Night Before Christmas in Africa, The (Night Before Christmas Series)
On the arid South African plain, families sleep on floor mats waiting for Father Christmas to arrive with his bag of goodies. However, members of the Shangaan tribe only wish for simple items such as candy, soccer balls, and chickens during the holiday season. They long for relief from the hot, dry climate, but they dare not bother the man in red with such a large request. When his donkey cart arrives, pulled by kudu and a black rhinoceros, Father Christmas is willing to try. Don't American children wish for snow on Christmas?  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.   The first printing of The Night Before Christmas in Africa was released in 2004 to a wildly receptive audience. The story was turned into a musical and is used by many schools in their Christmas concerts. The South African edition of O, The Oprah Magazine selected the book as one of its Favorite Things for Christmas in 2005. Not only is this tale innovatively South African, every book sold supports a child at the Sparrow Schools, which educate disadvantaged, learning-disabled youth.   Born and raised in Texas, Foster moved to South Africa in 1982. She lives in a suburb of Johannesburg.