The Night Before Christmas in Africa

The picture book The Night Before Christmas in Africa celebrates the holiday and African culture with the classic poem.

There is never snow at Christmas on the African plain. It is always hot and the riverbed is nothing but dust. Families sleep on floor mats waiting for Father Christmas, dreaming of relief from the heat. They have come to cherish the simple gifts he always brings. In this adaptation of the Clement C. Moore poem, the Shangaan tribe receives something much more precious than material goods.

With a glossary and combination of African languages, Carroll Foster’s story—written with her children Jesse and Hannah, and illustrated by Jean Christodoulou—shares how the true message of the season comes to every country and brings hope to all people.