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Handa's Hen
"This picture book throbs with sunshine. A stunning book." — The Independent (U.K.)
Every morning, Handa, a young girl from the Luo tribe, feeds breakfast to Mondi, her grandma's black hen. This morning, however, Mondi is nowhere to be seen. So Handa and her friend Akeyo set off on a hunt, coming upon two fluttery butterflies, three stripy mice, four little lizards, five beautiful sunbirds, and many more intriguing creatures. But where could Mondi be? Is that a faint cheeping they hear under the bush? Might Mondi have a surprise in store (or maybe even ten of them)? Luminous colors depict a lush natural setting in this gentle, repetitive story perfect for reading aloud.
Every morning, Handa, a young girl from the Luo tribe, feeds breakfast to Mondi, her grandma's black hen. This morning, however, Mondi is nowhere to be seen. So Handa and her friend Akeyo set off on a hunt, coming upon two fluttery butterflies, three stripy mice, four little lizards, five beautiful sunbirds, and many more intriguing creatures. But where could Mondi be? Is that a faint cheeping they hear under the bush? Might Mondi have a surprise in store (or maybe even ten of them)? Luminous colors depict a lush natural setting in this gentle, repetitive story perfect for reading aloud.
32 pages, Paperback
First published February 29, 2000
About the author
Eileen Browne
55 books15 followersEileen Browne has written and illustrated many books for children, including Handa’s Surprise and Handa’s Hen. Before becoming an author, she worked as a schoolteacher and youth worker. Eileen Browne lives in Wiltshire, England.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
February 3, 2012
A great book about a girl named Handa and her friend Akeyo. The story revolves around them going to look for Grandma’s black hen named Mondi. While they were looking for Mondi, they came across various animals in different groups.
This is an excellent book to aid children in counting from one to ten. There are delightful and colourful illustrations to go along with the story. This would be a great story for Early Years and KS1.
Children could also put the story in order through what they have learned in the book, revising what Hando and Akeyo see first. Excellent book for children to role play around. This will allow the children to create their own costumes and dress up.
This is an excellent book to aid children in counting from one to ten. There are delightful and colourful illustrations to go along with the story. This would be a great story for Early Years and KS1.
Children could also put the story in order through what they have learned in the book, revising what Hando and Akeyo see first. Excellent book for children to role play around. This will allow the children to create their own costumes and dress up.
February 11, 2012
I CAN READ THIS.
September 15, 2020
Having enjoyed Handa’s surprise I was delighted to come across Handa’s hen by chance! Was searching for chick and chicken books for a summer project and this one provided a lovely story full of colour and counting. Very sweet
September 26, 2011
Handa’s hen written and illustrated by Eileen Browne is a colourful African Adventure picture book.
The story is about a young African girl called Handa who is searching for her grandmother’s black hen called Mondi. Every morning she feeds Mondi her breakfast but this morning Mondi is missing! Handa and her friend Akeyo set off to look for Mondi. While searching, they come in counter with lots of interesting African wildlife such as two fluttery butterflies, three stripy mice, four little lizards and all sorts of other animals. The book is nicely structured for counting as we find one extra animal each time the children discover the new wildlife. The children eventually hear cheep, cheep noises from under a bush and when they go over to investigate, they find Mondi with ten baby chicks. The two children then hurried and scurried and skipped back to grandmas to eat some breakfast.
I found this multicultural book a joy to read. It would be a fantastic book to use for introducing children to other lands and cultures. I really liked the illustrations in this book as they were big, bold and colourful. I would definitely recommend this book for visual learners and children with EAL. I think this book would be suited to children in early years as the book has a predictable structure and pattern of language. In a classroom setting I can just imagine the children bursting to say the next number of animals which are about to be found. This book would be very useful for introducing a maths lesson as it develops children counting skills up to the number 10. Teachers could also use this book for geography as it is about a journey to everyday localities.
The story is about a young African girl called Handa who is searching for her grandmother’s black hen called Mondi. Every morning she feeds Mondi her breakfast but this morning Mondi is missing! Handa and her friend Akeyo set off to look for Mondi. While searching, they come in counter with lots of interesting African wildlife such as two fluttery butterflies, three stripy mice, four little lizards and all sorts of other animals. The book is nicely structured for counting as we find one extra animal each time the children discover the new wildlife. The children eventually hear cheep, cheep noises from under a bush and when they go over to investigate, they find Mondi with ten baby chicks. The two children then hurried and scurried and skipped back to grandmas to eat some breakfast.
