The ABCs of Ubuntu and Ohana
An Interactive Alphabet Coloring Book for Building Community and Character
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE STYLE FOR THE 4 CHARACTERS FOR OUR ADVENTURES?
Introduction
Welcome to a magical journey through the alphabet where ancient wisdom meets modern friendship! Our four guide characters will take you through stories from around the world, teaching us how we all belong to each other. Remember: Ubuntu means "I am because we are" and Ohana means "family—nobody gets left behind!"
Meet Your Guides
Amara - A curious girl from Ghana with intricate cornrow braids decorated with colorful beads Kai - A cheerful boy from Hawaii who wears a flower lei and loves to surf Yuki - A thoughtful child from Japan with a bright kimono and kind eyes Diego - An adventurous boy from Mexico with a wide smile and a love for stories
A is for ACCEPTANCE
Story: The Rainbow Peacock's Lesson
Our four friends discover a magical peacock whose feathers are all different colors, inspired by Anansi's tale of why spiders have different patterns. The peacock teaches them that every color is needed to make something truly beautiful.
Illustration Guide:
- Main Scene: A magnificent peacock with tail feathers spread in a full fan display, each feather a different pattern and color (stripes, dots, swirls, zigzags)
- Characters: All four children sitting in a semicircle on the ground, looking up in wonder at the peacock
- Background Details:
- Whimsical garden with flowers of every imaginable shape (tulips, roses, hibiscus, cherry blossoms)
- Butterflies with intricate wing patterns dancing around
- Small spider (Anansi) weaving a web in the corner with a smile
- Tree branches overhead creating a canopy with leaves you can detail individually
- Small mushrooms with spots and patterns on the ground
- Details for Coloring:
- The peacock's eye spots on each feather should have 3-4 concentric circles
- Amara's beads should be various geometric shapes
- Each flower should have distinct petal patterns
- Include grass blades and tiny pebbles for texture
B is for BELONGING
Story: Hansel and Gretel's New Home
Inspired by the Grimm tale, our friends find two lost children and help them realize that home isn't just a place—it's the people who care about you.
Illustration Guide:
- Main Scene: All six children (including Hansel and Gretel) holding hands in a circle in a village square
- Characters:
- Hansel and Gretel in traditional German clothing (lederhosen and dirndl) with patches showing they've been traveling
- Other children welcoming them with open arms
- Background Details:
- Village with various architectural styles (thatched roofs, adobe, pagodas, grass huts) showing diversity
- Villagers of all ages in windows waving welcome
- Market stalls with detailed goods (baskets of fruit, textiles, pottery)
- A gingerbread house in the far background being transformed into a community center
- Birds carrying ribbon streamers in their beaks
- Cobblestone ground with intricate patterns
- Details for Coloring:
- Each house should have unique window designs
- Market goods with patterns (striped baskets, checkered cloths)
- Children's clothing with various textures (Kai's lei with individual flowers)
C is for COMPASSION
Story: The Golden Fish's Gift
Inspired by various folktales about magical fish, our friends meet a fish who needs help getting back to the ocean. They learn that kindness creates ripples.
Illustration Guide:
- Main Scene: Children carefully carrying a large golden fish in a decorated bowl filled with water, forming a relay line from a dried-up pond toward the ocean visible in the distance
- Characters: Each child positioned in the relay, passing the bowl carefully
- Background Details:
- Cracked, dry pond bed with detailed mud patterns and dried lily pads
- Other animals helping: birds bringing water droplets in leaves, turtles creating shade
- The ocean in the distance with waves and dolphins jumping
- Sun setting with elaborate ray patterns
- Desert flowers blooming in cracks showing resilience
- Footprints in the sand showing their journey
- Details for Coloring:
- Golden fish scales in overlapping pattern, each scale unique
- Water with ripple effects and light reflections
- Crack patterns in the dried earth
- Individual feathers on birds
- Each shell and pebble on the shore distinct
D is for DIVERSITY
Story: The Tower of Babel's True Lesson
Inspired by the ancient tale, our friends discover that different languages and cultures aren't punishments—they're gifts that make the world more interesting!
Illustration Guide:
- Main Scene: A fantastic spiraling tower made of blocks, each block decorated with different cultural patterns (African mudcloth, Hawaiian tapa, Japanese origami, Mexican papel picado)
- Characters: Children and people of many cultures building together, each adding their unique block
- Background Details:
- Sky filled with paper lanterns, kites from different cultures, and birds
- Ground level showing different cultural foods being shared (sushi, tacos, poi, jollof rice)
- Musical instruments from around the world leaning against the tower base
- Word bubbles showing "hello" in many languages in decorative scripts
- Gardens with plants from different climates somehow growing together magically
- Rainbow appearing to connect all parts of the tower
- Details for Coloring:
- Each cultural pattern block should be authentic and detailed
- Food items with realistic garnishes and presentations
- Musical instruments with proper detail (guitar strings, drum patterns)
- Cultural clothing on various people with traditional patterns
E is for EMPATHY
Story: Walking in Another's Sandals
Inspired by Native American wisdom and the tale of the fisherman's wife, our friends learn to understand others' feelings.
