The book, “A Kenya Christmas” is an excellent book for children to read based on Christmas within the Kenyan culture. In my opinion, the illustrator, Leonard Jenkins, did a remarkable job creating the celebration of Christmas in Africa. The mural-like illustrations truly depict the characters culture. Dressed in long robes, headpieces, and fine jewelry, children danced in celebration of the appearance of Father Christmas. In addition to the people, the animals were illustrated in incredible detail. The elephants included remarkable depth, line, and color as well. I also loved the plot of this story. The excitement the villagers had when they saw Father Christmas truly brought the magic of the holiday alive. I think the main idea of this book was to explore Christmas from the Kenyan culture while believing in this magical holiday. ( )

This story of a child whose aunt grants him his one wish for Christmas, to see Father Christmas, plays with a familiar twist to bring the holiday spirit alive in Kenya, one of the last places I think of for Christmas traditions, and for that reason I liked it. It was the old person dresses up as Santa but can't make the appearance at the last minute and unbeknownst to the waiting audience another Santa shows up in his stead and no one realizes the rouse until well past. Very nicely told and interestingly arranged. I enjoyed this a great deal. ( )