Author Description

Join a curious child as they play a game of discovery and concealment in the towns and fields of Ethiopia. As she observes her surroundings from her hiding spots, she notices many interesting and beautiful things around her. The people and animals who fill the streets and landscape with color and mystery come to life through banana plant collages made by the Ethiopian women of Jimma Banana Art. Most of the illustrations were created from different parts of the banana plant that have been dried, ironed and cut into shapes. Side by side text in Amharic and English supports bilingual young readers. Sales of the book support Open Hearts, Big Dreams, a nonprofit devoted to increasing literacy in indigenous Ethiopian languages.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 books sales will be 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. 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 focus is to support nonprofit organizations and their programs that provide literacy, K-12 education, and leadership as well as that support the parents and communit