CELEBRATING KWANZAA

The author and photographer of Cherokee Summer (p. 531) and other glimpses into our country's alternative cultures follow a Chicago family through the celebration of this modern African- American holiday. Most of Migdale's sharp photos are family scenes, filled with happy moments, bright colors and relaxed-looking people, while 13-year-old narrator Andiey Barnes's description of each day's ritual or festivity is supplemented by sidebars containing the seven principles of Kwanzaa and quotes from famous African-Americans. Kwanzaa is seen as a time for reinforcing bonds, not only domestic and historical but also economic—the Barneses make a special effort to patronize black-owned businesses during the week. Not so much a how-to guide as one family's experience of a holiday celebrated, the author says, by over 18 million people: a colorful supplement to Pinkney's Seven Candles for Kwanzaa (p. 1278) or Deborah Chocolate's books. (Nonfiction. 8-11)