Dozens of animals are found only in Ethiopia, from the majestic Black Lion to the gentle Somali wild donkey. Bale mountain vervets and Ethiopian wolves roam the Bale Mountains but nowhere else, along with rare creatures like the heather chameleon, Bale Mountains tree frog, mountain Nyala and gelada baboon. From humble creatures like the big-headed mole rat to exotic birds like the yellow-fronted parrot or Prince Ruspolis turacoo, the mountains and valleys of Ethiopia are just as diverse with wildlife as its cities and towns are with cultures. Catch a glimpse of a few of these amazing creatures in our bilingual picture book. Side by side text in English and Ethiopian languages like Amharic, Tigrinya and Afaan Oromo help emerging bilingual readers develop fluency and vocabulary.

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.