Once Upon a Kwanzaa

Paola Dell Acqua
1 day ago
12 min read

Updated: 2 hours ago

Written by Nyasha Williams and Sidney Rose McCall

Illustrated by Sawyer Cloud

This post is sponsored by Nyasha Williams and Sidney Rose McCall.

GIVEAWAY

Enter for the chance to win one of five hardcover copies of Once Upon a Kwanzaa! One grand prize winner will receive the book plus a complete Kwanzaa Celebration Kit—featuring a Kwanzaa Advent, Kinara, and ceremonial candles—to honor your family’s heritage and create meaningful traditions.

Click here for the entry form: https://www.thechildrensbookreview.com/once-upon-a-kwanzaa-by-nyasha-williams-and-sidney-rose-mccall-awareness-tour/

ABOUT THE BOOK

Once Upon a Kwanzaa

Written by Nyasha Williams and Sidney Rose McCall

Illustrated by Sawyer Cloud

Ages 4-6 | 32 Pages

Publisher: Running Press Kids (2025) | ISBN-13: 978-0762487356

Publisher’s Book Summary: A celebration of the beauty, power, and faith of the African-American community as reflected in the principles of Kwanzaa, by the author of I Affirm Me: The ABCs of Inspiration for Black Kids.

Kwanzaa is a holiday steeped in ancestral traditions collected over generations of people across the Black Diaspora. Once Upon a Kwanzaa introduces communities of all colors to the interwoven history and lived experiences connected to this time of year when families and loved ones gather to celebrate, share, and reimagine the past, present, and future. Sawyer Cloud’s stunning artwork showcases seven different BIPOC families and highlights how different peoples of the Diaspora can celebrate in their communities, from setting the table and lighting the Kinara to sharing meals and gathering at events. The book includes a glossary and pronunciation guide.

INTERVIEW Q & A

1- Why did you grow up between the States and South Africa?

Nyasha: I grew up between the United States and South Africa because of my parents’ work. My dad

worked with Habitat for Humanity in both countries, and my mom is an infectious disease doctor

focusing on HIV and AIDS.

2- Do the differences between the two countries you saw as a child differ from what you see

now? How?

Nyasha: Absolutely. First, it’s important to share that I’m a transracial adoptee with my parents being

white, and my siblings and I, being Black. I was adopted at two weeks old, and my upbringing

moved between Colorado and South Africa. My parents chose not to center race in my early life,

which meant I grew up with very little awareness of how my Blackness would impact how others

perceived me. For a long time, I really moved through the world “like a white girl,” especially

growing up in Colorado in very white neighborhoods. My brother and I were two of six Black kids

in our elementary school. South Africa was a completely different context, while much more

diverse, but I still didn’t understand or appreciate the significance of being on the continent my

Ancestors were taken from. I didn’t have the historical or cultural context, so I often just tried to

assimilate, to fit in, to limit what made me different.

It wasn’t until my mid-20s, with the support of my husband, that I began to see myself as a

Black woman first. That’s when I really started to decolonize, indigenize, and liberate myself,

awakening to true histories, like the legacies of Black Wall Street, the broader Black diaspora,

and how whiteness has shaped so much of what we are taught, whether in the U.S. or South

Africa. Now, my perspective is completely transformed. I see both countries through a lens

shaped by Ancestral connection, history, and liberation. I approach America differently, and I’ve

developed a longing to experience more of Africa in wishing to walk the lands that are part of my

lineage, understanding the broader context of my people, and really embracing my identity in

ways I couldn’t as a child. Growing up between these countries gave me incredible perspective,

but my understanding of it has deepened and expanded as I’ve grown into my Blackness and

my history.

3- How much did growing up between two cultures shape your struggle for equality?

Nyasha: Honestly, growing up I had very little context for the fight for our liberation. I learned bits of

history in South Africa during high school, about Apartheid and Mandela, but I didn’t have a real

understanding of the full scope of the struggles and contributions of my Ancestors in America. I

still learn every day about individuals and communities whose work has shaped where we are

now and about how much farther we have to go.

I’d also say that equality, diversity, and equity are just the entry points. The work I’m drawn to

and what I think matters most is decolonization, indigenizing, and liberation. That requires

unlearning. I grew up seeing how narratives are controlled, what’s taught in schools, shown in

literature and media, and how history is framed. For example, I never sat with the reality of

enslavement in America the way I understood the Holocaust. That gap in awareness affects

how we see ourselves, our communities, and the possibilities for change.

Because of this, the classroom, literature, and media are incredibly political spaces. What gets

taught or omitted shapes what young people understand about themselves and their power to

dream, create, and act. I’ve seen this historically, and I see it now in the way people react to

shifts in what children and communities are exposed to in books, movies, and curricula. Change

is happening, and some push back because they understand the power of these shifts.