Illustration Guide:
- Main Scene: A magical trail where each step has different shoes appearing (glass slippers, wooden clogs, beaded moccasins, grass sandals) and each footstep shows a different scene in a thought bubble above it
- Characters: Children walking the path, transformed in each thought bubble into the person whose shoes they're stepping in
- Background Details:
- Path made of stones, each carved with an emotion word in different languages
- Trees on either side with faces showing different emotions in their bark patterns
- Small vignettes around the path showing different life situations (someone sharing food, someone sitting alone, someone celebrating)
- Mirror pools along the path reflecting different perspectives
- Animals watching and learning alongside the children
- Sky transitioning from one season to another (representing different life stages)
- Details for Coloring:
- Each shoe type with authentic cultural details
- Thought bubbles with complete mini-scenes inside
- Tree bark with intricate grain patterns
- Reflection in water showing different details than what's above
- Emotion faces with subtle, nuanced expressions
F is for FORGIVENESS
Story: The North Wind and the Sun Make Peace
Based on Aesop's fable, our friends learn that warmth and forgiveness are more powerful than force.
Illustration Guide:
- Main Scene: Personified North Wind (swirling, blue, icy character with snowflakes and cold breath) and Sun (warm, golden character with rays and a gentle smile) shaking hands/rays while children watch
- Characters: The four friends standing between Wind and Sun, having helped them reconcile
- Background Details:
- Left side: Winter landscape transforming (ice melting into water, creating flowers)
- Right side: Summer landscape cooling (providing comfortable shade)
- Center: Perfect spring/autumn balance with leaves of many colors
- A traveler in the middle, no longer being fought over, comfortable and happy
- Animals coming out to enjoy the balanced weather (butterflies, birds, rabbits)
- Rainbow bridge connecting the two sides of the scene
- Frozen teardrops melting into heart shapes
- Details for Coloring:
- Wind character: swirling patterns, icicle details, snowflake fractals
- Sun character: ray patterns, warm swirls, smiling face details
- Seasonal transitions with appropriate flora for each
- Traveler's cloak showing both wind damage and sun brightening
- Each animal with detailed fur/feather patterns
G is for GENEROSITY
Story: Stone Soup for Everyone
Based on the classic folktale, our friends show how sharing a little creates abundance for all.
Illustration Guide:
- Main Scene: Enormous decorated pot in the center of a village square with everyone contributing ingredients, creating a fantastic, overflowing soup with steam forming magical shapes
- Characters: All four friends stirring the pot with a giant ladle, surrounded by villagers
- Background Details:
- Line of people from different backgrounds, each bringing something unique (vegetables, spices, water, bowls, wood for fire)
- The original stones visible at bottom of pot, sparkling like gems
- Steam rising in shapes of hearts, hands holding hands, and smiling faces
- Tables being set up with mismatched chairs showing each family's contribution
- Children drawing on ground with chalk, creating welcome messages
- Street musicians playing celebration music
- Lanterns being hung for an evening feast
- Dogs and cats waiting hopefully nearby
- Details for Coloring:
- Each vegetable in the soup distinctly detailed (carrots with tops, corn kernels, leafy greens)
- Stone textures at pot bottom
- Wood grain on the fire logs
- Steam swirls with varying thickness
- Each person's basket or container uniquely designed
- Tablecloths with different pattern options
H is for HONESTY
Story: The Emperor's New Clothes—Truth Spoken with Love
Based on Hans Christian Andersen's tale, our friends learn that honesty with kindness helps everyone.
Illustration Guide:
- Main Scene: A parade where a vain emperor walks in his "invisible clothes" (shown in suggested dotted lines of elaborate patterns), while a small child points and speaks truth, with our four friends supporting them
- Characters: Emperor looking shocked but then relieved, the child speaking up, our four friends nodding encouragingly
- Background Details:
- Crowd showing different reactions (some hiding laughs, some shocked, some relieved to hear truth)
- The scheming tailors in background fleeing with gold, bags with dollar signs
- Real clothing shops with honest merchants showing their wares proudly
- Mirrors along the parade route showing reality
- Other children whispering and giggling
- Palace in background with exaggerated decorations
- Birds tweeting the truth through the air in little speech bubbles
- Dropped parade flowers making a trail
- Details for Coloring:
- Suggested "invisible" clothes in elaborate dotted-line patterns
- Real clothing in shops with various textures and patterns
- Crowd faces with individual expressions
- Palace architecture with ornate details
- Bird feather details and speech bubbles
I is for INCLUSION
Story: The Ugly Duckling Finds Its Flock
Based on Hans Christian Andersen's beloved tale, our friends help a "different" swan chick realize that everyone belongs somewhere.
