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Handa's Surprise
Handa puts seven delicious fruits in a basket for her friend Akeyo. Which fruit will Akeyo like best, she wonders. After a long walk to the next village, the answer turns out to be a big surprise! Walker Books have collaborated with King Rollo Films to create this gently animated DVD packaged together with the classic picture book. Read by Adjoa Andoh ("Casualty", "Doctor Who"), with specially composed music, this is an innovative combination that will delight and entertain young viewers again and again.
Book & DVD
First published June 9, 1994
41 people are currently reading
1075 people want to read
About the author
Eileen Browne
55 books14 followersEileen Browne has written and illustrated many books for children, including Handa’s Surprise and Handa’s Hen. Before becoming an author, she worked as a schoolteacher and youth worker. Eileen Browne lives in Wiltshire, England.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 266 reviews
August 10, 2024
Handa puts fruit in a basket, underway she looses the fruit unnoticed. What a cute little funny story with beautiful, colorful drawings! It might be a simple story, but I really enjoyed. Great for kids and grownups!
This book is in the 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up challenge I am doing.
This book is in the 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up challenge I am doing.
January 2, 2021
Everybody loves Handa's Surprise. It is such a fun book, with bright illustrations and an enjoyable, repetitive story which children love to hear and join in with. It introduces lots of interesting fruits, too - the basis of a good fruit-salad making session! Most schools read this book at some point and it is clear to see why.
November 2, 2013
I can see why this one is popular with schools, at least in the UK. The National Curriculum is more and more focused on cultural diversity, and most books for little kids are about white British kids or white American kids. Here is a book about a black African girl, in Africa.
However, as I read it, I very much got the sense of 'This has been written by a white Brit who has probably never even been to Africa.' It follows the conventions of British children's picture books. The same sort of story - involving food, involving animals, involving naming and identifying the animals. Except that the food and animals are those you'd find in Africa - African fruit and African animals.
The story is of a little girl, Handa, who selects various fruit to put in a basket on her head and take to her friend, Akeyo. It's a cute story - various animals steal the fruit during this Handa's journey and she doesn't realise, and she is about to reach Akeyo with no fruit in her basket at all when another animal shakes a tree and lots of tangerines fall into the basket - so both Akeyo and Handa are surprised when she takes the basket off her head. It's a funny surprise - I can imagine kids enjoying the story. It's a good story, with lovely pictures. I can imagine reading it to children (here in the UK, at least!) and getting them really involved in the story. But in terms of cultural difference, the only difference between this book and British books are the various stereotypes that Brits have of Africans - they carry things on their heads, they have lots of fun animals, they have lots of exotic fruit.
I found myself wondering what an actual African girl who lives in Africa would think of the story. Maybe 'Why would someone be taking fruit to their friend when there is an abudance of fruit growing wild here?' Or 'How would someone not realise that the weight of the basket on their head had changed?' I don't know. I'm not African and have never been to Africa. But if I am to read a book about an African person in Africa, I think I'd far rather it had been written by an African person in Africa. I imagine it would be a completely different sort of book - it wouldn't fit into all the British ideas of what makes a good children's story. It would take people (more likely the adults than the children!) out of their comfort zones. And to me that would be a good thing.
However, as I read it, I very much got the sense of 'This has been written by a white Brit who has probably never even been to Africa.' It follows the conventions of British children's picture books. The same sort of story - involving food, involving animals, involving naming and identifying the animals. Except that the food and animals are those you'd find in Africa - African fruit and African animals.
The story is of a little girl, Handa, who selects various fruit to put in a basket on her head and take to her friend, Akeyo. It's a cute story - various animals steal the fruit during this Handa's journey and she doesn't realise, and she is about to reach Akeyo with no fruit in her basket at all when another animal shakes a tree and lots of tangerines fall into the basket - so both Akeyo and Handa are surprised when she takes the basket off her head. It's a funny surprise - I can imagine kids enjoying the story. It's a good story, with lovely pictures. I can imagine reading it to children (here in the UK, at least!) and getting them really involved in the story. But in terms of cultural difference, the only difference between this book and British books are the various stereotypes that Brits have of Africans - they carry things on their heads, they have lots of fun animals, they have lots of exotic fruit.
