Mothers and Daughters: A Special Bond in English and Arabic

Celebrate all the ways that mothers and daughters share special time together in Ethiopia. They make injera and fir fir, they spin and knit cotton, they plant and harvest, they tell stories and laugh. They braid each other's hair and enjoy the beauty of nature, they dance and play games. Some mothers share their love of wildlife conservation to inspire their daughters. Others like to gaze at the night sky and look for shooting stars. Still others raise bees and snack on sweet honeycomb. But all of them come together for hugs and that special love that bonds mothers and daughters in Ethiopia, and around the world. Charming illustrations by artist Daniel Aklilu show the beauty and strength of Ethiopian women and girls with the colorful patterns and styles of Ethiopia.

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 four 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) 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 READY SET GO books, STEM and Innovation Projects in collaboration with individuals and organizations providing literacy, education, and leadership opportunities.