Handa's Surprise

Handa puts seven delicious fruits in a basket to take to her friend, Akeyo. But as she walks, carrying the basket on her head, various creatures steal her fruits. A monkey takes the banana, an ostrich the guava, a zebra the orange, an elephant the mango, a giraffe the pineapple, an antelope the avocado and a parrot the passion fruit. Handa walks on, wondering which of the fruits her friend will like best, oblivious to the fact that her basket is now empty. But then, behind her, a goat charges into a tangerine tree and fills Handa's basket with the fruit. "Hello, Akeyo," she greets her friend. "I've brought you a surprise." But when she lifts off her basket, it's Handa who gets the biggest surprise. Akeyo, meanwhile, is delighted, because tangerines are her favourite fruit! Eileen Browne also created "Through My Window" which was shortlisted for the Smarties Book Prize (1986), "No Problem", "Tick Tock" and "Where's my Bus?".

Rich, hot colours and fluid brush-strokes zap each scene into life... The Independent on Sunday
...so luscious it seems almost edible... The Observer
With beautifully drawn animals and rich colours immaculately displayed on every page, this book is a brilliant introduction for toddlers and children under five years. Handa's Surprise featured as one of Pride Magazine's 'best books' for children.
Featured/recommended Yellow Brick Road
“Young readers will enjoy the rich, brightly-coloured illustrations, as well as the gentle humour of a story about sharing and friendship.” Amnesty.org.uk
Lushly and colourfully illustrated, it’s no wonder this is a favourite of so many. Huffington Post

Eileen Browne is a bestselling author and illustrator, well known for her picture book classic, Handa’s Surprise, and its sequel, Handa’s Hen, both of which have been adapted into national puppet theatre productions and which have, together, sold over one million copies in more than twenty countries worldwide. In 2014, Handa’s Surprise was named one of the ‘Diverse Voices 50 best culturally diverse children’s books’ of all time, in a list compiled by a distinguished independent panel of children’s book experts. Originally from Birmingham, Eileen now lives in Wiltshire.

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