand manner.
Favorite Kwanzaa Read Alouds #4:
Synopsis: This is a short and sweet informational text about Kwanzaa. Notably, it is written in easy language and sentences for early readers. Similarly to the other books, the reader will learn about basic traditions during the holiday, such as lighting kinara, mat making, and more.
My First Kwanzaa
Synopsis: This story is told in first person perspective. The little girl’s story of her journey through the days of Kwanzaa teaches about the principals and traditions that Kwanzaa has. She goes through each of the seven principles, describing it, and in addition, the book even teaches readers how to pronounce each word. In conclusion, they end Kwanzaa together, with a great feast and celebration.
Celebrate Kwanzaa
Synopsis: Here is another informational text for students to read. However, it’s for more advanced readers than the nonfiction text I showed above. The text includes different topics, such as the history of the holiday, additionally, it also includes many bright text features that add great detail to the text.
Kwanzaa Flip Book
And finally, here is a Kwanzaa reading flip book to also help in your classroom:
Kwanzaa Reading Flip Book
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Thanks for reading! I hope that you enjoyed this collection of Kwanzaa read- alouds.