I found myself wondering what an actual African girl who lives in Africa would think of the story. Maybe 'Why would someone be taking fruit to their friend when there is an abudance of fruit growing wild here?' Or 'How would someone not realise that the weight of the basket on their head had changed?' I don't know. I'm not African and have never been to Africa. But if I am to read a book about an African person in Africa, I think I'd far rather it had been written by an African person in Africa. I imagine it would be a completely different sort of book - it wouldn't fit into all the British ideas of what makes a good children's story. It would take people (more likely the adults than the children!) out of their comfort zones. And to me that would be a good thing.
September 10, 2011
Handa's Surprise is a book about a Kenyan girl (Handa) who visits her friend with a basket full of seven different fruits as presents. Along the way to Akeyo's village, Handa contemplates which fruit Akeyo will like the best. However, each time Handa thinks about a certain fruit an animal pops along and takes that particular fruit. For example a monkey steals the banana. Unaware that various animals have taken these tropical fruits, Handa contiunes along her journey, at which point a goat bumps into a tree and a bunch of tangerines fall into Handa's basket. Much to Handa's Surprise Tangerines are Akeyo's favourite fruit.
This book works because it has a multicultural theme. Eileen Browne does a magnificant job incorporating various themese of Africa into one book. For example she includes tropical fruits such as guava and various African animals such as an Ostrich, Monkey, Parrot, Zebra and so on. Furthermore, there are other underlying African themes, such as the clothes the girls wear, walking to Akeyo's village instead of travelling by car and giving fruits as presents instead of toys.
This book would be a good resource for Primary teachers in Key Stage One. as it can be used for role-playing games, methods for understanding other cultures, subtraction, and naming unknown fruits and animals. What is more essential is that Handa's Surprise is one of few bilingual books and comes in various languages, thus it can be used as a strategy to help EAL learners.
This book works because it has a multicultural theme. Eileen Browne does a magnificant job incorporating various themese of Africa into one book. For example she includes tropical fruits such as guava and various African animals such as an Ostrich, Monkey, Parrot, Zebra and so on. Furthermore, there are other underlying African themes, such as the clothes the girls wear, walking to Akeyo's village instead of travelling by car and giving fruits as presents instead of toys.
This book would be a good resource for Primary teachers in Key Stage One. as it can be used for role-playing games, methods for understanding other cultures, subtraction, and naming unknown fruits and animals. What is more essential is that Handa's Surprise is one of few bilingual books and comes in various languages, thus it can be used as a strategy to help EAL learners.
July 31, 2013
“Handa’s Surprise”, a vibrantly illustrated picture book, tells the story of one little girl’s walk to see her best friend, Akeyo. Each page details Handa’s journey and depicts a glimpse of tribal life in South West Kenya. The animals featured are brilliantly drawn and brought to life through colour and comedy. One can almost imagine them having personalities of their own. The twist at the end of Handa’s journey really is a great surprise!
This book encapsulates the idea that ‘less is more’. The simple text and the descriptive pictures, are what I believe are the key features that lend to the brilliance of this book.
A versatile book, that is probably best utilised for foundation and year one, ages 4-6. In literacy lessons this would definitely be a great book to read aloud to the class. It is a book to engage the imagination, develop discussion and instigate creative writing. A great cross-curricular book which could be utilised in many lessons in: Math by counting the different types of fruit and animals, Geography for learning about Africa and using maps and PSHE for discussing friendships. This list is not exhaustive. I will definitely want to share this book with the children in my class.
This book encapsulates the idea that ‘less is more’. The simple text and the descriptive pictures, are what I believe are the key features that lend to the brilliance of this book.
