Books!

In my initial phase of trying to discover all things about Ethiopia I found the website for Ethiopia Reads. I think my mom and I may have discovered it on or around the same day. The founder, Yohannes Gebregeorgis, was born and raised in Ethiopia and later came to the States as a political refugee. He eventually earned his Masters in Library Science from the University of Texas. He started Ethiopia Reads in 1998 and has opened libraries in Ethiopia and has these donkey led book mobiles. Very cool. The website states that they "believe education is the key to improving the lives of the next generation of Ethiopians, a country filled with children, and that books are the key to fostering a genuine love of learning." I couldn't agree more. I write a lot about books and reading on this blog so it is pretty apparent how important books are to my life. Our future child already has a collection of books that just keeps on growing. My mother in law is also an avid reader and has been checking out second hand stores for children's books for us. At Christmas she gave us a huge box full of Dr. Seuss books. My mother in law watches my two year old niece a few days a week and I just envision them going back and forth between different books all day long. Every time I have seen my niece arrive at their house she goes straight to the area with all the kids books. Okay, maybe sometimes she asks for a snack first but then she makes a beeline to the books. It seems that she would rather play with a book over any other toy and I know this is because my mother in law really fosters that.

In my mom's current position at the library one of the things she does is talk to various groups and organizations about the importance of reading to your young children. It makes such a difference! When I envision myself as a mom one of the things that gets me really excited is the thought of curling up on the couch and reading to our child. I am certain that the first time I read a book to baby Buster it will be a defining moment for me.

Today my mom sent me a link to a recent article about the Ethiopia Reads founder. He was invited to speak at this year's American Libraries Association conference. (If you are in Boston then you can spot them all with their canvas bags. I am allowed to make librarian jokes because I am related to one.) You can read the article HERE. The article includes a link to a video. Mr. Gebregeorgis was named one of CNN's top 10 Heroes. ENJOY!