The Sound of Kwanzaa

The Sound of Kwanzaa

Written by Dimitrea Tokunbo

Illustrated by Lisa Cohen

Title: The Sound of Kwanzaa 

Dimitrea Tokunbo

Author: Dimitrea Tokunbo is an author, illustrator, graphic designer, mural painter, and a full-time mother. She attended Moore College of Art for Women in Philadelphia. Pennsylvania. There she studied illustration. Dimitrea currently lives in New York City with her two daughters. http://thebrownbookshelf.com/2011/02/27/day-27-dimitrea-tokunbo/

Illustrator: Lisa Cohen was born in Cape Town, South Africa. She moved to the United States of America in the early 1980s. She was excited to gain the freedom that awaited her in America. Lisa currently lives and paints in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Genre: Fiction

Grade Level: Elementary

Synopsis: The Sound of Kwanzaa tells the story of an African American community during the celebration of Kwanzaa. Swahili words are used in the sentences and defined on each page. The words are the names of each of the Seven Principles of Kwanzaa. Also found on each page is the color candle lit for that specific day. In the back of the book there is a glossary and pronunciation guide. 

Theme: The three major themes that can be connected to this story are Kwanzaa, community, and African American culture.

"Sharing dreams and setting goals."

Pre-reading Activity: The teacher should lead a class discussion about community. Make sure to define the word community and have students talk about what community members do together. Also talk about what things you might find in a community.

Post-reading Activity: After the story is read, have a class discussion about what the community members did in the story. How did they celebrate together. have students talk about how they celebrate in their classroom community.

Assessment: The students will be assessed on their discussion participation, cooperation, and attentiveness.

Personal Reflection: The Sound of Kwanzaa is not a book I would use in my classroom. The pictures are colorful, but they were vague and did not always go along with the words on the same page. The Swahili word pronunciation is located in the very back of the book making it hard to reference the pronunciations while reading the story. There are other books that I feel would explain Kwanzaa more in depth and easier than this one.