(3) PS Our World series. Illustrated by Netsanet Tesfay. In this slice-of-life board book, a young dark-skinned girl and her father rise to the promise of a new day in Ethiopia, break bread (literally — they eat chechebsa, an Ethiopian torn flatbread), then spend a pleasant day at Entoto Natural Park, where horse-riding and hide-and-seek are on the agenda. The doting pair returns home to enjoy dinner with Mom and the girl’s older brother, and when it’s slumbertime, Dad looks happy as a clam reading his daughter a bedtime story. Habtemariam’s characters and Tesfay’s depiction (colorful childlike illustrations offer interesting details) of the city of Addis Ababa exude bonhomie. Ethiopian social practices (like eating with one’s hands from a communal plate and the Habesha coffee ceremony) are casually woven into the story. A pictorial glossary of Amharic words concludes this winsome offering.

Reviewer: Summer Edward

(2) YA The son of a well-connected businessman, Tesfaye leads a life of privilege in 1990s Ethiopia. After his father is arrested, however, a terrified Tesfaye endures a harrowing journey (via human trafficker) to Canada. Tesfaye now faces new dangers alone. Based on a true story, Holler's tale provides a timely refugee narrative driven by its protagonist's intense emotional experience. Tesfaye's eye-opening perspective allows readers to follow him through terror and survival.

Reviewer: Anastasia M. Collins | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2019

(3) 4-6 Eleven-year-old Jupiter's aunt adopted a child from Ethiopia, but when Aunt Amy receives a cancer diagnosis, Edom, seven, is sent to live with Jupiter's family of wandering folk-music buskers. The family--with Edom and sans Jupiter's absentee dad--finally settles down in Portland, Oregon, where they garden and forage. Themes of familial bonds and belonging pervade this bighearted story about a unique family.

Reviewer: Lauren Causey

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Tamar Blumenfeld. With Asher Naim. Ethiopian boy Yosef dreams that a giant eagle will fly his Jewish family to a new home; they're soon brought to Israel by airplane, his eagle come to life. This is an engaging fictionalized recollection of Operation Solomon, which in 1991 brought fourteen thousand Ethiopian Jews to Israel in two days, with (coauthor) Ambassador Naim's assistance. Blumenfeld's stylized paintings add specificity.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(2) YA Em (white) and Teo (black) have grown up together, their mothers American stunt-pilots who met after WWI. After Teo's mother dies, Em's mother moves them to Ethiopia. Em's and Teo's own skills as pilots come into play in surprising ways when Mussolini invades Ethiopia. Wein weaves a complexity of political and cultural understanding into her plot and affecting characters.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2015

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Eric Velasquez. Alemitu (later Eva) is brought from Ethiopia to the U.S. because her birth mother wants her to have a better life where food and clean water are available. Based on Ieronimo's experience as an adoptive mother, the inspirational story is handsomely illustrated with strong mixed-media and oil paintings, but the narration suffers from overly flowery language. An author's note on water is appended.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Janice Lee Porter. Five-year-old Yuvi narrates her Jewish family's flight from Ethiopia, traveling the desert with little food, harassed by robbers, and ending up in Jerusalem. Throughout her travails, Yuvi is reassured by her grandmother's refrain: "We have angels with us. We'll fly home." Flowing illustrations in browns, blues, and oranges bring this story, based on one woman's experience with Operation Moses, to life.

Reviewer: Amy Kellman

(3) YA This well-paced novel (based on true events) introduces Wuditu, an Ethiopian Jewish girl separated from her family members as they attempt to leave their country for repatriation to Israel. Wuditu is a strong and compelling character who, despite horrific travails, retains her dignity and spirit. A "Note to Readers" provides some context; they may need to seek other sources for more background. Glos.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(4) 4-6 The daughter of the American ambassador to Ethiopia, Lucy longs to explore the country. After she is kidnapped, Lucy turns to her knowledge of the Ethiopian landscape and wildlife to make her way home. The book is dramatic and informative, but the facts often weigh on the narrative and Lucy's survival in the wilderness (though based on a true story) strains credibility.