Illustration Guide:
- Main Scene: Beautiful pond with the transformed swan in the center, surrounded by other swans AND ducks living together harmoniously, with our four friends on the shore celebrating
- Characters: The swan reflected in water (showing both its past duckling self and present beauty), friends cheering
- Background Details:
- Mixed flock of many bird species (ducks, swans, geese, herons) all swimming together
- Nests of different types in reeds showing various families
- Underwater view visible in pond showing fish of many colors swimming together
- Lily pads with different stages of water lilies (buds, blooms, seed pods)
- Dragonflies and butterflies that were once caterpillars (showing transformation theme)
- Shore with invitation signs in the sand: "All Welcome Here"
- Reflection in water showing not just appearance but inner beauty (hearts, stars)
- Willows creating curtains on the sides
- Details for Coloring:
- Swan feathers with detailed layering
- Water ripples and reflections
- Each bird species accurately detailed
- Underwater plants and fish scales
- Lily pad veins and flower petal details
- Dragonfly wing patterns
J is for JUSTICE
Story: The Lion and the Mouse—Fairness for All Sizes
Based on Aesop's fable, our friends learn that everyone deserves fair treatment, no matter their size or power.
Illustration Guide:
- Main Scene: A mighty lion caught in an ornate hunter's net, with a tiny mouse gnawing through the ropes to free it, while our friends help too
- Characters: The four friends working with the mouse, each tackling a different part of the net
- Background Details:
- Jungle setting with tangled vines and massive trees
- Discarded hunting equipment (abandoned once friends start freeing lion)
- Other small animals coming to help (ants carrying rope pieces away, birds pulling at knots)
- Flashback bubble showing the lion having spared the mouse earlier
- Balance scales hanging from a tree branch, showing "might" and "right" in balance
- Hidden hunter's camp being dismantled in background
- Freed animals from other traps celebrating
- Mouse's tiny home in tree roots, detailed with tiny furniture
- Details for Coloring:
- Net pattern with different knot types
- Lion's mane with individual hair sections
- Mouse with detailed fur texture despite small size
- Rope fibers being chewed through
- Jungle leaves with veins and varied shapes
- Tiny details in mouse home (acorn cups, leaf blankets)
- Each small helping animal distinctly drawn
K is for KINDNESS
Story: The Star Throvers
Inspired by the starfish story, our friends learn that every small act of kindness matters.
Illustration Guide:
- Main Scene: Beach after a storm with thousands of stranded starfish, our four friends throwing them back into the ocean one at a time
- Characters: Each friend in a different position of throwing, reaching, or carefully picking up starfish
- Background Details:
- Each starfish unique (different sizes, patterns, colors) stretched across the beach
- Ocean waves welcoming back the returned starfish (shown as hands of water)
- Other beachgoers who initially walked by now joining the effort
- Tide pools with trapped sea creatures being rescued
- Shell collection jars being emptied to make room for starfish transport
- Setting/rising sun creating a golden path on the water
- Sandcastles transformed into recovery stations for creatures
- Seabirds helping guide friends to hidden starfish
- Footprint trails showing the journey back and forth
- Details for Coloring:
- Each starfish with unique spot and texture patterns
- Sand grains and small shells scattered throughout
- Water splash dynamics as starfish return to ocean
- Wave patterns with foam details
- Individual seaweed strands
- Children's expressions of determination and joy
- Tide pool ecosystem details
L is for LISTENING
Story: King Midas Learns to Hear
Based on the Greek myth, our friends help King Midas learn that truly listening is worth more than gold.
Illustration Guide:
- Main Scene: King Midas with his golden ears (from the myth) sitting at the same level as our four friends in a circle, surrounded by golden objects that are transforming back to their original forms as he finally listens
- Characters: Midas looking humble and attentive, friends taking turns speaking, shown with elaborate speech bubbles
- Background Details:
- Golden statues returning to life (people, animals, plants) in stages
- His daughter (who he turned to gold) coming back to life, embracing him
- Musical instruments that were gold now playing again (notes visible in air)
- River in background (where he washed off the golden touch) sparkling normally
- Council table where he used to sit high up, now at ground level
- His crown removed and sitting to the side
- Normal food reappearing where golden food was
- Word bubbles showing what he missed while not listening (advice, love, warnings)
- Mirrors showing that his ears are changing back as he truly listens
- Details for Coloring:
- Golden texture transforming to normal (show gradients)
- Large donkey ears with fur details
- Intricate speech bubble borders with designs showing different types of communication
- Returning-to-life stages on statues (gold cracking away)
- Musical notes with little decorative flourishes
- Food details (golden vs. real)
- Emotional expressions showing reconnection
M is for MENTORSHIP
Story: Anansi Passes Down Wisdom
Based on West African tales, our friends meet Anansi the spider who teaches them that knowledge grows when shared.
