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.
Carroll Foster manages a small music company that promotes South African musicians. While home one night around Christmastime, Foster's children, Jesse and Hannah, asked why there were no stories combining African culture with the holiday season. Having no answer, they decided to write their own Christmas story. Born and raised in Texas, Foster moved to South Africa in 1982. She and her family live in a suburb of Johannesburg.