Adey Books picture books, made with love

Stories with heart and courage

Picture books from a Tigrayan home, for every child, and for the parents, aunties, uncles and loved ones beside them.

Meet our books Play with Mimi
Cover of The Heavy On My Heart: a girl in a yellow dress lies on the grass under a tree. Cover of Mimi's Day at Nana's: Mimi and her grandmother Nana hold hands and smile.

Two books, one big heart

Written by Hanna Tadesse Haile. One is a sunny Saturday with family. One sits beside a child through a heavy feeling. Both say: you belong here.

For ages 4+

Mimi's Day at Nana's

Mimi discovers she is old enough to take part in a family tradition: the Buun ceremony at her grandmother's house.

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For ages 4 to 8

The Heavy On My Heart

A tender story about big emotions and the courage it takes to speak them out loud.

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Mimi's Day at Nana's

A whole day at Nana's house

Two moments from Mimi's Saturday. Tap a page to turn it over.

  1. Nana strokes Mimi's hair as the children lie in bed.Nana's house

    Saturdays mean Nana's house: warm blankets, cousins and a grandmother who always has time.

  2. Goats leap through the green hills of Kaffa as a young goatherd watches.Kaldi and the dancing goats

    Nana tells the well-known folk tale of Kaldi, whose goats danced in the hills of Kaffa.

Want the whole story?

Get Mimi's Day at Nana's

Cover and paintings by Mihailo Tatic. Book design and colouring pages by Yonas Berhe.

Play with Mimi

Play in Nana's garden

  • Tap the grass and she runs there
  • Tap Mimi or press Space to jump
  • Twice for her double bounce
  • Tap a goat and see what it does
  • Tap Nana for a big hug
Built lovingly by 13th Month Studio

Based on the book Mimi's Day at Nana's by Hanna Tadesse Haile, published by Adey Books.

Waking Mimi up...
Cover of The Heavy On My Heart.

The Heavy On My Heart

For the days that feel a little dimmer

Something feels different, the days feel dimmer, laughter is harder to find. One child begins to wonder where this feeling comes from and who else might understand it.

The Heavy On My Heart is a tender story about big emotions and the courage it takes to speak them out loud. A reassuring book for children experiencing change or loss and for the grownups who want to listen.

"This story reminds children that they never have to carry life's heavy moments alone."Hanna Tadesse Haile
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For ages 4 to 8. Illustrated by Beyza Durmuş. Published by ZULA Kids.

Two girls lie on a patchwork rug reading, with colourful speech bubbles and a heart floating above them.

It takes a village

Children notice so much of what happens around them, and their feelings deserve to be taken seriously. These books are for everyone who sits beside them: parents, aunties, uncles, grandparents and loved ones, even when the words are hard to find.

We want children to feel seen and heard.

Hanna Tadesse Haile, smiling, outside under a tree.
Hanna Tadesse Haile

About the author

Meet Hanna

Hanna Tadesse Haile is an African feminist, community organiser and storyteller, rooted in Tigray.

She wrote Mimi's Day at Nana's from the memory of her grandmother's home in Mekelle, "like a love letter across generations", and launched Adey Books as its home. Her second book, The Heavy On My Heart, came out with ZULA Kids.

My hope is not to shield children from the world, but to give them the tools to navigate it, with heart, with courage, and with empathy.

Read her story

Why Adey?

Depending on how the letters are stressed, Adey means "my land" or "my mother". It is also the yellow flower that blooms in September, at the Ge'ez new year.

Adey Books makes joyful picture books rooted in culture, for children everywhere: stories to heal, to remember and to feel at home in.

Every copy of Mimi's Day at Nana's supports EASE, our partner in Mekelle.

Follow @adey.books