Handa's Surprise: Read and Share

An engaging story with a twist that will delight everyone.

There's a reason this book is still in print. It has a simple yet clever plot. The story deserves a classic status. Handa decides to put seven fruit in her basket and bring it to her friend in another village. As she heads toward the village, she wonders which fruit her friend will like best. What

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she doesn't know is that something mysterious is going on above her head. Animals are snatching her fruit as she walks! That's one reason I like this book. It's very cute with all of the animals being sneaky about stealing her fruit.
Another reason I like this book is because I think for students, especially the younger ones, they'll really enjoy the different animals that are stealing her fruit. The class could get a good discussion out of the different types of animals. At the end of the book, Handa bumps her basket into a tree and tangerines fall into her empty basket. Even though it wasn't the fruit she was expecting to give to her friend, they still enjoyed the fruit together.

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This short story is full of humor, charm, and joy. The characters, both human and animal, are beautifully designed. The text is simple and flows effortlessly as the illustrations add an additional layer to the story. Young children will love to see what happens to Handa's basket.

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

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avocado and a parrot the passion fruit. Handa walks on, wondering which of the fruits her friend will like best, without knowing 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.

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