A versatile book, that is probably best utilised for foundation and year one, ages 4-6. In literacy lessons this would definitely be a great book to read aloud to the class. It is a book to engage the imagination, develop discussion and instigate creative writing. A great cross-curricular book which could be utilised in many lessons in: Math by counting the different types of fruit and animals, Geography for learning about Africa and using maps and PSHE for discussing friendships. This list is not exhaustive. I will definitely want to share this book with the children in my class.
January 28, 2013
This book in South-West Kenya, though this isn't mentioned in the story. It sees a young girl, Handa pick seven types of tropical fruit with the intention of taking them to her friend, Akeyo.
As she carries the basket on her head to her friends house, various animals steal the fruits, piece by piece but an accident results in her arriving with a basket full of tangerines which are incidentally Akeyo's favourite fruit.
The book uses relatively simple language and could probably be read independently by a six or seven year old. This said, it uses a variety of punctuation marks which could possibly used as a platform for a more advanced lesson.
It has lovely illustrations and could be used to introduce children to different types of fruit or animals as part of an art or geography lesson.
The only danger with using this book in geography would by that children might deveop an over-simplified view of Kenya or Africa as a whole, but as long as it was used in conjunction with other materials representative of the area, it would be a valuable tool in engaging a class.
As she carries the basket on her head to her friends house, various animals steal the fruits, piece by piece but an accident results in her arriving with a basket full of tangerines which are incidentally Akeyo's favourite fruit.
The book uses relatively simple language and could probably be read independently by a six or seven year old. This said, it uses a variety of punctuation marks which could possibly used as a platform for a more advanced lesson.
It has lovely illustrations and could be used to introduce children to different types of fruit or animals as part of an art or geography lesson.
The only danger with using this book in geography would by that children might deveop an over-simplified view of Kenya or Africa as a whole, but as long as it was used in conjunction with other materials representative of the area, it would be a valuable tool in engaging a class.
December 9, 2014
It's funny how a lot of white people (yes I know I am white too) love this book because they think it is all respectful of an "other" culture and stuff. It is a fun book, but it sort of makes an exotic spectacle of Handa like the exotic animals and fruits in the book.
I don't want to blame the author for that, because among many other books perhaps there is a place for more exotic settings and colourful, celebratory difference. From an anti-racist perspective though (which is what people often want to use it for) by itself it makes too much of the difference and not enough of the relatability.
I like Handa and her awesome hairstyle, I am not saying throw out this book. But I prefer to see a less exoticised view of other cultures, places and peoples.
I don't want to blame the author for that, because among many other books perhaps there is a place for more exotic settings and colourful, celebratory difference. From an anti-racist perspective though (which is what people often want to use it for) by itself it makes too much of the difference and not enough of the relatability.
I like Handa and her awesome hairstyle, I am not saying throw out this book. But I prefer to see a less exoticised view of other cultures, places and peoples.
April 17, 2019
Lovely picture book that can be used in to create cross curricular activities. Study of others cultures, healthy eating, where fruit comes from.
It has beautiful illustrations and provides a small outlook on the tribal like in South West Kenya. The animals and fruit within the story may well be new to the children, giving them a chance to explore the culture and differences between us and them.
It is a simply written text and therefore accessible for the younger years. It will develop the children imagination and discussion through creative writing.
It has beautiful illustrations and provides a small outlook on the tribal like in South West Kenya. The animals and fruit within the story may well be new to the children, giving them a chance to explore the culture and differences between us and them.
It is a simply written text and therefore accessible for the younger years. It will develop the children imagination and discussion through creative writing.
October 7, 2019
Although it is a nice book to look at, the content is poor as it could be perceived as promoting stereotypes of people from other countries. I would stay away from using this book in school.
June 26, 2023
This is a fantastic book I remember this book from my childhood I used to love the bright colours and how delicious the fruits look and the great animals. I then got reintroduced to the book whilst I was working as a teacher assistant in my reception class the children loved it and was able to tell the story of by heart. I have also took this book into Year 4 class during reading lesson getting them to infer the book and what they think the message behind it is. This is an excellent book for all ages.
