Handa's Surprise: Read and Share Paperback – Picture Book, September 1, 1999

I bought this for my 2.75-yo - I like to have books that show people and places with different cultures than ours, but that are still fun to read. My daughter loved this book and asked for it over and over again. She was very curious about Handa and Akeyo and their villages and I showed her where Kenya is and she really seemed to absorb a lot of it AND loved the premise and the pictures. I love that it has some information for the parents and that the author put so much effort into getting the details to be accurate. Just an overall great book.

Bought this for my 2 yr old. This is one of those quiet classics that just resonates with kids even though it may not look like much to you. I took a chance because I thought it was interesting. My son requested this again and again. There is something about the pictures and the cultural differences (we live in a city) that make it intriguing for him. It is a simple story of a girl who brings fruits to her friend. As she walks, animals sneak up and take the fruits out of her basket but she does not know. At the end, an orange tree gets knocked and all the oranges fall into her basket so that when she presents her basket (she carried it on top of her head so she didn't see that the fruits were missing) it is full of fruit again and it turns out to be her friend's favorite.It has so many good qualities for kids to learn about: the cultural differences; that some kids carry things on their head and not in commercial backpacks or bags; that even when bad things happen, they can have good endings; that unintended occurrences can be pleasant surprises. My son loved watching the animals take the fruits one by one and then he would act surprised each time the oranges fell in the basket. It also taught him some new fruits he didn't know because we don't regularly eat them-like guava.I highly recommend this book, don't overlook it, it is a wonderful story that I think your kid will love!

I got this book for my daughter when she was about a year and a half old, because it's recommended in 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up for 0 to 3 year olds. The book is written to be an early reader, but my daughter, and my husband and I, really enjoy it. I expected another good quality children's book. I was surprised by how delightfully cute it is! There aren't that many words, it's an early reader after all, but the pictures tell a really big story and there are different fruits and animals to talk about. The animals take fruit out of Handa's basket one at a time, without her noticing. It got us talking about fruit texture and taste. We've gotten so much out of this affordable, little book, and I know it's one we'll keep reaching for for years to come.

This is a wonderful story for little ones. Kids really get into the story because of the images which reveal more of the story tan what you read. This would not be a good book to read to a blind person unless you gave a brief description of what happened in the image. You could use the book In preschool by reading it out load to the kids.... and in older grades it can even be used as a first reader. Perfect for a unit on Africa OR just a silly book to read anytime.

We love the artwork!We love the various fruits!We love the mischievous trick played on Handa!And we love the sweet ending!

A lovely book for kids. It is bright, colourful and has a wonderful story! Recommended as a book to read out loud to children.

My kids and I loved this story so we bought it here as a board book for a gift. The book arrived in perfect condition. The board book pictures are smaller so not as easy to see details in the background that help tell the story but it is great to have it as a board book to be sturdy enough for young children. The story is captivating and has a fun, surprise ending.

A wonderful story for toddlers, very fascinating with beautiful illustrations. Introduces colors, fruits and animals as a part of the story. We love it.