Giraffe and Me: A Story of an Ethiopian Girl and a Giraffe in English and Amharic

Learn to read in indigenous Ethiopian languages with this charming story of an Ethiopian girl and a giraffe. One in the hills, one in the lowlands; one eating wat, the other eating leaves; both live and love the Ethiopian landscape surrounding them. Side by side text in Amharic and English support emerging bilingual readers. Mixed media illustrations capture the beauty and vibrance of Ethiopian culture and ecosystem. The giraffe is a beautiful and sought-after resident of the Ethiopian wilderness, desired as much for its luxurious hair, meat and hide as for the protection of its dwindling population. The struggle to keep the giraffe population sustainable is active now in Ethiopia through conservation and education efforts. 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) 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.