I found this multicultural book a joy to read. It would be a fantastic book to use for introducing children to other lands and cultures. I really liked the illustrations in this book as they were big, bold and colourful. I would definitely recommend this book for visual learners and children with EAL. I think this book would be suited to children in early years as the book has a predictable structure and pattern of language. In a classroom setting I can just imagine the children bursting to say the next number of animals which are about to be found. This book would be very useful for introducing a maths lesson as it develops children counting skills up to the number 10. Teachers could also use this book for geography as it is about a journey to everyday localities.
September 26, 2011
Handa’s hen is wrote and illustrated brilliantly by Eileen Browne. It tells the story of a little girl called Handa who is fond of her Grandma’s hen called Mondi. She wakes up one morning to find her hen to feed her breakfast, but Mondi is no where to be seen. Handa and her friend Akeyo go to look for the hen. On their trip they meet many different kinds of animals. In the end they find Mondi where she is after laying ten chicks.
I personally feel that this book would be fantastic to use in a key stage one class to introduce a maths lesson. On each page of their adventure they meet one extra animal, I could see the children eager to shout out the next number on the page. This book would also be suitable for EAL students because on each page one can see what and how many animals are found. I could see the pictures engaging their mind and awakening their mathematical minds. Also, at the end of the book there is a large picture of the animals that are found, for example a picture of one hen, five sunbirds etc, the book is structured so that the teacher could easily go through the counting of the wildlife again to re cap on the story/lesson. This book is not just suitable for a maths lesson but for a geography or science lesson too. Within the story we learn about Handa’s village and about her language.
I really enjoyed reading this book, solely because I could see it working so well in the classroom, for both the kids and myself. I believe that there are more books by Eileen Browne like this and I look forward to getting my hands on them.
I personally feel that this book would be fantastic to use in a key stage one class to introduce a maths lesson. On each page of their adventure they meet one extra animal, I could see the children eager to shout out the next number on the page. This book would also be suitable for EAL students because on each page one can see what and how many animals are found. I could see the pictures engaging their mind and awakening their mathematical minds. Also, at the end of the book there is a large picture of the animals that are found, for example a picture of one hen, five sunbirds etc, the book is structured so that the teacher could easily go through the counting of the wildlife again to re cap on the story/lesson. This book is not just suitable for a maths lesson but for a geography or science lesson too. Within the story we learn about Handa’s village and about her language.
I really enjoyed reading this book, solely because I could see it working so well in the classroom, for both the kids and myself. I believe that there are more books by Eileen Browne like this and I look forward to getting my hands on them.
October 31, 2013
Handa's Hen is gift to any primary teacher looking for a good cross-curricular topic centre.
The story follows Handa and Akeyo as they journey to find Mondi, the family hen. As they go, they encounter other wildlife local to the Luo tribe of south-west kenya, finding two butterflies, three mice etc. This depiction of cardinal values and short yet informative dedication at the beginning of the book give many avenues of eduction to explore relating to the text.
I would highly recommend this title to teachers and parents alike. The book is well researched and Eileen Browne even had assistance from the agricultural office of the Kenyan High Commission. It is a wonderful insight into another culture that draws parallels with the classic'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' by Eric Carle. The book has large, high quality illustrations that make it a must have for the modern children's bookshelf.
The story follows Handa and Akeyo as they journey to find Mondi, the family hen. As they go, they encounter other wildlife local to the Luo tribe of south-west kenya, finding two butterflies, three mice etc. This depiction of cardinal values and short yet informative dedication at the beginning of the book give many avenues of eduction to explore relating to the text.
I would highly recommend this title to teachers and parents alike. The book is well researched and Eileen Browne even had assistance from the agricultural office of the Kenyan High Commission. It is a wonderful insight into another culture that draws parallels with the classic'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' by Eric Carle. The book has large, high quality illustrations that make it a must have for the modern children's bookshelf.
May 9, 2012
Handa’s grandmother has one hen, Mondi…. One morning Mondi goes missing! As Handa and her friend Akeyo go to look for Mondi, they come across two Butterflies, three mice, four lizards, five sunbirds… and finally they find Mondi and her 10 new born baby chicks!
This particular version of the book was also translated in French and I felt it was a great resource for the classroom for when learning the numbers and animals in French- great for a French lesson! Also a good resource for becoming familiar with counting and animals with EAL children, as the illustrations in the book do a great job too. I would recommend the book for early years and KS1, it definitely adds to a lesson when the book is translated in a language that children are learning in class.
