For many weeks now, you’ve been listening to Christmas music.
Maybe you’ve even sung some carols yourself. You’ve seen
Christmas ads on TV, and by now, you probably already watched a
few Christmas cartoons and specials. If you haven’t already,
you’ll soon be hearing “ho-ho-ho” and jingle bells, “Merry
Christmas” and other sounds of the holidays. But if you listen
after Christmas, you’ll hear joyful noises for another special
celebration. In the new book “The Sound of Kwanzaa” by Dimitrea
Tokunbo, illustrated by Lisa Cohen, you’ll learn what those
noises mean. Every night of Kwanzaa, someone may ask you “Habari
gani?” That means “What’s the news?” in Swahili. To answer, you
say the word of the day. Just as there are seven days of
Kwanzaa, there are seven words, each with different meaning.
Together, they’re called the Nguzo Saba. On the first night of
Kwanzaa, you’ll hear the sounds of your friends and family. The
first night celebrates Umoja, and you light a black candle for
unity. Umoja is the word for “unit