Reviewer: Hannah Rodgers Barnaby

(3) 4-6 Taste of Culture series. This series introduces cuisine from different cultures, focusing on native foods and recipes. Sheen discusses how geography and climate, availability, and tradition influence a country's or region's tastes. The informative texts cover spices, food names, and social customs. Lots of appetizing photos pepper the pages. Metric conversion charts are appended. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Taste of Culture titles: Foods of Brazil, Foods of Ethiopia, Foods of Spain, and Foods of the Caribbean.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Leonard Jenkins. In a small village in Ethiopia, a girl sets out to become the best beekeeper even though she's told, "That's men's work, little girl." Her determination and creativity help her succeed by finding a novel way to protect her hive from ants. The dark textured acrylic, pastel, and spray-paint illustrations set the scene in contemporary Africa. An author's note is included. Glos.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) 4-6 Africa series. Captioned illustrations and maps accent these African countries' struggles with ethnic and political unrest and health and environmental challenges. For easy access, "Quick Facts" summarize the geography, economics, and population information. Readers will have to search the texts to find any positive aspects of these countries. There are eight other spring 2005 books in the series. Reading list, recipes, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Africa titles: Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Ivory Coast, and Tanzania.

Reviewer: Christina Dorr

(4) 4-6 Visual Geography series. Color photographs, maps, and sidebars combine with a dry but informative text to provide a comprehensive study of the geography, history, government, people, culture, and economy of these two African countries. A website maintained by the publisher offers additional up-to-date information for the report-driven reader. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Visual Geography titles: Zimbabwe in Pictures and Ethiopia in Pictures.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) 4-6 Girls of Many Lands series. Twelve-year-old Saba and her older brother, who have been raised by their grandparents in remote, rural Ethiopia, are kidnapped and thrown into the chaos of nineteenth-century court life. Though events sometimes seem a bit contrived, Saba is a compelling character, and the historical details are interesting. A note about Ethiopia, "then and now," is appended. Glos.

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(4) 4-6 Three children live in the streets of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: orphan Mamo, kidnapped and sold as a slave; his sister Tiggist, who holds down a job; and Dani, a rich boy who runs away from his harsh father and joins Mamo's gang. Their stories are not well integrated, and gang life seems somewhat sanitized, but Laird avoids the pitfalls of bathos and delivers an affecting story.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(4) 4-6 Steadwell Books World Tour series. These books, illustrated with small color photos and maps, provide brief but varied information about geography, government, people, religion, history, and current events in these countries. The tour-guide tone can be irritating, but the books are adequate resources for report writers. Introductory tips on using the table of contents, index, and glossary are a welcome addition. "People to Know," "Quick facts," reading list. [Review covers these Steadwell Books World Tour titles: Morocco and Ethiopia.]

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Fabricio VandenBroeck. A master will grant his slave freedom only if he can withstand (overnight) the cold on top of a snowy mountain. With a friend's moral support, the slave survives. Other versions of the story offer sources and more local atmosphere, but this spare retelling illuminates the best aspects of the human spirit. The acrylic illustrations range from an almost comical image of the master to strong portrayals of the slave.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) 4-6 Countries of the World series. These tour book-like country overviews start with a summary of the country's geography, history, and a bit of culture. The remainder goes into greater detail about topics such as famous people, endangered animals, ethnic groups, relations with North America, and maps. Numerous captions and sidebars sometimes confuse the flow of the text. Varied and informative color photos illustrate the texts. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) K-3 Illustrated by E. B. Lewis. As he prepares to visit his homeland, a father gently comforts his daughter with his memories of life in Ethiopia. Desta has trouble picturing her father's childhood--thousands of flamingos, a house with no electricity, walking barefoot to school--but eventually understands that he misses his old home and that he will come back. Details in the watercolor illustrations extend the text's poetic prose.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(3) K-3 Storytellers will enjoy this collection of twenty Ethiopian tales collected from oral tellers and retold in English for the first time. Included are trickster tales, pourquoi tales, and animal stories reminiscent of Aesop and Grimm, all set in the Ethiopian landscape. Varied illustrations by different artists break up the text and add to the African setting.

Reviewer: Pamela McCuen