Bookhatch
Start free
  1. Home
  2. Community library
  3. Wanjiru and the Rainy Market
Cover of Wanjiru and the Rainy Market by Neema Kamau-Reyes
Sample made with Bookhatch

Wanjiru and the Rainy Market

A Story from the Kenyan Highlands

by Neema Kamau-Reyes (pen name)

Type
Picture book
Ages
3–7
Style
Ankara print
Length
10 pages

It's market day in the green hills, and Wanjiru is helping Cucu, her grandmother, sell avocados. Then the sky opens. A joyful story about counting, singing and the way a sudden downpour can bring a whole market together.

Make a picture book like this Read the book

A sample from the Bookhatch team showing the ankara print style. Not for sale; the author is an invented pen name.

Sample made with Bookhatch

Read the book

Use the arrow buttons, your keyboard's ← and → keys, or swipe on a phone.

  1. Illustration: Wanjiru bouncing excitedly into a small warm kitchen at dawn, Cucu smiling and pouring milky tea from a pot into enamel cups, a rooster visible through the window

    On market day, Wanjiru woke before the roosters. “Cucu! Cucu! Is it time?” Her grandmother laughed. “Almost. First, chai.”

    1
  2. Illustration: Wanjiru and Cucu walking along a red earth road through green hills in morning light, each carrying a woven basket full of avocados, bananas and leafy greens

    They filled baskets with avocados, sweet bananas and bunches of sukuma wiki from Cucu's garden, and walked down the red road together.

    2
  3. Illustration: A lively colorful open-air market with stalls of bright patterned fabric and shiny metal cooking pots, friendly vendors waving, Wanjiru and Cucu arriving

    The market was bursting with color. Mama Atieno sold bright cloth. Baba Musa sold shiny pots. Everyone called out, “Habari ya asubuhi!”

    3
  4. Illustration: Wanjiru carefully stacking avocados into a neat pyramid on a wooden market table, Cucu beside her counting on her fingers, both smiling

    Wanjiru built the avocados into a perfect pyramid. “One, two, three…” she counted. “Moja, mbili, tatu…” Cucu counted along.

    4
  5. Illustration: Sudden heavy rain pouring over the market, grey clouds, raindrops bouncing on corrugated tin roofs, people laughing and running with baskets over their heads

    Then the sky went grey. Plip. Plop. PLOP! The rain came pouring down, drumming on the tin roofs like a hundred tiny drums.

    5
  6. Illustration: A crowd of market people squeezed under a big blue tarpaulin shelter, Wanjiru and Cucu in the middle with baskets, a couple of chickens, children giggling, rain all around

    Everyone hurried under the big blue tarpaulin. Pots, baskets, chickens and children all squeezed in together, dripping and giggling.

    6
  7. Illustration: Cucu clapping her hands and singing joyfully under the tarpaulin, Wanjiru looking up at her delighted, others turning to listen

    “What shall we do now?” asked Wanjiru. Cucu smiled and began to clap. Clap, clap, clap-clap. Then she began to sing an old market song.

    7
  8. Illustration: Everyone under the tarpaulin singing and dancing, a man drumming on a metal pot, a woman singing with arms raised, Wanjiru dancing with Cucu

    Baba Musa tapped a pot like a drum. Mama Atieno sang along. Soon the whole market was singing, louder than the rain.

    8
  9. Illustration: A big rainbow over green hills after rain, wet shining market, smiling neighbours lining up at Wanjiru's table to buy avocados, Cucu beaming

    When the rain stopped, a rainbow stretched over the hills. And everyone who had sheltered together bought an avocado from Wanjiru's pyramid.

    9
  10. Illustration: Wanjiru and Cucu walking home hand in hand along the red road at golden sunset, empty baskets swinging, green hills and a fading rainbow behind them

    Walking home with empty baskets, Wanjiru held Cucu's hand. “Cucu, can it rain next market day too?” Cucu laughed all the way home.

    10
Page 1 of 10
Community library

More sample books

← Back to the whole shelf