Aaway yaanyuurtaydii?

Name: Aaway yaanyuurtaydii?
Availability: InStock
Author: Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi

A free picture book in Somali by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi

Cover of Aaway yaanyuurtaydii?, a Somali picture book

Aaway yaanyuurtaydii? is a picture book in Somali for ages 2–8 by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi that you can read free online in Pagine — no download, no cost.

📖 Read it free →

Language: Somali
Written by: Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi
Illustrated by: Bronwen Heath, Ingrid Schechter
Translated by: Abdi Muse
Reading level: ages 2–8 · preschool, kindergarten to 2nd grade · Level 1 · First words
From: Kenya
Source: Global Storybooks
Licence: CC BY-NC 3.0
Price: Free — read online, nothing to download

About this book

Aaway yaanyuurtaydii? is a short illustrated picture book in Somali by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi, illustrated by Bronwen Heath, Ingrid Schechter and translated by Abdi Muse. It is written for ages 2–8 (Nursery–Year 1) and is graded as Level 1 · First words, so it works as a read-aloud for little ones and as practice for children learning to read in Somali. The book comes from Global Storybooks and is shared under an open CC BY-NC 3.0 licence, which is why it is free to read. The same story is available in 29 other languages — handy for bilingual families and classrooms (see below).

How it begins

Ma sariirta ayey ku hoos jirtaa? Ma armaajada ayay kor saarantahay? Ma fadhiga ayay gadaal kajirtaa? Ma weelka qashinka ayay ku xigtaa? Ma dambiisha ayay ku dhex jirtaa? Ma guriga banaankiisa ayay joogtaa? Waa tan halkan joogta! Aaway yaanyuurtaydii? —…

Opening lines quoted from the openly licensed book (CC BY-NC 3.0).

This story in other languages

Reading the same story in two languages helps bilingual children connect words they already know. “Aaway yaanyuurtaydii?” is also available in:

Reading together in Somali

Read it aloud first, pointing at the pictures; then let your child “read” the pictures back to you.
Ask open questions: what happened, how did the character feel, what would you do?
Growing up with two languages? Talk about the story in whichever language feels easiest — the understanding carries over.

More free books in Somali

See all 40 free Somali books by reading level → · Books in 200+ languages · 👩‍🏫 Assign this book to a class

Frequently asked questions

Is “Aaway yaanyuurtaydii?” free to read?

Yes. “Aaway yaanyuurtaydii?” is free to read online in Pagine on any phone, tablet or computer — no payment and nothing to download. It is openly licensed (CC BY-NC 3.0).

What language is “Aaway yaanyuurtaydii?” in?

It is written in Somali. Pagine has 40 free children’s books in Somali.

What age is “Aaway yaanyuurtaydii?” for?

It is best for ages 2–8 (Level 1 · First words). Younger children can enjoy it read aloud.

Is “Aaway yaanyuurtaydii?” available in other languages?

Yes — the same story is in English, Kiswahili, Turkana, Xhosa, Afrikaans, Sepedi and more.

Who wrote “Aaway yaanyuurtaydii?”?

“Aaway yaanyuurtaydii?” was written by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi and illustrated by Bronwen Heath, Ingrid Schechter; the Somali translation is by Abdi Muse.

Scan to get the free Pagine reading tracker app

Track reading with the free Pagine app

Log books, set goals and build a daily reading habit — free on iOS, Android and the web.

Get the free app →

Credits: Aaway yaanyuurtaydii? — Written by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi; Illustrated by Bronwen Heath, Ingrid Schechter; Translated by Abdi Muse; Read by Ibrahim Ahmed. Somali, Level 1. From Global Storybooks (global-asp.github.io/storybooks-kenya), originally from the African Storybook (https://africanstorybook.org/reader.php?id=1825). CC BY-NC 3.0. · Page updated October 2026