Children at a Twyford nursery recently enjoyed a special visit from acclaimed author and illustrator Eileen Browne.

Creator of the books Handa's Surprise and Handa's Hen, Eileen Browne read them to children at Cedar Park Day Nursery, Bridge Farm Road, and explained how they were written and illustrated.

The book’s accompanying CD was also played, allowing the group to focus on rhythm by dancing to the music.

After hearing the stories, the children sampled the exotic fruits featured in Handa’s Surprise, which centres on the story of a young girl delivering a basket of fruits to her friend.

Mangos, pineapples, passionfruit, oranges and bananas were all tasted and enjoyed as part of the learning experience.

Cedar Park Day Nursery deputy manager, Rachael Main, said: "The children were absolutely thrilled to have Eileen with us and were so fascinated by her stories and wisdom.

"The children also had their copies of the books personally signed after the session.

"It was a wonderful day and has shown how special the gift of storytelling really is."