Ethiopian Voices: Tsion's Life [Hardcover]

Stacy Bellward (Author), Erlend Berge (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 21, 2008 | Series: Ethiopian Voices

Ethiopian Voices: Tsion's Life
Meet Tsion, an eleven year old Ethiopian girl as she talks about her life and her country. Stunning photographs bring the reader to Tsion s house, school, church, dinner table and more. Informative cultural facts are included.

Advance Praise: The striking photographs and carefully selected domestic scenes in Tsion s Life beautifully capture the day-to-day of one Addis Ababa family. This charming book is perfect for parents and educators seeking to give children an engaging and accurate glimpse into life in Ethiopia.
Rebecca Haile, Held At a Distance: My Rediscovery of Ethiopia

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Stacy spent her teenage years in Tanzania, and although she has lived and worked on four continents, she holds Ethiopia especially close since adopting their Ethiopian-born daughter.

In response to the lack of Ethiopian resources for adoptive families, she wrote , "Our First Amharic Words". Together with her husband, Paul, she launched Amharic Kids.

Stacy and Paul live with their two daughters in Minnesota but look forward to the day when they spend extended time giving back in Ethiopia.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Amharic Kids (June 21, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0979748119
• ISBN-13: 978-0979748110
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.7 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #831,778 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Perfect Gift to Yourself, June 5, 2009

By 

Tina D (Eagan, Mn. USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ethiopian Voices: Tsion's Life (Hardcover)

Wonderful adult/children's picture book on a day in the life of a real-life Ethiopian girl. Everything about this book is valuable in teaching ourselves about an unfamiliar culture. For those adopting, what a great resource for the other children in the family to read beforehand to get ready for a new sibling. I especially think that if you are adopting an older child, they will appreciate having this depiction of their home and backround as a keepsake, and it inspires great dialogue! Beautifully done!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good representation, April 4, 2011

By 

regturb - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ethiopian Voices: Tsion's Life (Hardcover)

My husband immigrated to the United States from Ethiopia 14 years ago. I purchased this book last year to help our 5-year old son understand what life is like where Daddy comes from. My husband pointed out a few discrepencies between his experiences and the facts in the book, but over all, he says this book is 98% accurate in it depiction of life in Ethiopia. In fact, it made him homesick. I can't think of a better compliment for the author.

In case you are wondering, he felt the statistics on religon were misleading.

The images, and simplistic text brought our son a glipse into Daddy's other life and brought our family closer together as a result. As a former teacher I can say this book would be a wonderful addition to a school or classroom library.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Praise for Tsion's Life, January 25, 2009

By 

Erin "Erin" (Oakdale, Minnesota United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ethiopian Voices: Tsion's Life (Hardcover)

I love sharing this book with my children. They love the pictures, the simple descriptions of real life in Ethiopia, and the simple Amharic words that we can practice saying together. As adults, our images of Ethiopia are often dominated by poverty and disease, but Tsion's Life shows that there is so much more to this beautiful country where hospitality, respect for elders, and family life are so prized. I strongly recommend this book for children of all ages, and anyone interested in this refreshing look at Ethiopian life. It allows my kids and I to talk about how Tsion's life is just like theirs (living with parents, going to school, playing with friends), and how it is very different (storing water for days at a time, small living quarters, different religious traditions). In this book we see family life, food,and school, as well as values like respect for elders, generosity, and hospitality. I strongly recommend this book for parents, teachers, and anyone interested in a guided tour of this beautiful and often misunderstood part of the world. Thank you Stacy and Erlend for bringing this to all of us!