This particular version of the book was also translated in French and I felt it was a great resource for the classroom for when learning the numbers and animals in French- great for a French lesson! Also a good resource for becoming familiar with counting and animals with EAL children, as the illustrations in the book do a great job too. I would recommend the book for early years and KS1, it definitely adds to a lesson when the book is translated in a language that children are learning in class.
August 31, 2015
Handa has a pet hen, her name is Mondy. Everyday Handa gives Mondy breakfast. One day Mondy does not come for breakfast. Handa and Akeyo go to search for Mondy. They see various animals/creatures until they find Mondy.
This book has fantastic illustration and familiar characters from Handa’s surprise. I liked the fact that there was familiar characters I knew from Handa’s surprise. Having familiar characters can help children to relate to the story.
Handa’s hen is a good book to read to a whole class especially an infant class, this book is good to help 2-5 year olds with learning to count. It can also be used for learning activities, such as sequencing the story- what comes next? Can be asked to the children, to see if the children can recollect the story.
This book has fantastic illustration and familiar characters from Handa’s surprise. I liked the fact that there was familiar characters I knew from Handa’s surprise. Having familiar characters can help children to relate to the story.
Handa’s hen is a good book to read to a whole class especially an infant class, this book is good to help 2-5 year olds with learning to count. It can also be used for learning activities, such as sequencing the story- what comes next? Can be asked to the children, to see if the children can recollect the story.
May 3, 2012
Handa’s Hen is a very fun and enjoyable read. Handa is a young girl from the Luo tribe and feeds her grandmothers black hen named Mondi. Handa can’t find Mondi so she sets of with her friend Akeyo to go look for Mondi. On their journey they come across two fluttery butterflies, three stripy mice, four little lizards, five beautiful sunbirds, and many more intriguing creatures. They eventually find Mondi who has a little surprise for them…This book consists of vibrant colours which illustrate a sense of culture and atmosphere. It is very good for cross curricular Maths-number sequence, geography - journey and can also be applied to other subjects and Art.
May 12, 2012
Handa’s Hen is about a young girl who is unable to find her grandma’s hen Mondi, who she feeds breakfast to every morning. This particular morning Mondi is nowhere to be seen. Therefore, Handa and her friend Akeyo go in search of the hen unaware of the surprise waiting for them. On their journey they encounter several different animals.
The illustrations in this book are amazing it gives the reader a true image of what an African village looks like.Handa’s Hen is a great journey book that young children would enjoy and relate to, and the counting theme throughout the book is great bonus and can be incorporated into a maths lesson.
The illustrations in this book are amazing it gives the reader a true image of what an African village looks like.Handa’s Hen is a great journey book that young children would enjoy and relate to, and the counting theme throughout the book is great bonus and can be incorporated into a maths lesson.
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May 13, 2012Handa’s hen is written and illustrated brilliantly by Eileen Browne. It tells the story of a little girl called Handa who is fond of her Grandma’s hen called Mondi. She wakes up one morning to find her hen to feed her breakfast, but Mondi is no where to be seen. Handa and her friend Akeyo go to look for the hen. On their trip they meet many different kinds of animals. In the end they find Mondi where she is after laying ten chicks. Beautifully illustrated throughout, I would recommend this book for any KS1 class.
November 22, 2012
This book provides children with an insight into another culture. It uses repetitive language and includes numbers from 1 to ten with different animals on every page. A perfect cross-curricular read for foundation stage children.
October 23, 2020
EYFS/KS1- there is potential for some good work with counting here, and this could be a nice change from working with books like the hungry caterpillar. However, the plot is fairly simple and not overly engaging. It is nice to see more culturally diverse children's books, however, it may be easier for children to work with counting groups of items that they are more familiar with, rather than struggling to recall some of the more unusual animals.
January 31, 2021
I’m using this with my Year 1 class this week as an end of week maths activity. We will be learning to count forwards and backwards within 50 and some children, who are working on consolidating their understanding of teens, will find this week pretty full on. The end of week challenge will be to count the total number of animals that Handa and her friend meet whilst out looking for Handa’s hen.
September 20, 2021
This was great book, that explores other cultures and a strong friendship dynamic between two children. This would be a great book to read at any point due to the bright vibrant colours, helps to engage the reader.
July 3, 2024
Cute illustrated story about a young girl searching for her missing pet and encountering groups of other animals along the way. This would be a lovely addition to a junior primary classroom especially for lessons around counting from 1-10 or identifying different types of farm animals.
November 1, 2018
Lovely to see a change of culture in this book. The story was very simplistic but a nice story.