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January 6, 2026This was a throwback! Even though it's probably been decades since I read this as a child, as I read through it, I remembered the contents. A simple yet cheeky, fun and endearing story to this day.
June 27, 2012
“Handa puts seven different delicious fruits in a basket to take to her friend Akeyo as a surprise. But Handa’s walk takes her past a variety of animals, and the fruits do look very inviting...”
Handa is carrying a basket of fruit to her friend Akeyo. She is carrying it on her head and doesn’t notice that animals she is passing are taking fruit out of the basket. Eventually the basket becomes empty but an antelope chasing her runs in to a tree as Handa walks beneath it and fills the basket with tangerines. When Handa reaches Akeyo with her surprise she is surprised herself.
The setting of the story is not mentioned but the weather; landscapes and characters in the book suggest it is Africa. A number of different African animals emerge from savannah grass and steal the fruits from Handa’s basket. Each animal is different as is each fruit. The colour of each fruit is mentioned and the book is very vibrant so there is a strong colour theme. The descriptions of the fruit really help children to imagine them.
I would discuss the setting of the book with the children and ask them to spot similarities and differences between Africa and England. I would ask them what they thought the heat would be like and would ask them how they think Handa is feeling as she carries the basket. I would discuss the animals with the children and the fact that they all live in a similar environment. I would also touch on healthy eating with the children by discussing the fruits. I would also discuss how kind Handa is being and ask the children to discuss times when they have been kind.
Handa is carrying a basket of fruit to her friend Akeyo. She is carrying it on her head and doesn’t notice that animals she is passing are taking fruit out of the basket. Eventually the basket becomes empty but an antelope chasing her runs in to a tree as Handa walks beneath it and fills the basket with tangerines. When Handa reaches Akeyo with her surprise she is surprised herself.
The setting of the story is not mentioned but the weather; landscapes and characters in the book suggest it is Africa. A number of different African animals emerge from savannah grass and steal the fruits from Handa’s basket. Each animal is different as is each fruit. The colour of each fruit is mentioned and the book is very vibrant so there is a strong colour theme. The descriptions of the fruit really help children to imagine them.
I would discuss the setting of the book with the children and ask them to spot similarities and differences between Africa and England. I would ask them what they thought the heat would be like and would ask them how they think Handa is feeling as she carries the basket. I would discuss the animals with the children and the fact that they all live in a similar environment. I would also touch on healthy eating with the children by discussing the fruits. I would also discuss how kind Handa is being and ask the children to discuss times when they have been kind.
January 17, 2012
Handa's Surprise is a brightly coloured book with great illustration making each page come to life. it is about small girl of the Luo tribe in Kenya walking from one village to another, carrying on her head a bowl of different fruits which are stolen by wild animals. It is only when she arrives and greets her friend Akeyo that she realises there is nothing left in her basket! This best selling picture book has endless starting points for activities across the whole curriculum such as number sequences in numeracy, writing in literacy, knowing where each fruit originates in geography,as well as drawing different fruits in Art and finally discovering habitats and characteristics of animals in science
The cultural aspect of the story allows children to understand different ways people live and dress.I love the versatility of the story as it can be a wonderful ‘lap time’ story, aswell as a story with a group of children focusing on aspects mentioned above. This book is great for key stage 1.
The cultural aspect of the story allows children to understand different ways people live and dress.I love the versatility of the story as it can be a wonderful ‘lap time’ story, aswell as a story with a group of children focusing on aspects mentioned above. This book is great for key stage 1.
May 10, 2018
Handa takes her friend a basket of fruit but some crafty animals steal it from her basket on the way! This is a sweet book with lovely, colourful illustrations, and my story time group really enjoyed it. It was also an excellent choice to use conversational language reading techniques. We could count backwards, we could talk about the animals, we could guess what would happen next, we could guess how Handa's friend will feel without any fruit etc. I did not have big expectations, but this was a big winner.