Illustration Guide:
- Main Scene: Wise Anansi spider (wearing tiny spectacles and a storyteller's cap) in the center of an enormous web, each strand leading to a different story or lesson, with our friends and young spiders learning together
- Characters: Four friends sitting at different points on the web, each with spider students beside them as they pass along what they learned
- Background Details:
- Web acting as a story map with scenes from various Anansi tales in the spaces between strands
- Books and scrolls hanging on web strands (some ancient, some brand new)
- Baby spiders taking notes on leaves with dew drop ink
- Tree branches showing growth rings (representing generations of teaching)
- Other animals gathered around as students (turtle, rabbit, monkey, bird)
- Village in background where lessons are being practiced
- Sun and moon both visible (showing teaching happens all the time)
- Web strands connecting to children's home countries, showing knowledge traveling
- Teaching tools: counting beads, maps, musical instruments
- Details for Coloring:
- Web with intricate geometric patterns, dew drops catching light
- Anansi with detailed traditional clothing despite small size
- Each web segment containing a complete mini-story scene
- Various textures on scrolls and books (aged paper, fresh pages)
- Student animals with attentive expressions and unique features
- Teaching tools with cultural details
N is for NEIGHBORLINESS
Story: The Enormous Turnip—Together We Can
Based on the Russian folktale, our friends show that cooperation makes impossible tasks possible.
Illustration Guide:
- Main Scene: Everyone in a long chain pulling on an absolutely gigantic turnip with elaborate roots, leaves, and soil explosion as it comes free
- Characters: Our four friends in the chain, connected to a farmer, grandma, grandchild, dog, cat, and mouse at the end
- Background Details:
- Massive turnip (as big as a house) with detailed root system visible
- Garden showing the journey: other giant vegetables already harvested through teamwork
- Each puller's footprints showing them slipping but holding on
- Village gathering for a celebration in background (tables being set)
- The chain including people from all the previous alphabet letters coming to help
- Flying soil with worms, beetles, and seeds
- Rope connecting everyone with knots that show different cultures' knot-tying methods
- Shadows on ground showing the progression of the pull
- Sweat drops, effort lines, and determined faces
- Details for Coloring:
- Turnip texture with growth rings, root hairs, and dirt clumps
- Each character's unique straining expression
- Footprints in different shoe types
- Rope texture with fiber details
- Soil particles and underground ecosystem
- Leaf veins on the giant turnip greens
- Background vegetables with patterns (striped watermelons, spotted squash)
O is for OPEN-MINDEDNESS
Story: The Blind Men and the Elephant
Based on the Indian parable, our friends help different people understand that truth has many perspectives.
Illustration Guide:
- Main Scene: A wise, gentle elephant in the center with six people touching different parts (trunk, tusk, ear, leg, side, tail), each seeing their piece, with our four friends helping them put together a complete picture
- Characters: Friends holding up a large canvas where they're drawing/mapping the whole elephant as each person describes their part
- Background Details:
- Thought bubbles over each person showing what they think they're touching (snake, spear, fan, tree, wall, rope)
- The complete elephant visible to viewers (and birds' eye view from above)
- Puzzle pieces floating in air, coming together to form the truth
- Multiple mirrors at different angles showing different views
- A giant canvas that our friends are completing with everyone's input
- Other animals watching and nodding wisely
- Path showing where each person walked up from (different directions)
- Books scattered around with pages showing partial truths vs. whole truth
- Details for Coloring:
- Elephant skin with realistic texture and wrinkles
- Each person's clothing representing different cultures
- Thought bubble images in detail (snake scales, tree bark, etc.)
- Puzzle pieces with unique edge shapes
- Canvas showing a beautiful combined drawing
- Multiple perspectives visible in mirrors
- Books with different illustration styles on pages
P is for PATIENCE
Story: The Tortoise and the Hare's Rematch
Based on Aesop's fable, our friends learn that slow and steady builds lasting friendships.
Illustration Guide:
- Main Scene: Tortoise and hare running together this time (not racing), with hare going ahead then coming back to walk with tortoise, our friends cheering them both on
- Characters: Friends holding a banner that says "Together to the Finish" instead of "Finish Line"
- Background Details:
- Course showing the original race scene in faded form (hare sleeping under tree, etc.)