Personally, I’m grateful that my parents never limited my dreams. That support gave me a

visionary lens to imagine beyond what exists now.

I see my role in collective liberation particularly around literature, media, and the stories we tell

because I know how transformative these spaces can be. That’s where I step in, carrying the

torch from my ancestors, creating the supports that help us move toward a more liberated state

of being.

4- When did you first become interested in studying Black southern culture and foodways?

Sidney: If theatre was my first passion, history was my first love. History allowed me to travel

across different times, spaces, and places that deepened my awareness of the world, nurtured

my appreciation for storytelling, and rooted my empathy. Studying Black southern cultures

allows me to weave empathy into how we witness the past, engage with the present, and

prepare for the future. Through the many recipes and foodways of the South, we recover the

parts of ourselves that reveal deeper truths about our communities and our cultures that often

exist well beyond the grand narratives of the past.

5- How did moving from Florida to Virginia change how you see southern culture?

Sidney: Growing up in Central Florida exposed me to a gumbo of different southern ways of

living. From theater and piano lessons to cooking lessons and Afro-Caribbean dance, I was

exposed to communities that, while separated by waterways and highways, each felt like a part

of my becoming. Teachers who wove worlds around math equations and theater directors who

jumped and ran across the stage during rehearsals each nurtured my appreciation for education

through art and creative learning. By the time I arrived in Virginia to continue my studies in

history and ecology, I was ready to take those lessons and begin weaving them into my own

stories and passing them on to students and community members alike.

6- How much has your deep connection to Zora Neale Hurston's legacy and southern Black

culture influenced your commitment to preserving and sharing these stories?

Sidney: Having the privilege to work in the hometown of Zora Neale Hurston was a humbling

homecoming. Though we were born nearly 105 years apart, our becomings started in the same

neighborhoods and community gardens sprinkled across Central Florida. We both travelled far

from home to study and search the world, only to sojourn back to the land of oleanders and

citrus with old songs and new stories. That sojourn, while coupled with a global pandemic,

looked a bit different from Zora’s own journeys back down South. Still, my entrance to Eatonville

spelled a new chapter in my journeying – one that would see me return to school to expand my

knowledge and build up my skills to prepare, plan, and plot my routes that would go on to serve

and preserve Black communities, towns, and stories across the South. The history of the United

States is deeply rooted in the South where Black history first began and continues to thrive –

even under threats of erasure and gentrification. To understand the South is to understand the

heartbeat of America and recover the many cultures that color our shared futurepast.

7- How do you expect/want people outside your community to understand/use Once Upon a

Kwanzaa and its message?

Nyasha: I hope people outside my immediate community approach Once Upon a Kwanzaa with curiosity,

openness, and respect. The book is meant as a bridge, an invitation to learn about the

principles of Kwanzaa, the histories and wisdom of the Black diaspora, and how those principles

can be applied to daily life, community, and collective dreaming. I want it to be a resource, a

guide, and a space for reflection for anyone willing to engage. My hope is that people take what

resonates with them, carry it into their own practices of connection, creativity, and responsibility,

and in doing so, honor the values, histories, and Ancestral wisdom at the heart of the story.

Sidney: As time goes by, Once Upon a Kwanzaa feels more like a lifelong journey rather than a singular

book. When I go back over Sawyer’s illustrations, finding new details and colors that create

wonderlands and lores to lose myself in daydreams, within the words on the page, I see a

promise. A promise that offers kids who look different and distinct the chance to grow up safe

and free to become their full selves. A promise to those who were once children to build

communities that are steeped and seeded in seven principles that, if nurtured well and watered,

can raise a library, a village, a forest of knowledge, creativity, magic, and love.

8- It is a book about hope, peace, and a desire for a better world. Do you think the principles of

the Kwanzaa could become a sort of manifesto for other cultures?

Nyasha: While the principles of Kwanzaa are rooted in the histories and experiences of the Black

diaspora, their lessons: unity, self-determination, collective responsibility, cooperation, purpose,

creativity, and faith are universal. They offer a framework for connection, accountability, and

dreaming collectively that any culture can engage with. My hope is that people take the values

in a way that resonates with their own communities while honoring the origin and intention

behind them, using the principles as tools for building stronger, more compassionate, and

liberated societies.

Sidney: Absolutely. Similar to the many Black freedom struggles and grandmother-led

movements our elders and ancestors paved for us, Kwanzaa teaches young people and grown

folks alike the possibilities that come from manifesting dreams when we have the freedom to

learn, the freedom to grow together, and the freedom to dream. In a world that feels smaller and

scarier than ever before, stories that center the Black Diaspora bring children across cultures

and colors together to find the magic within themselves. This book encourages us to notice the

beauty of our differences and how to learn from each other to build solidarities that allow all of

us to go farther and higher than we ever could alone.

9- Why 'seven' principles? Is there any connection to the meaning of numbers?

