Jesus is Born
The miraculous story of the birth of Jesus. Delightfully illustrated by Gavin Thomson. Questions about this book? Contact us.
The Power of Forgiveness
When a paralytic needs healing, his friends resort to desperate measures to get him near Jesus. And Jesus does more than they expected. Questions about this book? Contact us.
Hannah Prays for a Child
Hannah wants a child but it is taking a long time. Maybe if she prays, God can do a miracle. Questions about this book? Contact us.
God Speaks to Samuel
When Samuel is in the temple, a voice calls to him and he thinks it is Eli the priest. Who keeps calling his name? Questions about this book? Contact us.
Fisher of People
The story of Jesus calling his first disciples and the miraculous catch of fish. Questions about this book? Contact us.
God Created the Heavens and the Earth
The story of how God created the heavens and the earth from the book of Genesis is beautifully illustrated by artist Marleen “Paddy” Visser. Find this book on the Bloom Library: God created the heavens and the earth. Questions about this book? Contact us.
Boy Jesus
When Jesus is a boy, he goes missing on a trip to Jerusalem. His parents find him in the temple and learn a powerful lesson about their remarkable son. Find this book on the Bloom Library: Boy Jesus. Questions about this book? Contact us.
Jesus and the Children
Jesus and Zacchaeus
What are they doing?
Learn some common verbs with this fun early reader. Illustrated by N.D. Mazin. View this book on the Bloom Library: What are they doing? Other questions about this book? Contact us.
Luwo’s House
Maria’s Family
Let’s Eat!
Farm Animals
Learn the names of some common animals with this easy reader book. View this book in other languages on the Bloom Library: Farm Animals. Questions about this book? Contact us.
Nema Buys Thread
Nema is working on a project. She needs some thread. Illustrated by Mirjam Gyger. Artwork and text used by permission of JOCUM and Mercy Air. View this book on the Bloom Library: Nema Buys Thread. Questions about this book? Contact us.
Everyone is Different
Tall? Short? How would you describe that person? Learn your adjectives with this charmingly illustrated book. View this title on the Bloom Library: Everyone Is Different. Questions about this book? Contact us.
Where Is?
With hidden animals, repeating words, and delightful illustrations, ‘Where Is’ is an engaging first words book. View this title on the Bloom Library in many languages: Where is it? Questions about this book? Contact us.
Face and Body
Learn the parts of the face and body with the help of some beautifully illustrated friends. These are normally published as two separate titles: Face and Body. View this book on the Bloom Library in many languages: Parts of the Face Parts of the Body Questions about this book? Contact us.
One Two Three
The Bean book is one of our most popular titles. In places where people are unaccustomed to reading their own language, One Two Three Beans provides a low-stress way to have a successful reading session and explore reading in their own language. This book can be adapted for any language. View this book in many […]
Wild Animals
This book is one of our most popular titles. It features wild animals and their names in local languages. This book can be adapted to contain animals appropriate to any region of Africa. This title is available on the Bloom Library in several languages. View it here: Wild Animals. Questions about this book? Contact us.
Nakehi and the Beans
A couple years ago, we reached out to Sindia Foster and the rest of the Elomwe team, asking if they had stories they would like us to make books about. One story they gave us was this story about a proud man, and his neighbors. View this book on the Bloom Library: Nakehi and the […]
Proverbs
This project features amazing artwork by Australian artist, Max Okoto. For this book, we provided Max with English translations of 16 animal proverbs of the Nyungwe people, and these are the result. This book is also available on the African Storybook website. You can find the English version here.You can find the Nyungwe version here. […]
No Pigs Allowed
No Pigs Allowed is an example of an origin story. Origin stories are special kinds of folktales that explain in a humorous way why things are the way they are. Our first story, Rabbit Makes Friends with Fire, is an origin story about why rabbits have big feet. (They got stepped on by hippo!) And […]
Jesus Feeds the Multitude
This book is based on the story of one of Jesus’ miracles. It reminds us that if we’re willing to give what we have, He can do the impossible. The wonderfully dynamic illustrations were done by South African artist Gavin Thomson. Read this book on the Bloom Library: Jesus Feeds the Multitude. Questions about this […]
Jesus Walks on Water
This story about Jesus is charmingly illustrated by South African artist Gavin Thomson. Gavin actually traveled all the way to Mozambique to figure out how to portray Jesus in a way that Mozambican children liked. To read more about the development of this book, read our blog post here. Read this book on the Bloom Library: […]
Our Father
The words of the Lord’s prayer are accompanied by beautifully detailed illustrations from South African artist Marleen Visser. Familiar Mozambican scenes drive home the power and relevance of the Lord’s prayer for children today. Read this book on the Bloom Library: Our Father. Questions about this book? Contact us.
