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Reviewed by Amy M. O’Quinn for the National Writing for Children Center

Title: A Kwanzaa Miracle
Written by: Sharon Shavers Gayle
Illustrated by: Frank Norfleet
Hardback: 32 pages
Ages: 4-8
Publisher: Troll Communications (September 1, 1996)
ISBN-10: 0816741824
ISBN-13: 978-0816741823

In The Kwanzaa Miracle, two siblings named Darryl and Ashley are anxiously looking forward to celebrating Kwanzaa with family and friends in their apartment building. As Ashley says, “It’s a month of miracles.” And a miracle is needed.

Mrs. Jackson, “the meanest lady in the whole building,” puts a damper on their holiday spirit with her constant scolding and criticism. She also rudely declines the invitation to the Kwanzaa planning meeting, and the children don’t understand why Mrs. Jackson is so disagreeable.

During the meeting, Darryl and Ashley’s dad, Mr. Parker, suggests that the tenants select a theme for the current year. They choose Umoja, the first principle of Kwanzaa, which means honoring family, community, nation, and race. Plus, they decide to choose an honorary ancestor for the celebration. But whom? They decide to think about it for awhile.

However, a few days later when Ashley and Darryl are having a snowball fight, Darryl accidentally hits Mrs. Jackson’s window. Immediately the window flies open and Mrs. Jackson calls for them to come up…right now! The children are frightened, but they obey the older lady’s request and quietly knock on her door, expecting the worse. Instead, Mrs. Jackson surprises them with hot cocoa and oatmeal cookies.

A bit confused, they ask why Mrs. Jackson isn’t mad at them. Kindly, she explains how she once had a little girl who broke a window during a snowball fight. The icy snowball hitting her window actually brings back a memory that warms the older lady’s heart, because her little girl died when she was still just a child.

She shares the family photo albums with Ashley and Darryl and tells them how she also misses her husband, who recently passed away. Her only sister lives in a different city, so basically she is all alone. And as the children suddenly realize, Mrs. Jackson has also been misunderstood and has been hiding her sadness under a layer of gruffness. They decide to ask their parents to choose Mrs. Jackson as the honorary ancestor for Kwanzaa, and everyone in the building agrees. She is delighted and honored to be asked. And unbeknownst to Mrs. Jackson, the Parkers are able to get in contact with her sister and invite her to the celebration!

When the first night of Kwanzaa arrives, it’s time for the festivities to begin. Darryl escorts Mrs. Jackson to the party, and she is so surprised to see her sister sitting on the sofa. A happy reunion takes place between the sisters, and Kwanzaa is off to a great start. When Mrs. Jackson is named the honorary ancestral grandmother by the tenants, she faces the group and says, “You have all given me a Kwanzaa miracle!”

The colorful illustrations by Frank Norfleet are realistic and eye-catching, and Mrs. Gayle’s story of community certainly touches the heart and reminds us all of the importance of understanding and friendship. She includes a page at the end of the book outlining the seven principles of Kwanzaa—number one being Umoja or Unity!

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Amy M. O’Quinn is a pastor’s wife and former schoolteacher-turned-homeschool mom of six. She is also a freelance writer who enjoys jotting down ideas around the fringes of family life. She specializes in non-fiction, and her work has been published or acquired by magazines including Jack and Jill, US Kids, Guideposts for Kids, Learning Through History Magazine, Highlights, GEORGIA Magazine, Homeschooling Today, International Gymnast, etc. She is also a product/curriculum/book reviewer for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine and a regular columnist for TEACH Magazine. The O’Quinns live on the family farm in rural south Georgia. You can find Amy’s blog, Ponderings >From Picket Fence Cottage, at http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/picketfencemom.