- This time: hare bringing water to tortoise, tortoise teaching hare about plants along the way
- Other animals racing past them, missing the beauty of the journey
- Flowers blooming in tortoise's slow footsteps (showing that patience brings growth)
- Hare's family and tortoise's family meeting and picnicking together at various rest stops
- Sundial showing passage of time peacefully
- Path with interesting side adventures they have time to explore together
- Original trophy being melted down to make two friendship medals
- Details for Coloring:
- Tortoise shell with intricate hexagonal patterns, each unique
- Hare's fur with directional detail
- Flower varieties along the path
- Faded race scene with ghostly effect
- Picnic details (different foods, blanket patterns)
- Sundial with Roman numerals and shadow
- Medal designs showing both animals together
- Side adventures (exploring caves, watching butterflies)
Q is for QUEST for Understanding
Story: The Tower of Questions
Inspired by various wisdom tales, our friends learn that asking questions builds bridges of understanding.
Illustration Guide:
- Main Scene: A fantastical tower made entirely of question marks of all sizes, with our friends climbing it, meeting different wise people at each level who teach them something new
- Characters: Friends at different heights on the tower, each engaged with a different wise teacher
- Background Details:
- Each level of the tower themed to different types of knowledge (science, art, history, nature, emotions, culture)
- Question marks forming windows, doors, and stairs
- Answer keys floating like butterflies from level to level
- Books with question marks on spines lining the tower walls
- Wise teachers from all cultures and all ages (elder, youth, adult, child)
- Base of tower showing small questions that grew into big understanding
- Sky showing constellation questions connecting into knowledge patterns
- Bridges connecting to other towers (representing different fields of knowledge)
- More questions sprouting at the top (showing learning never ends)
- Details for Coloring:
- Question marks in various artistic styles and fonts
- Each level with distinct thematic elements (science: beakers and atoms, art: palettes and brushes, etc.)
- Teacher details showing cultural wisdom traditions
- Flying answer-butterflies with elaborate wings
- Book spines with detailed titles
- Constellation patterns in the sky
- Bridge architecture connecting towers
R is for RESPONSIBILITY
Story: The Boy Who Cried Wolf Learns Better
Based on Aesop's fable, our friends help the shepherd boy rebuild trust through consistent responsible actions.
Illustration Guide:
- Main Scene: The shepherd boy with our four friends, tending sheep responsibly, with villagers gradually coming closer to trust again, while a real wolf watches from afar, respecting the strong guardian circle
- Characters: Boy looking determined and caring, friends helping him, villagers at various distances (some close, some still cautious)
- Background Details:
- Calendar showing days of consistent care marked with gold stars
- Sheepfold being repaired and strengthened by the group
- Warning system being built properly (bell tower, signal flags, communication network)
- Healthy, well-cared-for sheep with flower garlands (showing good shepherding)
- Journal where boy records daily activities honestly
- Other children learning responsibility through his example
- Former cry points shown with small memorial flowers (acknowledging past mistakes)
- Village timeline showing trust being rebuilt step by step
- The wolf in the distance looking disappointed but moving away peacefully
- Details for Coloring:
- Calendar with detailed daily entries
- Sheep with individual wool textures and faces
- Bell tower with ornate details
- Journal pages with visible writing and sketches
- Sheepfold wood grain and repair patches
- Village buildings at various distances
- Wolf with realistic fur, looking more defeated than threatening
- Flowers at memorial points, different species
S is for SHARING
Story: The Magic Porridge Pot Feeds Everyone
Based on the Brothers Grimm tale, our friends learn that sharing multiplies rather than divides.
Illustration Guide:
- Main Scene: The magical pot bubbling with endless porridge in the village center, with our friends and villagers sharing bowls with everyone, including strangers and even the old woman who gave away the pot
- Characters: Friends ladling porridge into bowls of all sizes for people and animals
- Background Details:
- Long tables extending in all directions, people from everywhere eating together
- The pot's overflow creating a river of porridge that waters and feeds the land (growing into porridge trees)
- People teaching others the magic words to stop and start the pot responsibly
- Empty bowls coming from one side, filled bowls going out the other
- Recipe scrolls hanging in air showing how everyone shares their own special additions (fruits, nuts, honey)
- The original poor girl and her mother at the head table, honored for their initial sharing
- Travelers arriving from far away, being welcomed
- Seeds being planted from the magic porridge (representing how sharing creates growth)
- Details for Coloring:
- Pot with elaborate decorative patterns and steam shapes
- Various bowl designs from different cultures
- Porridge with different add-ins visible (berries, swirls of honey, nuts)
- Long tables with different wood grains
- Crowd with many different ages and backgrounds
- Porridge river with creative flow patterns
- Growing "porridge trees" with magical fruit
- Recipe scrolls with decorated borders
T is for TEAMWORK
Story: The Bremen Town Musicians
Based on the Brothers Grimm tale, our friends meet four animals who learn that together they're stronger.
