Handa's Surprise

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As she is walking to see Akeyo, she is so busy thinking which fruit Akeyo will like best, she doesn’t even realise some animals are stealing her fruit! She’s in for a bit of a surprise when she gets to the village! The story is based in south-west Kenya. Can you find this on a map? Can you find out more about the country? How is it similar / different to where you live? Watch this travel guide about Kenya for some ideas: 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. You’ll find a vast collection of resources for you to use, including display items, word cards, activities, worksheets and more.

Gather some fruit and use this for data handling activities… What is the favourite type of fruit in the class? Make a graph to show how far each type of fruit has travelled from its country of origin. What is the average number of grapes in a bunch? Try to make a similar story where a child organises a surprise for somebody else, but there is a surprise for them at the end of the story. 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.Retell the story in the form of a storyboard with captions and speech bubbles for each character / animal.

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.

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There are ways to help with Maths skills too, Addition Sheets make a lovely themed activity to practise this key skill. You can make all kinds of Handa's Surprise activities for early years maths, having fun counting each of the fruits and seeing how that changes in the story. Gender and race must be intrinsically reflected in all children's media. If it isn't, childrengrow up seeing inequality as normal. So yes, diversity in picture books is very important.

Handa is part of the Luo tribe in South-West Kenya. One day, she decides to fill a basket with seven delicious fruits to bring to Akeyo, who lives in the neighbouring village. The book ‘Handa’s Surprise’ by Eileen Browne tells the story of a girl named Handa, who decides to take seven tasty fruits in a basket to her good friend, Akeyo. A modern classic named one of the best culturally diverse picture books in the UK, this is the story of Handa, who's part of the Luo tribe in south-west Kenya. Handa decides to take seven pieces of delicious fruit to her friend, Akeyo, who lives in the neighbouring village. But as Handa wonders, I wonder what fruit Akeyo will like best?, a series of sneaky animals steal something from Handa's basket, which she's carrying on her head... When Handa reaches Akeyo, will she have anything left to offer her friend?Draw a map showing Handa’s route to see Akeyo and add pictures which shows the events which took place along the way.

Reading this classic story together is a brilliant activity for circle time, and a great way to keep children focussed and attentive. It's wonderful for literacy skills, with handy Word Mats to boost children's vocabulary. And Caption Writing Activities to help children practise handwriting and forming sentences. You could also ask your children to call out the different fruits and count them to help our children with their counting skills and fruit recognition too. The location of the story is unknown to most readers and this opens up lots of discussionbetween children and adults: 'Where is it set?' (Kenya, in Africa), 'What's different to whereyou are?, 'Any zebras around?', 'Why is Handa carrying a basket on her head?' and 'Whydon't you carry things this way?' One of the most enjoyable elements for me has been discovering some of Kenya's animalsand fruits and this enthusiasm seems to have passed on to children and teachers. It'shumbling to visit schools and witness the wonderful work produced around this story –thedramas, fruit tastings and fabulous wall displays. So the book probably endures with thecombination of humour, the discovery of a different location and its capacity to inspireextended learning, including the tasting of delicious fruits. For your younger children, you could use these themed worksheets to help your children with their pencil control.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). Collect some fruit and vegetable into a basket and draw it. What colours / textures will you need to show? Handa carries seven delicious fruits to her friend Akeyo as a surprise But thanks to some hungry animals she meets along the way it's Handa who's in for a surprise! --cover