Trouble

Trouble by Jane Kurtz, illustrated by Durga Bernhard, is a great discovery. This version of an Eritrian tale, available from the literacy organization, Ethiopia Reads, is  bilingual: Amharic and English.  Katz's telling is a cumulative tale that follows a boy, Tekleh, who the reader sees is setting himself up for plenty of trouble, something his father has warned him against.  But in a surprise cycle of events, the boy lucks out in an unexpected turn. Kurtz starts right off with trouble.  "He didn't mean to get stung by poking a stick into a line of marching ants.  He didn't mean to make dust fly onto the roasting coffee beans." Another thing I love - the book incorporates in the English telling Amharic words for animals and foods and musical instruments. It's a story about all children on adventures, discovering their world, a goal we have for the Bhutanese tale we select in our Nepali picture book project. (See links on the right to follow the project.)