Handa’s Surprise: what to read next

Handa’s Surprise is set in south-west Kenya in a village modelled on the Luo tribe, and the landscape plays an important role in the magical look and feel of the book. The following titles are also set in Africa and showcase some of the continent’s amazing wildlife and culture.

Another superb Handa story from Eileen Brown. This time, Handa and Akeyo are having a sleepover and are excited to be sleeping on their own away from the main house. But as night draws in, they hear strange noises from outside. Akeyo thinks it must just be her noisy family, but readers are able to spot the secret: on the opposite page we see that the real noise makers are amazing nocturnal African animals.

Anna Hibiscus is so happy she doesn’t know what to do with all her happiness, so she sets off to ask her family. This delightful story about a girl learning to express her feelings is a wonderful celebration of the joy of life. The gorgeous illustrations have plenty of detail of everyday life in Africa.

Follow a child and the animals he meets and join in the Safari Stomp yourself! Just like Handa’s adventures, this lively book introduces readers to lots of different African animals. With rhythm, rhyme, repetition and plenty of opportunities to join in, this is a fun and active choice for animal loving young readers. 

Handa’s Surprise encourages children to count down as the animals steal the fruit piece by piece. These books also introduce early maths concepts to readers in fun and imaginative ways.

Another super book written by Atinuke, 100 Goats and Granny is a playful introduction to numbers 1–100 via the hilarious antics of Granny’s 100 cheeky goats. Children will love spotting the ongoing mischief as they practice their counting skills.

Join in and count wildlife with the adorable Debra the zebra as she learns to count to ten. But what comes next? Debra’s mum helps her count to one million and two and reminds her just how special she is. A heartwarming story about parental love, and the joy of numbers set in the African savannah.

This fun picture book introduces the concepts of early addition, subtraction and number bonds for 5 in an accessible way. Readers are invited to count the animals on each spread and respond to rhyming prompts to answer simple maths problems. The story is carried along by excellent illustrations which depict brilliantly energetic animals. 

One of the joys of Handa’s Surprise is that readers have a different perspective to the protagonist, Handa. They can see the naughty animals sneaking up to snatch the fruit, but Handa is completely unaware. This kind of subtext challenges children to think about what is happening from a variety of viewpoints, as well as providing some very funny moments! The following titles all involve similar perspective twists and fun subtexts for children to enjoy.

Join a happy little dodo as he strolls through a very ​“gentle” jungle. He walks across the friendly swamp and over the soothing sea, all while completely unaware that he faces danger at every turn! Children will love the pantomime feel of this story, and shouting ​“It’s behind you!” as the sweet Dodo strolls happily through one dangerous situation after another.

A mother and her baby walk around a West African market, but little does Mama know, her curious baby is getting up to all kinds of mischief behind her back. His cheeky smile wins over the market traders and they each give him a tasty treat as they walk by. Just like in Handa’s Surprise, there is a great subtext here for children to discuss, as well as beautiful illustrations of a vibrant African market and delicious African food to count along with. 

In this timeless classic we follow Rosie the chicken as she walks around the farm. But there is more to this book than the text might indicate. The illustrations tell a different story and let readers know that there is also a sly fox following Rosie and getting into funny scrapes as he tries to catch her.

Eileen Browne’s illustrations make Handa’s basket of fruit look incredibly appealing. Books about food can be a great way to explore cultures and introduce new tastes and ingredients. These books showcase some great stories about food which are perfect to read aloud.

Shane loves his mum’s special rice and peas, but when he takes some into school, he discovers that his friends also have their own favourite rice dishes – how will they know which rice is best? With jollof rice, paella, fried rice, risotto, pilau rice and even rice pudding, this clever book is a lovely way to look at differences between cultures, as well as what unites us.

Just before dinner time, one little pea decides to make a break for freedom. It sets out on a perilous journey around the kitchen, getting into plenty of hilarious situations along the way. A really funny book which showcases a variety of healthy veggies which could encourage children to eat well. 

When a mushroom is rejected as a pizza topping, he raises a mushroom army to take revenge! Told with great humour and brilliant illustrations, this is a fabulous foody story for young readers.