Nyasha: The seven principles, or Nguzo Saba, were chosen to represent key values that guide personal,

family, and community life in ways that nurture growth, connection, and liberation. Seven is a

number with significance in many cultures; it often represents completeness, balance, and

wholeness. In the context of Kwanzaa, each principle builds on the others, creating a full

framework for reflection, action, and daily practice. So the number seven isn’t just symbolic. It

reflects the idea that a well-rounded, thriving community relies on multiple interconnected values

working together.

Sidney: Each of the seven principles pushes us to manifest everyday practices that extend well

beyond the wintering season and transform Kwanzaa into a year-round call to good work and

good trouble. To engage with Kwanzaa as a seasonal and everyday guide is to recover the

deeper maps of the human condition and how, despite our many movements and moments

across different times, spaces, and faraway places, we so often return to the same hearths

where food and fellowship flow. Even when we feel lonely or hopeless, we carry our ancestors';

stories born of their struggles, journeys, joys, songs, psalms, recipes, and poetries, in our veins.

Kwanzaa allows for us to embrace not only our individual selves, but to reconnect with

communities beyond our families and kinfolks.

10- I am also convinced of the powerful potential of stories. As a teacher, I'd include your story

in my class. What is your message for teachers?

Nyasha: My message for teachers is to honor the transformative power of stories and to recognize that

the books we choose to share can shape how students see themselves, their communities, and

the world. Once Upon a Kwanzaa is a story about a holiday as well as a tool for reflection,

connection, and collective dreaming. Sidney and I are currently working on lesson plans that

span from Pre-K all the way through university level, so the book can be accessed on different

levels depending on the students’ accessibility. We would love to hear from teachers how the

book is used in their classrooms, how the principles flourish with their students, and what that

engagement looks like in practice. Stories are invitations to empathy, curiosity, and liberation,

and teachers play a key role in helping students receive and act on that invitation.

Sidney: As an educator (for kids of an older sort) I encourage educators, teachers, community

adults, elders, parents, and caretakers to bring their young and growing learners into everyday

conversations around Kwanzaa. Steep their learnings, discoveries, and interactions in the

different principles that press against our world and the many ways and wonders within. Nurture

questions and conversations that allow them to lead and learn together. How does Umoja

manifest in the classroom during group activities? How can we use Kujichagulia as a template

for lessons about our bodies in relation to self-love, bodily autonomy, and hygiene? How can

Ujima transform places in our neighborhoods, like animal shelters, children’s homes, or refugee

centers? How can our young people help organize food drives, pop up libraries, sock drives,

and fundraisers in the tradition of Ujamaa to build up and cover our communities beyond the

classroom? What does Nia look like in the garden or the forest or the ocean? How does

Kuumba encourage us to think out of the box and problem-solve creatively? How do we hold

space and celebrate Imani across cultures in the classroom? Finding ways to weave Kwanzaa

into the everyday curriculum and creative spaces of young folk’s lives opens portals of potential,

possibility, and opportunity for them to grow as students, as scholars-in-training, as community

members, and as future citizens of the world.

Thank you Nyasha & Sidney!!

PURCHASE LINK

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Bookshop.org

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Nyasha Williams grew up living intermittently between the United States and South Africa. As a kindergarten teacher, she was inspired to continue work as an author, creator, and activist after reading her first book to her class when one of her Black students told her that mermaids could not be Black. Williams kickstarted her first picture book, What’s the Commotion in the Ocean, starring a Black mermaid who spreads a message of marine conservation. She is the author of four picture books with Running Press Kids, including the bestselling I Affirm Me, and is the author of RP Studio’s Black Tarot, as well as a board book series with Harpercollins.

For more information, check out nyashawilliams.online and nyashawilliams.substack.com

https://www.instagram.com/writingtochangethenarrative/

Rose McCall is an historian and community intellectual who combines her academic work with her activism. Though the pandemic saw her complete her Masters in Applied Social Science far from the classroom, she turned her eyes to the community, building a platform through Patreon where she continues to share decolonized history lessons and virtual discussions. She also joined the Association to Preserve the Eatonville Community, Inc. as a student-docent at the Zora Neale Hurston National Museum of Fine Arts and now serves as a member of their Academic Committee for the ZORA! Festival of the Arts and Humanities. Ms. McCall hopes to work alongside community bridge builders to bring integrative stories into our creative spaces of resilience and resistance.

For more information, check out linktr.ee/Rosecolored_Scholar

https://www.instagram.com/neighborhood_historian/

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

Sawyer Cloud is a freelance artist from Madagascar. Her passion for kids’ literature pushed her to turn it into a living. Sawyer loves sunny days and music. She dreams of owning a small cottage and traveling the world. She still lives in her native country, Madagascar, with her family and her two pets, Arya the dog and Potter the cat.