Skip to content

Help! : Shared Effort Leads to Shared Rewards in Afaan Oromo and English

2021

by Caroline Kurtz, Jane. Kurtz, Rebekah Mitsein and Beth Neel

"In this Ethiopian spin on a classic Russian folk tale, an old woman discovers that even the smallest helper can solve a big problem! When she plants her crops, she doesn’t expect to grow a carrot so big that she cannot pull it out. Luckily, she has many animal friends to help her, and she will need all of them to harvest her crop, even the tiniest mouse! A sweet look at how shared efforts lead to shared rewards. Side by side text in English and Ethiopian languages like Amharic, Tigrinya and Afaan Oromo help emerging bilingual readers build vocabulary and fluency. Captivating collages bring the story to life and support vocabulary with clear visual references and engaging pictures. Part of the Ready, Set, Go! series of bilingual early readers. Part of Open Hearts Big Dreams mission to increase literacy in Ethiopian languages." -- publisher

Any Child

Market Day

2020

by Caroline Kurtz and Clark College Economic and Community Development

"The vibrant beauty and exotic flavors of Ethiopia are on full display in its markets, which include the largest market in Africa. Like the sprawling Mercato in Addis Ababa, Ethiopian markets are more than just places to shop: these thriving hubs of commerce are also where Ethiopians go to visit with old friends, to play, to eat and to sell products from their gardens, orchards and farms. Children love the sights and sounds of the busy caravans piled high with fruits, vegetables, textiles and grains. Markets in Ethiopia are important cultural events and vital to the thriving trade routes that bring everything from coffee to camels to families in Africa and beyond. Colorful watercolor illustrations bring the market to life in rich detail and dual language text in English and Afaan Oromo supports emerging readers and students of 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 communities where the kids live, in Ethiopia." -- publisher

Beautiful Life Folklore

Chaos! : How the Dog Got His Dinner in Afaan Oromo and English

2019

by Caroline Kurtz and Gina DaCruz

"They say dogs are man's best friend, but in this story, a dog creates...Chaos! Based on a traditional Ethiopian “teret,” a wise Ethiopian saying that rhymes in Afaan Oromo, the story follows a hungry dog as it disrupts the daily life of its family to get a taste of chicken wat, leaving a trail of chaos in his wake. Side by side bilingual translations support emerging readers as they develop vocabulary and fluency in indigenous Ethiopian languages like Amharic, Tigrinya and Afaan Oromo." -- publisher

Beautiful Life

Chaos!: How the Dog Got His Dinner in Tigrinya and English

2019

by Caroline Kurtz and Gina DaCruz

"They say dogs are man's best friend, but in this story, a dog creates...Chaos! Based on a traditional Ethiopian “teret,” a wise Ethiopian saying that rhymes in Afaan Oromo, the story follows a hungry dog as it disrupts the daily life of its family to get a taste of chicken wat, leaving a trail of chaos in his wake. Side by side bilingual translations support emerging readers as they develop vocabulary and fluency in indigenous Ethiopian languages like Amharic, Tigrinya and Afaan Oromo." -- publisher

Beautiful Life

Many of the cover images on this site are from Google Books.
Using Tiny Framework Log in