October 13, 2018
Throughout this book, it is not the words that tell the story, it's the pictures. They are extremely vibrant, colourful, busy and pleasing to the eye. The dramatic irony when the reader knows what is going on whilst Handa is oblivious creates a sense of humour for children and engages them. This book could be used in schools for exploring cultures and different countries. I enjoyed the innocence within this story and it highlights how such simplicity can be so effective.
November 19, 2019
The story mainly lists pieces of fruit. Some adjectives are used to describe the fruit such as cream avocado. Also there is different types of punctuations such as question marks and ellipsis. From going to the story museum I discovered some great resources to go alongside telling this story from a story bag. e.g. there were pieces of fruit, animals and a fruit basket inside of it.
March 27, 2025
Deca su uzivala dok smo citali ovu knjigu, posebno moja ćerkica. Divne ilustracije i 3 price koje podsticu deciju radoznalost i resavanje izazova koji prate devojcicu Handu. Preporuka za decu 05-10 god.
October 16, 2017
This is such a cute book! It is short and simple, but would be a really good book to read to younger students in kindergarten and first grade. The main character is an African-American girl, which makes it a good book if you are looking to make your classroom's book selection more culturally diverse. I loved the illustrations in this book, they are super detailed and colorful. Since there isn't many words in this book, the pictures are super important for showing what is happening as the story progresses. It is important to include books in the classroom that have different culture backgrounds, since I want to be an ESL teacher, the students I will be teaching will have a variety of culturally diverse backgrounds, so it is super important to have books that students can see themselves in. I would highly recommend this book and I will use it if I become a kindergarten or first grade teacher.
August 24, 2021
33/1001 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up
"Handa put seven delicious fruits in a basket for her friend, Akeyo."
"Handa put seven delicious fruits in a basket for her friend, Akeyo."
July 5, 2024
Writing this as an early years educator: The children absolutely adore this book. No matter how many times we read it, they still get excited about the animals stealing all the fruit and the goat running into the tree. Perfect for 3/4 year olds, teaches them animal names and different fruits. Beautifully illustrated.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 26, 2018
And what a surprise it was, in the end! Hehe! Cool book. Very engaging - I was on edge - wanted to know what would happen! It was difficult not to read it too quickly and miss the illustrations, which were brilliant. And added ... everything :)
Awesome to see stories depicting children from all over the world too. Loved it.
Awesome to see stories depicting children from all over the world too. Loved it.
November 22, 2018
Loved the pictures and simple counting plot in this story - it introduces new vocabulary for tropical fruits and wild animals to the children - would be great followed by a tasting activity and more learning around animals, animal prints etc..will be adding this to my or. Collection of books.
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September 15, 2020A nice book exploring cultural differences, sharing, gift-giving and new fruits. I used this book on placement when they were learning about healthy eating and tropical fruits. Got to have discussion about favourite fruits and tastes.
December 31, 2020
I really enjoyed the illustrations in this. The watercolors were done beautifully. The story was adorable. A young girl wants to bring her friend a basket of fruit but along the way the animals have plans of their own. I wish I had been able to find the book that has the CD.
August 25, 2015
One day Handa decides to take a surprise basket of fruits for her friend Akeyo who lives in another village. She fills the basket with seven delicious exotic fruits; mango, banana, guava, passion-fruit, orange, avocado and pineapple. Handa balances the basket of fruits on her head and starts making her journey to her friend’s village by foot. As Handa sets off on her journey she thinks about her friend and which fruit would be her favourite and if she will like her surprise. However, the funniest sequence of events occurs as she is walking down, from behind the bushes and trees seven different wild animals quietly one by one pinch the fruit from the basket as she walks along without her realising. Poor Handa’s basket is empty after monkey, zebra, elephant, giraffe, ostrich, goat and parrot all swiftly and silently swipe the fruit away and she has no idea, however, there is a delightful twist in the story as Handa approaches a tangerine tree, a bad tempered antelope runs into the tree, shakes the tree and down fall a pile of tangerines into the basket as Handa walks past. When Handa reaches Akeyo’s village she sees her friends face light up in surprise as she gives her the basket, Handa is also surprised and shocked to see what’s inside but her friend is over the moon to receive a basket of her favourite fruit ‘Tangerines’. In the end it seems that Handa is the one who is surprised and puzzled as to what happened.
