Handa’s Hen

Title: Handa’s Hen

Author: Eileen Browne

Publisher: Farafina

Number of pages: 32

Type of Book: Fiction; African

Age: 0 – 6

Available here: https://www.mobiashara.com/Farafina/handas-hen; http://www.amazon.co.uk/Handas-Hen-Eileen-Browne/dp/074459815X/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1ZAADF5HVHX5BXE1BNCY

Price: N350; GBP 6.99

MY SUMMARY

‘Handa’s Grandma had one black hen. Her name was Mondi. Every morning, Handa gave Mondi her breakfast. One day, Mondi didn’t come for her food’

So, Handa and her friend Akeyo set off on a hunt for Mondi. Read the book to enjoy the journey with them, learn to count from 1 to 10, say hello to the animals they met on their way (jumpy crickets, baby bullfrogs, spoonbills, etc.) and to find Mondi and the surprise that awaited them at the end of the book.

THUMBS UP AND DOWN

UP: It is beautifully illustrated. Like Handa’s Surprise, it is a fun way for children to learn a little bit about Kenya. The illustrations serve the dual purpose of showing readers some of the animals and insects commonly found in Kenya and teaching them how to count.

I remember my ‘learning how to count’ song, it was nothing like this 🙂

1,2 Buckle my shoes

3,4 Knock on the door

5,6 Pick up sticks

7,8 Lay them straight

9,10 A big fat hen

Again, like Handa’s Surprise, another highlight is that this book is a perfect read-aloud for toddlers, while early independent readers (4-6 year olds) can read it on their own.

DOWN: None

RATING

5 Stars

TRIVIA

a. Ask your child to spot 1 animal that pops up in the illustrations but isn’t mentioned in the book.

a dog

b. Ask your child to spot 1 insect that pops up in the illustrations but isn’t mentioned in the book.

a lady bug/ a beetle

HAVE FUN WITH THIS BOOK

Watch a video of the Handa’s Hen song here:

Team the reading experience with a game: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/handa-s-hen-and-surprise-dice-game-6042974

CHALLENGE: Handa’s Hen

CREATE (WRITE OR DRAW)

List 4 birds mentioned in the book and 6 birds commonly found in Nigeria

Create (Draw) a counting game using 10 animals commonly found in Nigeria.

Send your answers to ugochinyelu.anidi@gmail.com

Entry requirements: Entrants must be within the 4 – 6 age range. The first correct entry will be announced on this page and will win a copy of this book.

Answers must be submitted before 12:00am on Wednesday, January 27^th2016

Next Book of the Week:

BEEM EXPLORES AFRICA by Simidele Dosekun