Handa's Noisy Night

Name: William Joseph
Price range: $

by Eileen Browne

Interest age: 2 to 5

Published by Walker Books, 2019

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Picture books

About this book

Handa is allowed to spend the night with her friend Akeyo in the hut. It is very exciting to be having a sleepover with her friend. They pack snacks and toys ready for their night alone.

First, they hear a snorting sound. Akeyo says it must be her dad, who snorts when he laughs. Then they hear chattering, like grown-ups talking. There is rattling, and squeaking, and all sorts of noises that go on through the night.

Each time, Akeyo is sure it is the family making them, but on the other side of the page, we can see the real source of the sounds – animals! The snorting pig, the chattering fox, the rattling porcupine and the squeaking bats are just some of the amazing African animals keeping Handa up all night with their noises.

Eileen Browne’s brilliantly simple story showcases an incredible range of peculiar animals. Children will have great fun trying to mimic the noises and it is lots of fun to have the inside knowledge as readers, while Handa and Akeyo try to work out who is outside. Browne’s beautiful illustrations are vibrant and full of colour and any little readers with an interest in unusual animals will be delighted by these detailed paintings.

This is a lovely addition to the classic Handa stories (Handa’s Surprise and Handa’s Hen), which are beloved by so many

About the author

Eileen was born and brought up in Birmingham. She lived in London for over twenty years before moving to Wiltshire where she now lives. She worked as a school teacher and a youth worker before becoming an author and illustrator. Her first book was published in 1977.

Eileen believes "Certain groups of people are not well represented in books. For example, females only feature as main characters in around 30% of children's books. Because of this, I give them priority. Where's That Bus? was one of the first animal picture books with all female characters." Eileen has written books with Kit Wright and Floella Benjamin. In 2004, Handa's Surprise was made into a theatre production by the Little Angel Theatre, London. Since then it has played in many London theatres, schools, Holloway Prison and at the Guardian Hay Festival.