Illustration Guide:
- Main Scene: The donkey, dog, cat, and rooster stacked on each other's backs, making their famous "monster" silhouette in a window, frightening robbers away, with our four friends helping stage the scene
- Characters: Friends directing the animals like a theatrical production, measuring heights, adjusting positions
- Background Details:
- Inside cottage: scared robbers dropping their stolen gold and food in panic
- Outside: the stacked animals with friends using pulleys and teamwork to help
- Split scene showing what robbers see (scary monster shadow) vs. what's really happening (cooperation)
- Other forest animals contributing (owl providing lighting, beaver building platform, etc.)
- The journey path from where each animal came, showing they were all rejected individually
- New home being prepared for all of them together with rooms for each
- Musical instruments for each animal being unpacked
- Celebration banner: "Stronger Together"
- Details for Coloring:
- Each animal with detailed features (donkey's fur, dog's spots, cat's stripes, rooster's feathers)
- Scary shadow vs. cute reality contrast
- Cottage interior with robber treasure and scared expressions
- Mechanical helps (pulleys, platforms) with rope and wood details
- Journey markers showing where each came from
- Musical instruments with proper details
- Forest helper animals with unique characteristics
U is for UNITY
Story: The Bundle of Sticks
Based on Aesop's fable with our friends' twist, showing that united we're unbreakable.
Illustration Guide:
- Main Scene: Our four friends and many others forming a human "bundle," arms linked, standing strong against a storm, while individual sticks blow away in the wind nearby as a lesson
- Characters: Children and adults of all kinds linked arm-in-arm in concentric circles
- Background Details:
- Storm with dramatic winds (visible as swirling lines and leaves)
- Demonstration area showing one stick easily breaking vs. bundle that can't break
- Each person's unique strength shown in a small icon above their head (music note, book, hammer, heart, etc.)
- Roots growing from their feet connecting underground in a network
- Rainbow forming as the storm passes over their united strength
- Individual items being blown away (representing going it alone)
- Strong center showing where they're all connected
- Previous alphabet characters joining the circle
- Banner made of linked hands spelling "UNITY"
- Details for Coloring:
- Each person's unique clothing and features
- Wind effects with varied line weights
- Individual sticks with wood grain and break patterns
- Bundle of sticks with rope binding showing various knots
- Underground root system interconnecting
- Icons representing different strengths
- Storm clouds with different density patterns
- Rainbow with full spectrum
V is for VOICE
Story: The Little Red Hen Speaks Up
Based on the folk tale, our friends help the hen learn to express needs clearly while teaching others to listen.
Illustration Guide:
- Main Scene: The little red hen standing on a speaking stone with a voice amplifier made of flower petals, with all the farm animals now eagerly participating in baking bread together after learning to communicate better
- Characters: Our friends facilitating a farm meeting, hen speaking, others finally listening actively
- Background Details:
- Timeline showing the hen's journey: asking alone, being ignored, speaking up, being heard
- Wheat field where everyone NOW plants together
- Mill where everyone NOW grinds together
- Oven where everyone NOW bakes together
- Table set for everyone to share the bread fairly
- Speech bubbles showing good communication (clear requests, active listening, willing responses)
- Megaphone made of natural materials (flowers, leaves)
- Other animals with their own speaking stones being placed
- Sign-up sheets for tasks, fairly distributed
- Details for Coloring:
- Little hen with detailed feather patterns
- Wheat stalks with individual grain details
- Stone platform with carved speaking symbols
- Natural megaphone with petal layers
- Speech bubbles with decorative borders
- Each animal with attentive listening postures
- Timeline illustrations showing change
- Bread with cross-hatched crust detail
- Table settings with various utensils
W is for WELCOME
Story: The Selfish Giant's Garden Opens
Based on Oscar Wilde's tale, our friends help the giant realize that joy multiplies when shared.
Illustration Guide:
- Main Scene: The giant kneeling down at the now-open garden gate, welcoming children of all kinds, with the garden bursting into bloom as they enter, while our four friends help knock down the wall
- Characters: Giant smiling gently (tears of joy on cheeks), friends wielding flower-covered hammers on the wall, children streaming in
- Background Details:
- Split scene: left side showing previous winter/closed garden, right showing spring/open garden
- Wall with "KEEP OUT" signs being transformed into "WELCOME" signs with flowers growing over them
- Each child bringing something to plant (representing diversity adding to beauty)
- Previously blank garden now having play areas, resting spots, reading nooks
- Seasons returning to the garden (spring, summer, autumn corners all visible)
- The special tree where the giant met the small child blooming brightest
- Other giants peeking over from their gardens, inspired to open theirs
- Gate being decorated with welcome messages in many languages
- Details for Coloring:
- Giant's kind facial features, showing transformation from grumpy to joyful
- Wall texture changing from harsh stone to flower-covered welcome
- Extreme detail in garden flora (roses, tulips, trees, bushes, grass)
- Each child's unique outfit and carried plant
- Four seasons represented in different garden sections
- Contrast between barren winter trees and blooming spring trees
- Children's shadows showing them playing and dancing
X is for XTRA EFFORT (The Extra Mile)
Story: The Good Samaritan Goes Beyond
Based on the biblical parable reimagined, our friends learn that true community means helping even when it's inconvenient.
