Cona wanga ali kuti?

Name: Cona wanga ali kuti?
Availability: InStock
Author: Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi

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

Cover of Cona wanga ali kuti?, a Nyanja picture book

Cona wanga ali kuti? is a picture book in Nyanja for ages 2–8 by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi that you can read free online in Pagine — no download, no cost.

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

About this book

Cona wanga ali kuti? is a short illustrated picture book in Nyanja by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi, illustrated by Bronwen Heath, Ingrid Schechter and translated by Sitwe Benson Mkandawire. 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 Nyanja. 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

Kodi ali pansi pa bedi? Kodi ali pamwamba pa kabati? Kodi ali kumbuyo kwa mpando? Kodi ali pafupi ndi motaila zinyalala? Kodi ali mkati mwa nswanda? Kodi ali pabwalo pa nyumba? Uyu ali apa! Cona wanga ali kuti? — Written…

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. “Cona wanga ali kuti?” is also available in:

Reading together in Nyanja

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 Nyanja

See all 105 free Nyanja books by reading level → · Books in 200+ languages · 👩‍🏫 Assign this book to a class

Frequently asked questions

Is “Cona wanga ali kuti?” free to read?

Yes. “Cona wanga ali kuti?” 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 “Cona wanga ali kuti?” in?

It is written in Nyanja. Pagine has 105 free children’s books in Nyanja.

What age is “Cona wanga ali kuti?” for?

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

Is “Cona wanga ali kuti?” available in other languages?

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

Who wrote “Cona wanga ali kuti?”?

“Cona wanga ali kuti?” was written by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi and illustrated by Bronwen Heath, Ingrid Schechter; the Nyanja translation is by Sitwe Benson Mkandawire.

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Credits: Cona wanga ali kuti? — Written by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi; Illustrated by Bronwen Heath, Ingrid Schechter; Translated by Sitwe Benson Mkandawire; Read by Christine Mwanza. Nyanja, Level 1. From Global Storybooks (storybookszambia.net), originally from the African Storybook (https://africanstorybook.org/reader.php?id=1825). CC BY-NC 3.0. · Page updated October 2026