The Lord Is My Shepherd
South African artist Marleen Visser beautifully illustrates Psalm 23 with images from life in rural Mozambique, giving us a fresh look at this classic psalm. Read this book on Bloom Library in many languages: The Lord Is My Shepherd. Questions about this book? Contact us.
Who Is My Neighbor?
In the parable of the good Samaritan in Luke 15, Jesus shows that being a good neighbor is all about compassion. Illustrated by South African artist Tamsin Hinrichsen, the book vividly brings to life a familiar story by placing it in a modern context. This book is also on the Bloom Library: Who is My […]
The Lost Son
In the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15, Jesus shows how much God cares about everyone, even if they’ve done wrong things. South African artists Magriet Brink and Leo Daly created the poignant illustrations for this book. Read this book on the Bloom Library: The Lost Son. Questions about this book? Contact us.
The Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin
In the parable of the lost sheep and coin in Luke 15, Jesus shows how precious every single person is to God. South African artists Magriet Brink and Leo Daly created the beautiful illustrations for this book. Read this book on the Bloom Library: The Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin. Questions about this book? […]
The Widow and the Judge
This book illustrates Jesus’ parable in Luke 18 in which a widow is rewarded for her persistence in prayer. American illustrator, Brianna Alexander, created a beautiful series of illustrations that perfectly complement the Gospel story. This book is available for translation in any language. Read this book on the Bloom Library: The Widow and the […]
Guests at the Feast
For this book, we took Jesus’ parable from Luke 14 about wedding guests and set it in contemporary Africa. The artwork by South African artist Alzette Prins draws attention to Jesus’ message of how God welcomes everyone to his feast. This book is available for translation in any language. Read this book on the Bloom […]
The Sower
In the parable of the Sower in Luke 8, Jesus shows how his message is received by different types of people. South African artist, Tamsin Hinrichsin, provides the whimsical illustrations for this book. Read this book on the Bloom Library: The Sower. Questions about this book? Contact us.
The Rich Fool
This parable of Jesus from Luke 12 tells the story of a rich man who neglects the things that matter most. The parable teaches us to store up treasures in heaven. The book is colorfully illustrated by American artist, Brianna Alexander. This book is available in many languages on the Bloom Library: The Rich Fool. […]
The Friend at Night
This parable of Jesus from Luke 11 tells the story of what happens when a man gets a surprise visit at night. The story teaches the values of generosity, persistence and faithful prayer. The book is humorously illustrated by South African artist, Magriet Brink. View this book on the Bloom Library: Friend at Night Questions […]
Rabbit Makes Friends With Fire
Rabbits are popular characters in African folktales. They are famous for behaving badly and always getting away with it. In this Nyungwe folktale, we see what happens when Rabbit refuses to forgive Hippo for stepping on his foot. African folktales frequently teach positive messages by showing bad behavior. In addition to being a funny story, […]
The Animals Dig A Well
This Nyungwe folktale features stunning artwork by Brazilian artist João Carlos Brito. The story tells what happens when the animals try to keep Rabbit away from their waterhole because he didn’t help dig! View this book on the Bloom Library: Animals Dig A Well Questions about this book? Contact us.
Goat, Dog and Cow
Taxis are a familiar sight on roads all over southern Africa. So are goats, dogs, and cows. This charming modern folktale is an explanatory story. It imagines a history to explain why each of the animals interacts in a different way with the familiar form of transportation. View this book on the Bloom Library: Goat, […]
Lion Gets Sick
In this traditional folktale of the Nyungwe people of Mozambique, the animals select Lion to be their king. But when he gets sick, Hyena comes up with a plan to get Rabbit in trouble. Will Rabbit survive? This book is lavishly illustrated by Argentinian artist, Claudio Molina. Read this book on the Bloom Library: Lion […]
Chameleon Races Rabbit
A couple years ago, we reached out to Sindia Foster and the rest of the Elomwe team, asking if they had stories they would like us to make books about. The story they gave us was this traditional tale about a trickster chameleon and a hapless rabbit. Rabbits feature heavily in many stories from this […]