November 2, 2018
This story was a little cute. The illustrations were nice and it was really easy to read in Turkish.
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June 25, 2019Library book for Marcus
November 9, 2019
Lovely and 3yo likes it too
October 15, 2020
I loved this diverse text! Lovely story about the journey of finding their hen !
January 13, 2022
Another badly done Arabic translation
April 30, 2023
I loved the story, illustrations and the British sign language from the deaf academy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_wys... I really recommend it, it is beautifully signed by Nikki James.
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August 29, 2024We have:
Cantonese and English
Hindi and English x 2
Arabic and English
Cantonese and English
Hindi and English x 2
Arabic and English
October 17, 2025
Might even be better than the OG, or these just hit different when reading to your own baby!
February 13, 2013
An excellent book,Every morning, Handa, a young girl of Africn origin, feeds breakfast to Mondi, her grandma’s black hen. This morning, however, Mondi is nowhere to be seen. So Handa and her friend Akeyo set off on a hunt, coming upon two fluttery butterflies, three stripy mice, four little lizards, five beautiful sunbirds, and many more intriguing creatures. But where could Mondi be? Is that a faint cheeping they hear under the bush? Might Mondi have a surprise in store (or maybe even ten of them)?
The book is full of colourful and vibrant illustration. With a repetetive structure, great for small children, being introduced to number. I have used it in a maths lesson for autistic children, in a large version. It proved to be an excellent resource as after each page the children (non-verbal) used their fingers to point and follow the number of crickets/bullfrogs etc.
It is multicultural and uses very simple language, it is also not to complex to use sign language with, as I did for my maths lesson. The book is also useful for EAL children, as the illustrations are eye-catching and have lots to explore, great for those students who learn better visually.
It could also be used in collaboration with many other lessons, art, geography, English and maths.
The book is full of colourful and vibrant illustration. With a repetetive structure, great for small children, being introduced to number. I have used it in a maths lesson for autistic children, in a large version. It proved to be an excellent resource as after each page the children (non-verbal) used their fingers to point and follow the number of crickets/bullfrogs etc.
It is multicultural and uses very simple language, it is also not to complex to use sign language with, as I did for my maths lesson. The book is also useful for EAL children, as the illustrations are eye-catching and have lots to explore, great for those students who learn better visually.
It could also be used in collaboration with many other lessons, art, geography, English and maths.
March 10, 2011
Handa’s Hen was written and illustrated by Eileen Browne. In the story Handa searches with her friend Akeyo for a black hen named, Mondi. Handa is used to seeing the hen every morning so her disappearance is immediately noticed. Handa and Akeyo search through their village and surrounding area, managing to run into a lot of wildlife indigenous to Africa. As the story progresses the reader gets to learn more about Hand’s village, Africa’s wildlife, Handa’s language, and how to count. I enjoyed how easily the author Eileen Browne incorporated all this information into her story. In the end they find Mondi safe and sound, she disappeared to give birth to her chicks. The drawings are colorful but realistic.
September 3, 2014
Handa's Hen follows the story of two friends Handa and Akeyo, who go in search of Handa's Hen who has not turned up for breakfast. The body combined many areas of the curriculum in an easy to access style for various ages. From engaging in descriptive language such as "fluttery butterflies" and "stripy mice" children also learn to count to ten with the aid of the different animals they encounter. This book is perfect for any teacher looking to introduce basic numeracy skills to EYFS and above. It offers colourful illustrations on every page making it ideal for visual learners and nursery age groups.
I would recommend this book to any teacher or parents trying to reinforce a child's language usage or mathematical skills.
I would recommend this book to any teacher or parents trying to reinforce a child's language usage or mathematical skills.
October 3, 2011
Handa's Hen is a fun and enjoyable read! A great childrens book! It has a lovely sequence of counting numbers through the interesting african wildlife as you go along each page. The book is about handa trying to find her grandma's missing hen. Handa has to look for the hen in all different places. The illustrations used are bright and colourful. It also shows a sense of culture through the pictures, cultural clothes etc. This is a good cross-curricular book for Art - pictures, Maths - number sequence, geography - journey and can also be applied to other subjects. The book ends with the hen being found but with 10 little baby chicks with her as she has given birth! Overall a pleasent read!
May 16, 2012
A fantastic book with wonderful illustrations we are again introduced to Handa who in this story has lost her hen called Mondi. Her and her friend Akeyo set out to find her along the way spotting different animals. This is a great story for number recognition as children can count the animals on the way to finding Mondi.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews