Handa's Noisy Night Paperback – Picture Book, March 19, 2020

Handa was off for a sleepover at her friend Akeyo’s house, who lived in the neighbouring village. Akeyo’s parents told the girls they could sleep outside in the hut.They took some sweetcorn and toys into the hut. Handa was very excited. As the girls started to play they heard a noise from outside that sounded like snorting. Akeyo stated it was just her father laughing.As they carried on playing more noises occurred and Akeyo had an answer for each one. Her mum playing the shaker, her grandad wheeling his bike. Eventually after a noisy night the girls fell asleep.When the girls woke in the morning they heard a knock at the door but when they open it no one was there.When they saw Akeyo’s parents they complained about all the noises they had been making but they were confused as they had been quiet as mice. If it wasn’t them who or what could it have been?Handa’s Noisy Night is the third picture book in a series featuring a young girl called Handa who lives in Africa and is part of the Luo tribe in south-west Kenya. The writing is kept to a minimum and the font is large which will help new readers or those learning.The plot is so lovely and a lot of fun. As Handa hears each noise you get to hear who Akeyo thinks it is in her family that made that noise, whilst on the opposite page you get to see which animal actually made the fun sounds. Akeyo’s ideas for the noises were superb and you can see why she chose them.The book features animals you don’t often see in stories such as a Pangolin or a Bush-Baby, this could be the first time that young children have come across these animals. The illustrations perfectly capture the scenes and the animals making them easy to make out.The story is quite beautiful and it is wonderful to see a young children’s picture book set in Africa.I adored everything about this book. I can see little ones enjoying everything within the pages and wanting to read this story over and over again as well as wanting to learn all about the animals featured.Book Reviewed on Whispering Stories Book Blog*I received a free copy of this book, which I voluntarily reviewed