Leyla Marie Fasika Angelidis holding Andromeda, Princess of Ethiopia: The Legend in the Stars. (Courtesy photo)
Tadias Magazine
May 2026
Part 2 of a series on Open Hearts Big Dreams and its growing body of work in children’s publishing.
New York (TADIAS) — If Part 1 of Open Hearts Big Dreams told the story of vision and scale, the books themselves offer a closer look at how that vision takes shape — one story at a time.
Across its growing catalog, the OHBD Ready Set Go Books initiative brings together authors, illustrators, educators, translators, and families to create stories rooted in everyday life while opening doors to imagination, history, and shared human experience.
Some titles draw directly from familiar storytelling traditions. The Runaway Injera, one of the organization’s early and widely read books, reimagines a classic tale through a local lens — turning a universal narrative into something immediately recognizable to young readers.
Others are grounded in lived experience and personal resilience. No One Stops My Dreams tells the story of a young girl born deaf whose aspirations are supported through family, education, and determination. Meanwhile, When I Was a Child in Ethiopia reflects the memories and early experiences of UK-based animator Rediat Abayneh, offering younger readers a window into childhood, imagination, and cultural memory.
Several books also extend across cultures and generations. Andromeda, developed collaboratively within a family and a close friend, reclaims the story’s Ethiopian connections while reflecting broader ties between Ethiopian and Greek traditions. Meanwhile, A Story of Hope traces the remarkable story of Malik Ambar and the historical connections between Ethiopia and India through themes of leadership, movement, and identity. The book was written by Dr. Worku Mulat, the first generation in his family to learn how to read.
A Story of Hope displayed at the Seattle Public library. (Courtesy photo)
In addition to individual titles, OHBD has developed thematic collections that expand the scope of its work. The Fine Arts Series highlights Ethiopian artists such as Nahosenay Negussie, Teklemariam Zewdie, and Eyayu Genet, bringing visual art into the reading experience while introducing young audiences to established creative voices.
Other projects place children themselves at the center of the creative process. Children, developed with young writers at Addis Ababa’s Abrehot Library, and Hands, illustrated by children in Gondar and Corvallis, Oregon, and later recognized through a sister-city award, reflect OHBD’s ongoing commitment to collaboration, literacy, and local participation.
The organization has also worked to revive and preserve earlier generations of Ethiopian children’s literature, including out-of-print titles connected to pioneering figures such as Michael Daniel Ambachew.
(Courtesy photo)
(Courtesy photo)
One particularly notable milestone is The Lonely Nile Perch, first published in Anuak and English by Gambella-born writer Jekap Omod — a project that underscores the organization’s commitment to language preservation while contributing to broader international visibility for underrepresented stories and communities.
Taken together, these books are not defined by a single theme or format, but by a shared approach: stories that are accessible, culturally grounded, and open-ended enough to invite curiosity.
As the series continues to grow, so does its role — not only as a collection of books, but as a living archive of language, imagination, collaboration, and possibility.
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For more information and to explore the books, visit:
OHBD Ready Set Go Books: https://ohbd-rsgbooks.com/
Open Hearts Big Dreams: https://openheartsbigdreams.org/
Related:
Open Hearts Big Dreams: Building a Reading Culture, One Book at a Time
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