Surprise on Lake Tana: An Ethiopian Adventure in Kiswahili and English

Inspired by a true story, this charming tale follows two friends on a trip to visit the ancient island churches of Lake Tana in Ethiopia. But what they expected to be a smooth ride across the large lake in their little boat turns into an adventure when they are stranded in the water with the hippos! Written by mother-daughter team Ellenore and Leyla Angelidis, whose love of Ethiopia and passion for books inspired them to found Open Hearts, Big Dreams, a nonprofit devoted to increasing literacy in Ethiopian indigenous languages. Side by side text in French and English supports bilingual readers, and charming illustrations by Ethiopian artist Eyayu Genet bring the beautiful landscapes of Lake Tana to life.

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.