Illustration Guide:
- Main Scene: A traveler who fell and needs help on a road, with our four friends and a helpful stranger carrying them together toward an inn, while others who passed by earlier are shown in the background continuing on their way
- Characters: Friends and the good helper carrying the injured person on a makeshift stretcher, sweating but determined
- Background Details:
- Road showing footprints of those who passed by without stopping
- The journey markers showing: finding the person, bandaging wounds, making stretcher, carrying together
- Inn in distance with welcoming light in windows
- Friends' original destination visible in opposite direction (showing sacrifice)
- Backpacks and belongings set down to help (showing priority shift)
- Small animals helping too (bird bringing water leaves, rabbit finding healing herbs)
- Milestone markers showing "1 More Mile," "2 More Miles" (extra effort)
- Care supplies being shared (bandages, water, food)
- Sun setting (showing they've given their whole day)
- Other travelers in background beginning to turn back to help too (inspiration spreading)
- Details for Coloring:
- Injured traveler's grateful expression
- Stretcher made from branches and cloaks (improvised with care)
- Sweat drops and effort lines showing hard work
- Footprints in dust showing different depths and directions
- Healing herbs with botanical detail
- Inn architecture with warm, inviting features
- Abandoned belongings showing sacrifice made
- Sunset sky with gradient opportunities
- Each helper's strained but willing expression
Y is for YES! (Enthusiasm and Encouragement)
Story: The Little Engine That Could—We Think You Can!
Based on the classic tale, our friends become the cheering section that helps others believe in themselves.
Illustration Guide:
- Main Scene: A small, brave train climbing an impossible-looking mountain, with our four friends and many others lining the tracks with encouraging signs, cheering, and even pushing from behind
- Characters: Friends holding signs reading "You Can Do It!", "We Believe in You!", "Almost There!", "You're Stronger Than You Think!"
- Background Details:
- Mountain so steep it seems vertical, with the track zigging and zagging up
- Train cars full of toys and food for children on the other side (showing important mission)
- Bigger, shinier trains at the bottom who said "no" looking ashamed
- Cheerleaders at different heights up the mountain (showing sustained support)
- Encouraging messages written in steam from the engine
- Other small engines at the bottom getting ready to try (inspired by example)
- Celebration party being prepared at the summit
- The train's face showing determination growing with each "I think I can!"
- Flowers blooming along the track where the train passes (leaving beauty behind)
- Animals running alongside, contributing their own cheers
- Progress markers showing each successful stage
- Details for Coloring:
- Train with detailed mechanical parts (wheels, gears, steam pipes)
- Each train car with different toy silhouettes visible through windows
- Mountain texture (rocks, cliff faces, sparse vegetation)
- Track details (wooden slats, metal rails, bolts)
- Each encouragement sign with unique decorative borders
- Steam patterns with varying thickness and swirls
- Cheerleaders with pompoms, flags, and megaphones
- Facial expressions showing belief and support
- Summit decorations (banners, balloons, streamers)
Z is for ZEAL (Passion for Making a Difference)
Story: The Star Thrower Inspires a Movement
Our final tale brings together all the letters, showing how passion for helping others creates ripples that change the world.
