Abuti ya monyenyane ya botswa

Name: Abuti ya monyenyane ya botswa
Availability: InStock
Author: Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi

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

Cover of Abuti ya monyenyane ya botswa, a Sesotho picture book

Abuti ya monyenyane ya botswa is a picture book in Sesotho 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: Sesotho
Written by: Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi
Illustrated by: Mlungisi Dlamini, Ingrid Schechter
Translated by: Maria Vaz
Reading level: ages 2–8 · preschool, kindergarten to 2nd grade · Level 1 · First words
From: South Africa
Source: Global Storybooks
Licence: CC BY-NC 3.0
Price: Free — read online, nothing to download

About this book

Abuti ya monyenyane ya botswa is a short illustrated picture book in Sesotho by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi, illustrated by Mlungisi Dlamini, Ingrid Schechter and translated by Maria Vaz. 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 Sesotho. 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 33 other languages — handy for bilingual families and classrooms (see below).

How it begins

Ke a tsoha ke bese mollo. Ke bedisa metsi. Ke kapa patsi ya ho besa mollo. Ke fuduwa pitsa. Ke a fiela. Ke hlatswa dijana. Hobaneng ke sebetsa ka thata tjena… … empa abuti waka yena a bapala? Abuti ya…

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. “Abuti ya monyenyane ya botswa” is also available in:

Reading together in Sesotho

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 Sesotho

See all 125 free Sesotho books by reading level → · Books in 200+ languages · 👩‍🏫 Assign this book to a class

Frequently asked questions

Is “Abuti ya monyenyane ya botswa” free to read?

Yes. “Abuti ya monyenyane ya botswa” 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 “Abuti ya monyenyane ya botswa” in?

It is written in Sesotho. Pagine has 125 free children’s books in Sesotho.

What age is “Abuti ya monyenyane ya botswa” for?

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

Is “Abuti ya monyenyane ya botswa” available in other languages?

Yes — the same story is in English, Kiswahili, Kikamba, Kimaasai, Turkana, Somali and more.

Who wrote “Abuti ya monyenyane ya botswa”?

“Abuti ya monyenyane ya botswa” was written by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi and illustrated by Mlungisi Dlamini, Ingrid Schechter; the Sesotho translation is by Maria Vaz.

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Credits: Abuti ya monyenyane ya botswa — Written by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi; Illustrated by Mlungisi Dlamini, Ingrid Schechter; Translated by Maria Vaz. Sesotho, Level 1. From Global Storybooks (southafricareads.org), originally from the African Storybook (https://africanstorybook.org/reader.php?id=2896). CC BY-NC 3.0. · Page updated October 2026