Product Description

In an African village live seven brothers who make family life miserable with their constant fighting. When their father dies, he leaves an unsual will: by sundown, the brothers must make gold out of seven spools of thread. If they fail, they will be turned out as beggars.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #44338 in Books
• Published on: 2004-09-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 40 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780807573167
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Booklist
Ages 5-8. In The Seven Days of Kwanzaa: How to Celebrate Them (1994), the author offered ideas, including crafts and recipes, for celebrating the cultural holiday. This latest title is an original folktale that will help introduce children to the holiday's seven principles, while also suggesting how Kente cloth was first created. In a Ghanian village, a father's will commands that his seven argumentative sons must make gold from silk thread "by the time the moon rises," without fighting. Working together, the brothers create a tapestry of Kente cloth, the first multicolored cloth the village has seen, which they sell to the king's treasurer for gold, before returning to their village to farm and live harmoniously. Well-paced, the story incorporates the Kwanzaa values without spelling them out too much. Minter's attractively composed, dramatic painted linocuts, with strong community images and lively, silhouetted figures, root the story in a sun-drenched, magical landscape that will draw children even after repeated readings. An introductory section, with glossary and pronunciation guide explaining the principles, and an appended craft activity round out the volume. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"An attractive addition." -- School Library Journal, October 2000

"Striking woodcuts and a resonant original folktale are the warp and weft of this understated, effective approach to Kwanzaa." -- Publishers Weekly, September 25, 2000

From the Publisher
Using the Nguzo Saba, or "seven principles" of Kwanzaa, the author has created an unforgettable story that shows how family members can pull together, for their own good and the good of the entire community.

Customer Reviews

Unity at Kwanzaa Time
A great book to share and explain Kwanzaa values. I am participating in a library program and this tales of selfishness and unity from an African folklore is a wonderful way to explain the principle of Umoja. The illustrations are beautiful with rich and bold color. This is a story I will never forget.

Morality and Kente Cloth
A friend shared this book with me when we were in a discussion of Africa's Kente cloth, woven with bright colors in narrow strips and then sewed into wider fabric. Seven Spools... is a delightful tale well told and beautifully illustrated. The moral lesson of cooperation is clearly shown. I have ordered it to be a great addition to my group of African books for children and adults.

Seven Spools
The story takes place in the West African county of Ghana and is about seven sons of an old man. The sons argue all the time, until their father dies and leaves each one of them a spool of thread. Moreover, they have used the spools of thread to make pot of gold in order to receive their father's inheritance. Thus, the brothers have to stop arguing, use the principle of umoja to decide how they can use the cloth to solve their problem. Furthermore, the brothers use kuumba to weave Kente Cloth, "The Kings Cloth" that so many African Americans wear during ceremonies in the United States.

The Kwanzaa Coloring Book