Illustration Guide:
- Main Scene: Our four friends now grown (shown in a time-lapse style), each leading their own group of helpers in different parts of the world, all connected by a golden thread that weaves through every scene, with the alphabet characters from previous pages joining in various ways
- Characters:
- Amara leading a community garden project in a village
- Kai organizing an ocean cleanup with volunteers
- Yuki creating a welcome center for new families
- Diego running a story-sharing circle for elders and youth
- Background Details:
- Circular composition showing all four projects happening simultaneously
- Golden thread connecting all the scenes and every helper
- Flashback ghosted images of their younger selves from Letter A
- Each previous alphabet lesson represented somewhere in the scene:
- A-Acceptance: Rainbow banner
- B-Belonging: Welcome signs
- C-Compassion: Helping hands
- D-Diversity: People of all kinds
- E-Empathy: People listening to each other
- F-Forgiveness: Broken chains mended
- G-Generosity: Sharing tables
- H-Honesty: Clear communication
- I-Inclusion: Circle with no one outside
- J-Justice: Fair scales
- K-Kindness: Acts of service
- L-Listening: Ear symbols
- M-Mentorship: Teaching moments
- N-Neighborliness: Connected community
- O-Open-mindedness: Open doors/windows
- P-Patience: Growing plants
- Q-Quest: Question marks becoming exclamation points
- R-Responsibility: Task completion
- S-Sharing: Communal resources
- T-Teamwork: Linked hands
- U-Unity: Bundled strength
- V-Voice: Speaking platforms
- W-Welcome: Open gates
- X-Xtra Effort: Going beyond
- Y-Yes: Encouraging signs
- Center of composition: Tree of Ubuntu and Ohana with roots spelling "I AM BECAUSE WE ARE" and branches spelling "NOBODY GETS LEFT BEHIND"
- New young children (next generation) watching and learning
- Globe showing ripple effects spreading worldwide
- Stars in sky, each labeled with a virtue from the alphabet
- Sunrise representing new beginnings and continuous effort
- Details for Coloring:
- Each of the four scenes with full environmental detail
- Golden thread with sparkle effects
- Time-lapse aging shown subtly in characters
- Tree with incredibly detailed root system and branches
- Each alphabet callback with miniature version of its original scene
- Globe with continents and tiny versions of the four projects appearing everywhere
- Stars with unique constellation patterns spelling virtue words
- Facial expressions showing passion, joy, and purpose
- Next generation children with wonder in their eyes
- Sunrise with dramatic ray patterns
- Background showing the journey from A to Z in a border design
Conclusion Page: Your Turn to Write the Story
Final Illustration Guide:
- Main Scene: A blank book with decorative border, held open by our four friends (now back to their child forms), with the reader's space to draw their own Ubuntu and Ohana story
- Characters: The four friends pointing at the blank pages, inviting participation
- Background Details:
- Previous alphabet pages floating around like memories
- Path leading from the book into the reader's own world
- Mirror showing the reader as the next character in the story
- Seeds scattered around (representing potential)
- Footprints leading toward the book (showing it's time to step in)
- Tools for building community scattered around: helping hands, listening ears, sharing hearts, welcoming smiles
- Message in decorative script: "Every great community story starts with someone like YOU"
- Small versions of all the storybook characters waving goodbye and hello simultaneously
- Rainbow bridge from the book to the real world
- Details for Coloring:
- Ornate book border with all 26 letters hidden in the design
- Each floating page showing a glimpse of its letter
- Mirror frame with encouraging words
- Various seeds (acorns, dandelions, etc.) with botanical accuracy
- Footprints in different shoe types (representing all who came before)
- Tool details (realistic hands, ears with detail, anatomical hearts with decorative elements)
Activity Pages
Ubuntu and Ohana Pledge
Decorative certificate with spaces for child's name and signature
"I pledge to remember that I am because we are, and that nobody gets left behind. I will use my unique gifts to build community, practice the ABCs of Ubuntu and Ohana, and help others discover their place in our shared story."
Illustration: Border design incorporating all 26 alphabet symbols
Community Building Activities
- Acceptance Art: Draw someone different from you doing something they love
- Belonging Map: Create a map of your community showing where everyone is welcome
- Compassion Calendar: Plan one kind act for each day of the month
- Diversity Celebration: Design a festival poster celebrating different cultures
- Empathy Exercise: Draw how you think someone else might be feeling
- And more for each letter...
Discussion Questions for Educators and Families
Each letter includes 3-5 age-appropriate discussion questions
Example for Letter A (Acceptance):
- What makes you special and different?
- How do differences make our community more beautiful?
- When has someone accepted you for who you are?
Coloring Tips
- Use different patterns (stripes, dots, swirls) to add dimension
- Create your own color schemes—there's no wrong way!
- Add backgrounds and extra details
- Share your colored pages with friends and family
About Ubuntu and Ohana
Ubuntu (oo-BOON-too) is an ancient African philosophy that means "I am because we are." It teaches us that our humanity is connected to the humanity of others. When one person suffers, we all suffer. When one person thrives, we all benefit.
Ohana (oh-HAH-nah) is a Hawaiian word meaning family, but it includes much more than just relatives. It means that families are bound together, and members must cooperate and remember one another. "Ohana means family, and family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten."
Together, these philosophies teach us that we are all connected, we all belong to each other, and we are all responsible for taking care of one another.
Dedication: To every child who will color these pages and live these values—you are the community builders of tomorrow. Your kindness, courage, and compassion will write the next chapter of our shared human story.
Credits: This book is offered freely to all K-12 students because knowledge, like kindness, grows when shared.
End of The ABCs of Ubuntu and Ohana
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