Álụ́ ma ꞌbã á dríp ̣ ị ĩmbírá ŋá ũ vú rĩ
A free picture book in Aringati by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi

Álụ́ ma ꞌbã á dríp ̣ ị ĩmbírá ŋá ũ vú rĩ is a picture book in Aringati 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
- Aringati
- Written by
- Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi
- Illustrated by
- Mlungisi Dlamini, Ingrid Schechter
- Translated by
- Delu Barnabas
- Reading level
- ages 2–8 · preschool, kindergarten to 2nd grade · Level 1 · First words
- From
- Uganda
- Source
- Global Storybooks
- Licence
- CC BY-NC 3.0
- Price
- Free — read online, nothing to download
About this book
Álụ́ ma ꞌbã á dríp ̣ ị ĩmbírá ŋá ũ vú rĩ is a short illustrated picture book in Aringati by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi, illustrated by Mlungisi Dlamini, Ingrid Schechter and translated by Delu Barnabas. 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 Aringati. 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
Ma angá ụ̃ ꞌbụ́ ti ̣ ã ci ́ ũ dũ lé . Ma iyi ̣̃ ̣́ ꞌbã aꞌdi ́lé ã ci ́ dri ̣̃ gá . Ma ijijá asi. Ma ã ko aꞌdi ́lé pi ú mvú agá ri…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. “Álụ́ ma ꞌbã á dríp ̣ ị ĩmbírá ŋá ũ vú rĩ” is also available in:
- Afrikaans · Lui klein boetie
- Bemba · Kandume yandi akanaŋani
- English · Lazy little brother (Colour-in)
- Jamaican Creole · Liezi likl breda
- Kaonde · Nkasami Wamulume Nkope
- Khoekhoegowab · ǀOpesa ǂkhari ǃgâsarob
- Kichaga · Maneru namroko
- Kikamba · Kamwanayia kaanu
- Kimaasai · Olotí aláshe túrúáí
- Kisukuma · Nzunaone ngokolo.
- Kiswahili · Mdogo wangu mvivu
- Lubukusu · Wandayase omutiti omukara
- Luganda · Muto wange munafu
- Lugbarati (official orthography) · Ma adrigaaovuoruri
- Lukhonzo · Mughala Wethu Omughatha
- Lumasaaba · Waandaaye umukyeekhe umutoro
- Lunda · Mwanyikami wamunyanya wakatala
- Lunyole · Muto yange omudoto
- Lusoga · Lwaki nkola zenka?
- Luvale · Songoyami walunga wauvwa
- Mauritian Creole · Enn ti frer pares
- Nyanja · Mphwanga Waulesi
- Oshikwanyama · Okamwameme mati okananyalo
- Oshindonga · Okamwamememati okananyalo
- Otjiherero · Okangu kotjirweyo
- Sesotho · Abuti ya monyenyane ya botswa
- Somali · Walal yar oo caajislow ah
- Spanish · El hermanito perezoso
- Tonga · Kasyoonto Kangu kasankwa Katolo
- Tswana · Kgantsadiake yo monnye wa sekopa
- Turkana · Lokaito Loochi Lokalany
- Xhosa · Umnakwethu Omncinci Olivila
- Zulu · Ubhuti omncane ovilaphayo
Reading together in Aringati
- 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 Aringati
Ágóbí ázó mbílíkó rĩ
Mâ bú rã ŋâ íngõ lé ?
Aꞌdíŋá
̃ ĩnũ wé lẽ Drĩꞌ̣ bị́ Iz
Ujaku ꞌbã bõ ngó sụ̃ kụ́ lụ̃ drị̂ kî
Cã ndíru ꞌbã íj̣ ọ́ ĩtrĩkã ŋá
Ãlíríkí ꞌi ã zíla drĩꞌ̣ bị́ na kî
Áũ kí Yúkú be
See all 9 free Aringati books by reading level → · Books in 200+ languages · 👩🏫 Assign this book to a class
Frequently asked questions
Is “Álụ́ ma ꞌbã á dríp ̣ ị ĩmbírá ŋá ũ vú rĩ” free to read?
Yes. “Álụ́ ma ꞌbã á dríp ̣ ị ĩmbírá ŋá ũ vú rĩ” 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 “Álụ́ ma ꞌbã á dríp ̣ ị ĩmbírá ŋá ũ vú rĩ” in?
It is written in Aringati. Pagine has 9 free children’s books in Aringati.
What age is “Álụ́ ma ꞌbã á dríp ̣ ị ĩmbírá ŋá ũ vú rĩ” for?
It is best for ages 2–8 (Level 1 · First words). Younger children can enjoy it read aloud.
Is “Álụ́ ma ꞌbã á dríp ̣ ị ĩmbírá ŋá ũ vú rĩ” available in other languages?
Yes — the same story is in English, Kiswahili, Kikamba, Kimaasai, Turkana, Somali and more.
Who wrote “Álụ́ ma ꞌbã á dríp ̣ ị ĩmbírá ŋá ũ vú rĩ”?
“Álụ́ ma ꞌbã á dríp ̣ ị ĩmbírá ŋá ũ vú rĩ” was written by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi and illustrated by Mlungisi Dlamini, Ingrid Schechter; the Aringati translation is by Delu Barnabas.
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Get the free app →Credits: Álụ́ ma ꞌbã á dríp ̣ ị ĩmbírá ŋá ũ vú rĩ — Written by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi; Illustrated by Mlungisi Dlamini, Ingrid Schechter; Translated by Delu Barnabas. Aringati, Level 1. From Global Storybooks (global-asp.github.io/storybooks-uganda), originally from the African Storybook (https://africanstorybook.org/reader.php?id=2896). CC BY-NC 3.0. · Page updated October 2026