Publisher's Synopsis
Can you see my blue eye and my curled tail? Can you guess what I am? Discover the heather chameleon, the mountain nyala, the gelada baboon, the big-headed mole rat and more amazing Ethiopian animals in our beautiful dual-language ask-and-answer picture book. The diverse creatures who inhabit the mountains, forests and valleys of Eastern Africa come alive in colorful illustrations that capture the rich hues and textures of Ethiopia's vibrant ecosystems. Some of Ethiopia's wildlife can only be found in Ethiopia, making it a popular destination for travelers who hope to catch a glimpse of some of the world's most rare creatures. You can get a good look at them in our picture book, and young readers will delight in using the picture clues to guess which animal is featured. Side by side text in English and Ethiopian languages like Amharic, Tigrinya and Afaan Oromo helps emerging bilingual readers to build vocabulary. The guess-and-check format will engage curious minds and help practice making predictions.
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.
