Count animals

Name: Count animals
Availability: InStock
Author: Zanele Buthelezi, Thembani Dladla, Clare Verbeek

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

Cover of Count animals, a Nigerian Pidgin picture book

Count animals is a picture book in Nigerian Pidgin 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: Nigerian Pidgin
Written by: Zanele Buthelezi, Thembani Dladla, Clare Verbeek
Illustrated by: Rob Owen
Translated by: Anthonia Ujene
Reading level: ages 2–8 · preschool, kindergarten to 2nd grade · Level 1 · First words
From: Nigeria
Source: Global Storybooks
Licence: CC BY 3.0
Price: Free — read online, nothing to download

About this book

Count animals is a short illustrated picture book in Nigerian Pidgin by Zanele Buthelezi, Thembani Dladla, Clare Verbeek, illustrated by Rob Owen and translated by Anthonia Ujene. 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 Nigerian Pidgin. 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

One elephant dey go drink water. Two giraffes dey go drink water. Three buffaloes and four birds sef dey go drink water. Five Impales and six pigs dey waka go d water. Seven Zibras dey run go the water. Eight…

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. “Count animals” is also available in:

Reading together in Nigerian Pidgin

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 Nigerian Pidgin

See all 7 free Nigerian Pidgin books by reading level → · Books in 200+ languages · 👩‍🏫 Assign this book to a class

Frequently asked questions

Is “Count animals” free to read?

Yes. “Count animals” 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 “Count animals” in?

It is written in Nigerian Pidgin. Pagine has 7 free children’s books in Nigerian Pidgin.

What age is “Count animals” for?

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

Is “Count animals” available in other languages?

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

Who wrote “Count animals”?

“Count animals” was written by Zanele Buthelezi, Thembani Dladla, Clare Verbeek and illustrated by Rob Owen; the Nigerian Pidgin translation is by Anthonia Ujene.

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Credits: Count animals — Written by Zanele Buthelezi, Thembani Dladla, Clare Verbeek; Illustrated by Rob Owen; Translated by Anthonia Ujene. Nigerian Pidgin, Level 1. From Global Storybooks (global-asp.github.io/storybooks-nigeria), originally from the African Storybook (https://africanstorybook.org/reader.php?id=9671). CC BY 3.0. · Page updated October 2026