Once Upon a Kwanzaa

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.


Author: Nyasha Williams,Sidney Rose McCall
Publisher: Running Press Kids
Published: 09/30/2025
Pages: 32
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.81lbs
Size: 9.25h x 9.25w x 0.41d
ISBN: 9780762487356
Audience: Ages 9-12


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 07/28/2025
Booklist 08/01/2025
Kirkus Reviews 08/15/2025
School Library Journal 09/01/2025 pg. 68

About the Author
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.

Sidney Rose McCall is a Florida-raised folklorist and public historian who studies Black ecologies, southern cultures and foodways, and the many underground railroads both in the American South and beyond. After serving as a student-docent at the Hurston Museum in Historic Eatonville, the hometown of Zora Neale Hurston, author of Their Eyes Were Watching God, she now serves as an Academic Committee member for the ZORA! Festival of the Arts and Humanities. Although she is currently writing and researching in Virginia, Orlando remains her hometown where she enjoys spending time with her extended family and the many fur-babies in between.

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.