Publisher's Synopsis
Dozens of animals are found only in Ethiopia, from the majestic Black Lion to the gentle Somali wild donkey. Bale mountain vervets and Ethiopian wolves roam the Bale Mountains but nowhere else, along with rare creatures like the heather chameleon, Bale Mountains tree frog, mountain Nyala and gelada baboon. From humble creatures like the big-headed mole rat to exotic birds like the yellow-fronted parrot or Prince Ruspolis turacoo, the mountains and valleys of Ethiopia are just as diverse with wildlife as its cities and towns are with cultures. Catch a glimpse of a few of these amazing creatures in our bilingual picture book. Side by side text in English and Ethiopian languages like Amharic, Tigrinya and Afaan Oromo help emerging bilingual readers develop fluency and vocabulary.
Open Hearts Big Dreams Ready Set Go (OHBD-RSG) Books were created to help increase the literacy rate in Ethiopia through giving readers books with stories in their heart languages, full of colorful illustrations with Ethiopian settings and details. Profits from book sales are used to create, print, and distribute more OHBD-RSG books to kids in Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous country. Ethiopia's population has a high percentage of children ages 0-14. Only a small percentage attend pre-school or kindergarten, and the adult literacy rate is around 50%.
Some of our books are based on wise Ethiopian sayings that often rhyme in Amharic. If an adult says the first half, many children can chant the second half. Sometimes the meaning of these sayings is clear. Sometimes it has to be puzzled out and argued over. But sayings and idioms and proverbs help people express truths and beliefs in unusual ways. Other books are based on STEAM topics, cooking, colors, counting and more.
Since late 2017, OHBD has published over 150 unique OHBD-RSG bilingual titles in a number of Ethiopian, African and global languages plus English and has plans to publish more titles and add more languages. New titles or languages are added monthly; follow our author page to get new release announcements. Open Hearts Big Dreams Fund (OHBD) is a 501(3)(c) not for profit organization that believes the chance to dream big dreams should not depend on where in the world you are born. Our mission is to inspire and enable youth in Ethiopia through Literacy, Innovation, Inclusion and Leadership Projects in collaboration with individuals and organizations in Ethiopia and globally.
