Contando animales

Name: Contando animales
Availability: InStock
Author: Zanele Buthelezi, Thembani Dladla, Clare Verbeek

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

Cover of Contando animales, a Spanish picture book

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

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Language: Spanish
Written by: Zanele Buthelezi, Thembani Dladla, Clare Verbeek
Illustrated by: Rob Owen
Translated by: Espen Stranger-Johannessen
Reading level: ages 2–8 · preschool, kindergarten to 2nd grade · Level 1 · First words
Source: Global Storybooks
Licence: CC BY 3.0
Price: Free — read online, nothing to download

About this book

Contando animales is a short illustrated picture book in Spanish by Zanele Buthelezi, Thembani Dladla, Clare Verbeek, illustrated by Rob Owen and translated by Espen Stranger-Johannessen. 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 Spanish. The book comes from Global Storybooks and is shared under an open CC BY 3.0 licence, which is why it is free to read. The same story is available in 32 other languages — handy for bilingual families and classrooms (see below).

How it begins

Un elefante va a beber agua. Dos jirafas van a beber agua. Tres búfalos y cuatro pájaros también van a beber agua. Cinco impalas y seis jabalíes están caminando hacia el agua. Siete cebras están corriendo hacia el agua. Ocho…

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

This story in other languages

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

Reading together in Spanish

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 Spanish

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

Frequently asked questions

Is “Contando animales” free to read?

Yes. “Contando animales” 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 3.0).

What language is “Contando animales” in?

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

What age is “Contando animales” for?

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

Is “Contando animales” available in other languages?

Yes — the same story is in Nigerian Pidgin, Hausa, Kiswahili, Somali, Xhosa, Afrikaans and more.

Who wrote “Contando animales”?

“Contando animales” was written by Zanele Buthelezi, Thembani Dladla, Clare Verbeek and illustrated by Rob Owen; the Spanish translation is by Espen Stranger-Johannessen.

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Credits: Contando animales — Written by Zanele Buthelezi, Thembani Dladla, Clare Verbeek; Illustrated by Rob Owen; Translated by Espen Stranger-Johannessen; Read by Áurea Vericat. Spanish, Level 1. From Global Storybooks (global-asp.github.io/storybooks-dc), originally from the African Storybook (https://africanstorybook.org/reader.php?id=9671). CC BY 3.0. · Page updated October 2026