Author Description

A fun collection of three stories based on Ethiopian culture, animals and proverbs for practice in reading Afaan Oromo and English. Part of the Ready Set Read - Stories From Ethiopia series, Volume 2 includes three Ready Set Go Books favorites: Butterfly, Talk Talk Turtle and Too Brave. One is based on an Ethiopian proverb, one is a simple version of a pourquoi tale told in Ethiopia and around the world, and one that is mostly nonfiction. The illustrations were created by children in Ethiopia and the United States—at home, in a school, and in an art workshop. Wise sayings, stories, and science all travel across national lines and show us ways that global lives have as many similarities as differences. Ready Set Go Books, an Open Hearts Big Dreams Project, is focused on increasing 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 Ready Set Go Books to kids in Ethiopia, Africa’s second most populous country. Ethiopia’s population is 44% children, ages 0-14 (43 million out of 97 million total). Only 5.5% of children attend pre-school or kindergarten, and the adult literacy rate is 49%. 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. Since late 2017, OHBD has published over 100 unique #ReadySetGo dual language titles in three Ethiopian languages plus English and has plans to publish another 100 titles and add more languages in the coming years. New titles and/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) no