Book Review: “The Night Before Christmas in Africa”
Jesse, Hannah and Carroll Foster; illustrated by Jean Christodoulou
At about this time every year, little ones begin to wonder about some very important things.
Have they, for instance, been a good kid–good enough for a visit from St. Nick? Will Santa be able to find their house? Does he prefer chocolate chip or sugar cookies with sprinkles, or is he more of a peanut-butter-cookie-kind-of-guy? And if their home doesn’t have a chimney, how in the world can he ever leave presents?
The good news is that they can stop worrying. As they can see when you read them “The Night Before Christmas in Africa” (c.2004, 2010, Pelican Publishing Co., $16.99 / $19.99 Canada, 32 pages) by Jesse, Hannah and Carroll Foster; illustrated by Jean Christodoulou, Santa Claus can arrive anywhere, anytime, and he might look very different.
’Twas the night before Christmas, and it was dry on the African plain. The cattle were thirsty, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and there was certainly no snow. Monkeys chattered in the treetops.
Maybe they were thirsty, too?
The children were settled down for bed that night, sleeping on mats on the hard, dry ground, while Mama brought pots inside. Her eldest son waited outside, hoping for rain, when he heard a sound from faraway. What could that be? He listened….
And then he saw an incredible sight! It was a donkey cart being pulled by six kudu and a black rhinoceros, and it was piled high with presents. Inside the cart was a man with a long, flowing beard, wearing red from his ankles to the duku on his head. He stopped the cart, stepped out, and opened his heavy sack.
And oh, the most amazing things were in that sack! There was candy for the children and piles of toys, a chair for Gogo, chickens for Mama, and a hat for Kulu. The old man laid the presents out and asked the young man what he wanted for his gift.
Candy and toys were nice for children, and chickens were a good choice for Mama, but what the young man wanted more than anything was rain. Lots of refreshing rain.
Silently, the man in red returned to his sled as a rumble of thunder came from afar. The young man stood. What, to his wondering ears, did he hear?
Sometimes, despite the fact that we love old holiday favorites, it’s easy to become a little tired of them. If that’s the case, you’ll find “The Night Before Christmas in Africa” is a nice twist on the usual.
As the story goes, author Carroll Foster’s children wondered why they never heard African Christmas stories, so Foster simply created one for them. In this re-release of a book once chosen by Oprah as one of her “favorite things,” you’ll get Foster’s cute rhyming story with a bonus: you’ll also be treated to beautifully lush, colorful illustrations from South African artist Jean Christodoulou.
If your little one is getting antsy about Santa’s visit, this book is a nice diversion. “The Night Before Christmas in Africa” is perfect for their ho-ho-holidays.
Based on historical data and more than 50 years of NORAD tracking information, we believe that Santa Claus is alive and well in the hearts of children throughout the world.
Around your house, time is precious.
While it’s true that you’ve got home appliances your great-grandma only dreamed about–an automatic washer and dryer, a microwave, a water heater, an automatic coffee maker, and a cookstove that doesn’t require wood to work–you still can’t manage to sit down for 10 minutes without thinking of 10 things that need doing.
Fun? Who has time for anything fun?
You stayed home last Saturday night.
The Saturday before, you went club-hopping with your girls. And the Saturday before that, you saw a movie with your mama.
It’s not that you don’t want to date. No, the truth is that statistics don’t lie: there’s a shortage of Black men, and since you’re “holding out” for one, you stay home a lot.
What else can you do?
Producer/writer/director and star Tyler Perry has signed Bobbi Kristina Brown, the daughter of the late Whitney Houston and singer Bobby Brown, to a recurring role on the Perry Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) comedy, “For Better or Worse.” This family sitcom is based on the characters introduced by Perry’s movies “Why Did I Get Married?” and “Why Did I Get Married Too?”
Oprah Winfrey and her OWN cable network are making headlines. From the canceling of the Rosie O’Donnell show, to the laying off of employees in the Los Angeles and New York offices, it appears Oprah Winfrey is shaking things up.
What we’re witnessing is Winfrey fighting for the life of her company. Never afraid to make tough decisions, this winner will show America how she fights the good fight.