Handa’s Surprise is beautifully illustrated book for children in nurseries and reception classes. The story is set in a village in Africa, and the pictures are bold, traditional and bright coloured to capture the imaginations of little ones. This book can be used to cover a range of subjects across the early years curriculum e.g. numeracy (counting animals, fruits), art (drawing fruits, make displays), geography (discussed exotic fruits, wild animals, Africa), knowledge and understanding of the world (habitats, traditional clothes, culture), science (taste fruits, healthy eating).
Hands Surprise is one of my favourite young children’s books. It is real delight to look at with the children and a real conversation starter as well as being a great book to use across the EYFS.
Handa’s Surprise is beautifully illustrated book for children in nurseries and reception classes. The story is set in a village in Africa, and the pictures are bold, traditional and bright coloured to capture the imaginations of little ones. This book can be used to cover a range of subjects across the early years curriculum e.g. numeracy (counting animals, fruits), art (drawing fruits, make displays), geography (discussed exotic fruits, wild animals, Africa), knowledge and understanding of the world (habitats, traditional clothes, culture), science (taste fruits, healthy eating).
Hands Surprise is one of my favourite young children’s books. It is real delight to look at with the children and a real conversation starter as well as being a great book to use across the EYFS.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 24, 2019
I love using this book to introduce Handa's collection of tropical fruits, some of which my students have never come across. A fun story filled with cheeky animals who steal from Handa's basket, but she ends up with a lovely surprise. My students love reading this book over and over.
July 23, 2012
‘Handa’s Surprise’ by Eileen Browne is a warm and brightly illustrated book, which tells the story of Handa, a young girl on a journey to give her friend Ayeko a basket full of delicious exotic fruits. Each page turn shows a different animal pinching a fruit from Handa, until she is left with an abundance of tangerines thanks to a clumsy goat that butts into a tangerine tree. Luckily, tangerines are Ayeko’s favourite fruit.
I love this story book and I have fond memories of reading this story as a child and feeling my stomach rumble as I looked at the beautiful juicy fruits on every page. The bold colours and the striking images of different animals instantly grab your attention and the layout of the story allows the whole class to get involved and guess the name of the animal or fruit in the picture.
This book is suitable for the Early Years Foundation Stage and would be good to link this in with:
Numeracy: (Basic handling data) the children can pick which fruit is their favourite and the teacher can create a class graph showing a picture of each child next to their favourite fruit.
Art: Printing with different fruits and looking at the patterns/textures that they make.
PSED: How/Why should we stay healthy? (Tasting different fruits and vegetables).
Geography/KUW: Where do our fruits and vegetables come from? (Looking at maps and other parts of the world, and getting the children to understand that some fruits/vegetables come from areas close by and others come from very far away).
I love this story book and I have fond memories of reading this story as a child and feeling my stomach rumble as I looked at the beautiful juicy fruits on every page. The bold colours and the striking images of different animals instantly grab your attention and the layout of the story allows the whole class to get involved and guess the name of the animal or fruit in the picture.
This book is suitable for the Early Years Foundation Stage and would be good to link this in with:
Numeracy: (Basic handling data) the children can pick which fruit is their favourite and the teacher can create a class graph showing a picture of each child next to their favourite fruit.
Art: Printing with different fruits and looking at the patterns/textures that they make.
PSED: How/Why should we stay healthy? (Tasting different fruits and vegetables).
Geography/KUW: Where do our fruits and vegetables come from? (Looking at maps and other parts of the world, and getting the children to understand that some fruits/vegetables come from areas close by and others come from very far away).
November 16, 2011
‘Handa’s Surprise’ is a story about a girl in an African village who loads up her basket with seven different fruits, including guava, mango and pineapple, to bring for her friend Akeyo in a neighbouring village. However on Handa’s travels a series of various animals steal the fruit in her basket, which is carried on top of her head. At the final moment, a goat charges into a tree behind her and the tangerines from the tree fall down to fill up her basket- very lucky as these are Akeyo’s favourite fruit.
