Guest Post: Five Books Celebrating Caribbean Christmas

A story of wishing, handling disappointment, and enjoying the holidays.

Anslem desperately wants a real Christmas tree. And although the older and wiser people in his life try to tell him, in different ways, “It don’t take tree to make Christmas,” he is bitterly disappointed when the entire shipment of real Christmas trees arrives, dead. Determined to have a real Christmas tree, he takes matters into his own hands, with mixed results. Ultimately, he is able to feel a real Christmas in the tastes and smells of Christmas ham, black cake, and ginger and sorrel drinks,  in his own good-humored family and kind neighbors, and in the real poinsettias blooming outside the window. (Excerpted from my review at Caribbean Children’s Books).

The details for this Caribbean children’s book:

• This book is an #OwnVoices title, written by someone born and raised in the Caribbean.
• Island: Not specified in text, but draws on author’s experiences in Trinidad.
• Author: Vashanti Rahaman was born in Trinidad.
• Illustrator: Frané Lessac has a connection to Montserrat.
• Language: English with a sprinkling of phrases in Caribbean dialect
• My suggested age range: younger children (3-6), older children(6+).
• Published 2001. Find it in a library.

If you want a story that shares an overview of Caribbean Christmas traditions, this story is a perfect choice.

There are “plenty things to do” as Rosie helps prepare for Christmas and then celebrates with her family. Rosie and her family make Christmas with traditional foods and drinks (sorrel, black currant cake, aloo pie, soursop ice cream – see my full review for recipes!). Rosie and her brother Ragboy listen to music from a parang band. They also decorate another traditional kind of Christmas tree – a guava branch that they polish white before hanging decorations on it. They also prepare homemade presents, receive special presents from their parents, and go off to church.

It’s a poetic story with a gentle plot about a warm, happy family and their traditions. I also love the illustrations — sunny pastel watercolors that bring Trinidad to life. The author’s note fills in some details about each tradition for the unfamiliar. (See my full review at Caribbean Children’s Books for more details.)

The details for this Caribbean children’s book:

• This book is an #OwnVoices title, written by someone born and raised in the Caribbean.
• Country: Trinidad & Tobago
• Author: Lynn Joseph is from Trinidad and has lived on other Caribbean islands as well. (See all my reviews of her books here.)
• Illustrator: Catherine Stock
• Language: English, narrated in Caribbean dialect
• Recommended for: younger children (3-6), older children(6+).
• Published 1996. Find it in a library.

A more recent title, this book features an immigrant family bringing Caribbean food traditions with them to Canada.

I was excited to find a book featuring a family in the Caribbean diaspora! While traditions like Christmas trees come to the islands, it’s fun to see the exchange going the other way, as a family brings favorite holiday foods to their home in Canada. Full disclosure: I haven’t been able to read the whole book yet. From the back cover, “Femi and her friends planned to leave some traditional Caribbean treats out for Santa, including Black Cake. The children shared warm wishes for their favourite dishes while enjoying winter activities at the Christmas fair.” Wouldn’t it be fun to make black cake and read this story?

The details for this Caribbean children’s book:

• This book is an #OwnVoices title, written by someone born in the Caribbean.
• Country: Guyana, Canada.
• Author: Yolanda T. Marshall is a Guyanese-born Canadian author.
• Illustrator: Subi Bosa
• Language: English
• Recommended for: younger children (3-6), older children(6+).
• Published 2019. Find it in a library.

Cuba, 1958. Tonight is Noche Buena, the night before Christmas.

Alfredito and his family always travel to his abuela’s home to gather with family for games, singing, and a delicious meal. This year, there is a war going on between the government and the rebeldes, and their trip faces unexpected obstacles – a canceled train, a flat tire, and a full bus. Alfredito worries through these setbacks, but mostly on a child’s level – he doesn’t want to miss his chance to eat a delicious buñuelo and see his grandmother.

Thanks to his resourceful father and the kindness of strangers along the way, the family finds a way to make the trip – giving away the Christmas presents of sidra and torrones they packed in return for the kind favors they receive on their journey. They arrive safely just in time to set out to la Miso de Gallo, midnight mass. Alfredito bites into his honey-soaked buñuelo and believes that even in wartime, the world is “… still good and beautiful.”

This warm story has a strong message about kindness, anchored by realistic characters and beautiful sensory details based on the author’s childhood experience. The food (“roasted pork, boiled rice, beans, yucca, and fried plantains”) sounds so good, and the illustrator’s luminous paintings bring to life the landscape, the cars, the fashions, and the emotions of the traveling family in vivid color. (Taken from my original review).

The details for this Caribbean children’s book:

• This book is an #OwnVoices title, written by someone born and raised in the Caribbean.
• Island: Cuba
• Author: D. H. Figueredo is from Cuba.
• Illustrator: Pablo Torrecilla
• Language: English with a sprinkling of Spanish phrases
• Recommended for: older children(6+).
• Educators, check out the Teacher’s Guide from the publisher.
• Published 2016. Find it in a public library.

A chef’s exploration of the global roots of Caribbean Christmas cuisine.

Good food and an exchange of traditions between cultures? I’m sensing a theme! This book, by Cuban American chef Dr. Maricel E. Presilla, sounds really

fascinating, especially for older children and their parents. It’s on my to-be-read list, but the Amazon preview has me intrigued!

Here’s the description, via Goodreads:

Bittersweet memories, delicious recipes, and fabulous feasts await you in Feliz Nochebuena, Feliz Navidad, a sumptuous introduction to the history of Christmas celebrations in the Hispanic Caribbean.

Beginning with her own memories of spit-roasted pork “with a garlicky Seville orange adobo” and holidays desserts such as turrones, mazapán, and buñuelos, author Maricel E. Presilla takes us on a journey through the history of Christmas in the Hispanic islands. As she describes all of the foods of Christmas Eve (Nochebuena) and Christmas Day, she tells us about the peoples from around the world who brought their ingredients and recipes to the table.

We meet Arabs whose almond trees yielded the key ingredient in mazapán; Taino farmers who grew yuca; Spanish conquistadores who hunted pigs like in medieval Europe; African slaves who combined rice and peas to create flavorful new dishes. As she introduces each group of peoples and their foods, Dr. Presilla gives us carefully tested recipes that allow readers of all ages to join in on the feast. Ismael Espinosa Ferrer’s vibrant, colorful paintings evoke the magic of holidays in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and now the United States (Publisher’s description, via Goodreads).

The details for this Caribbean children’s book:

• This book is an #OwnVoices title, written by someone born in the Caribbean.
• Island: Cuba and other Spanish-speaking islands in the Caribbean.
• Author: Dr. Maricel E. Presilla was born in Cuba.
• Illustrator: Ismael Espinosa Ferrer, also from Cuba, and the author’s father!
• Language: English with a sprinkling of Spanish phrases
• Recommended for: older children(6+) and their parents
• Published 1994. Find it in a library.
• AbeBooks