The children in nursery found the book quite funny as all these animals were able to steal fruit from Handa without her even realising: ‘silly Handa!’ It is accessible as a video story, which is even more enjoyable and engaging given the moving visuals and sounds
‘Handa’s Surprise’ has multiple uses in the classroom. Firstly, it can be used to look at the different fruits and explore their qualities. For example, pineapples are spiky. This links nicely to a topic on health and wellbeing; encouraging children to eat at least five fruits a day. The book can also be used as a stimulus for phonics activities: supplying children with a range of pictures from the story and sorting them into categories based on the sound they begin with. Furthermore, it is a good way of integrating diversity and exploration of African cultures, as opposed to teaching on ‘diversity’ as a discrete topic, which makes learning more meaningful and shows children that diversity is the norm.
The children in nursery found the book quite funny as all these animals were able to steal fruit from Handa without her even realising: ‘silly Handa!’ It is accessible as a video story, which is even more enjoyable and engaging given the moving visuals and sounds
‘Handa’s Surprise’ has multiple uses in the classroom. Firstly, it can be used to look at the different fruits and explore their qualities. For example, pineapples are spiky. This links nicely to a topic on health and wellbeing; encouraging children to eat at least five fruits a day. The book can also be used as a stimulus for phonics activities: supplying children with a range of pictures from the story and sorting them into categories based on the sound they begin with. Furthermore, it is a good way of integrating diversity and exploration of African cultures, as opposed to teaching on ‘diversity’ as a discrete topic, which makes learning more meaningful and shows children that diversity is the norm.
June 7, 2012
Review for ‘Handa’s Surprise’ written by Eileen Browne’
Handa’s surprise is a great book to incorporate different cultures into the classroom. The story is based in Kenya and is about a little girl called Handa who wants to surprise her friend Akeyo with some fruit. Akeyo lives in a different village to Handa and so she carries the fruit in a basket on her head. This shows cultural awareness because generally in Britain children are not found to carry fruit in baskets on their head. The description of the fruits and the beautiful illustrations with the use of magnificent bold colours draws the reader into the page. Descriptions such as sweet-smelling guava educate children about new fruits they may not already be a custom to.
When Handa is travelling to her friend Akeyo she is blissfully unaware of the animals around her taking the fruit from her basket. It appears the closer she reaches Akeyo’s village the less fruit she will have to surprise her friend with. Finally once the last piece of fruit is taken a ram runs into a tree full of tangerines. Suddenly all of the tangerines fall into Handa’s basket. When Handa arrives at Akeyo’s village she explains to Akeyo she has a surprise for her. Handa shows her the basket of fruit and Akeyo is happy to see all of the tangerines as they are her favourite fruit. Both Handa and Akeyo are surprised to see the tangerines in the basket.
Handa’s surprise is a great book to incorporate different cultures into the classroom. The story is based in Kenya and is about a little girl called Handa who wants to surprise her friend Akeyo with some fruit. Akeyo lives in a different village to Handa and so she carries the fruit in a basket on her head. This shows cultural awareness because generally in Britain children are not found to carry fruit in baskets on their head. The description of the fruits and the beautiful illustrations with the use of magnificent bold colours draws the reader into the page. Descriptions such as sweet-smelling guava educate children about new fruits they may not already be a custom to.
When Handa is travelling to her friend Akeyo she is blissfully unaware of the animals around her taking the fruit from her basket. It appears the closer she reaches Akeyo’s village the less fruit she will have to surprise her friend with. Finally once the last piece of fruit is taken a ram runs into a tree full of tangerines. Suddenly all of the tangerines fall into Handa’s basket. When Handa arrives at Akeyo’s village she explains to Akeyo she has a surprise for her. Handa shows her the basket of fruit and Akeyo is happy to see all of the tangerines as they are her favourite fruit. Both Handa and Akeyo are surprised to see the tangerines in the basket.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 266 reviews