PagineDie dag toe ek van my huis weggegaan het stad toe
A free picture book in Afrikaans by Lesley Koyi, Ursula Nafula
Die dag toe ek van my huis weggegaan het stad toe is a picture book in Afrikaans for ages 5–11 by Lesley Koyi, Ursula Nafula that you can read free online in Pagine — no download, no cost.
📖 Read it free →- Language
- Afrikaans
- Written by
- Lesley Koyi, Ursula Nafula
- Illustrated by
- Brian Wambi
- Translated by
- Willemien Wannberg
- Reading level
- ages 5–11 · kindergarten to 2nd grade, 3rd to 5th grade · Level 3 · First paragraphs
- From
- South Africa, Namibia
- Source
- Global Storybooks
- Licence
- CC BY 4.0
- Price
- Free — read online, nothing to download
About this book
Die dag toe ek van my huis weggegaan het stad toe is a short illustrated picture book in Afrikaans by Lesley Koyi, Ursula Nafula, illustrated by Brian Wambi and translated by Willemien Wannberg. It is written for ages 5–11 (Grades 2–3) and is graded as Level 3 · First paragraphs, so it works as a read-aloud for little ones and as practice for children learning to read in Afrikaans. The book comes from Global Storybooks and is shared under an open CC BY 4.0 licence, which is why it is free to read. The same story is available in 19 other languages — handy for bilingual families and classrooms (see below).
How it begins
Die klein bushalte in ons dorpie was bedrywig met mense en oorlaaide busse. Op die grond was nog goed wat gelaai moes word. Busbestuurders het die bestemmings geskree waarheen hul busse sou gaan. “Stad! Stad! Weste toe!” het ek ‘n…Opening lines quoted from the openly licensed book (CC BY 4.0).
This story in other languages
Reading the same story in two languages helps bilingual children connect words they already know. “Die dag toe ek van my huis weggegaan het stad toe” is also available in:
- Bemba · Ubushiku nafumine pa ŋanda ukuya ku kalaale
- English · Day I left home for the city
- English · The day I left home for the city
- Jamaican Creole · Di Die Mi Lef Mi Yaad Fi Go Toun
- Kaonde · Juuba Jonafumine Kumuzhi Kuya Kutaunyi
- Khoekhoegowab · ǁGâusa xu ta ge kaiǃās ǁga ǃgû tsēs
- Kiswahili · Siku niliyoondoka nyumbani kuelekea mjini
- Lukhonzo · Ekiro Nalw’eka ingaghenda omw’akibugha
- Lunda · Ifuku inafumini kumukala nakuya kumbaka
- Luvale · Likumbi ngwafumine hembo nakuya kumbaka
- Mauritian Creole · Zour mo’nn kit lakaz pou lavil
- Nyanja · Tsiku lamene ndinanyamukila panyumba kuyenda kumzinda
- Oshikwanyama · Efiku nda fiya po eumbo komukunda ndi ye koshilando
- Oshindonga · Esiku nda thiga po egumbo ndi ye koshilando
- Otjiherero · Eyuva ndu mba za ponganda okuyenda kotjihuro
- Somali · Maalintii aan ka tagay guriga een magalada aaday
- Spanish · El día que dejé mi casa para irme a la ciudad
- Tonga · Buzuba Mbwindakaunka Kudolopo
- Tswana · Letsatsi je ke duleng mo gae ka ya toropong
Reading together in Afrikaans
- 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 Afrikaans
Mali se maat
Mamma Bok se Huis
Hoe gaan ons die koekies bykom?
Rafiki se Styl
Kom Terug, Kat!
Eier
Nangila se Dapperheid
Hoender En Duisendpoot
See all 143 free Afrikaans books by reading level → · Books in 200+ languages · 👩🏫 Assign this book to a class
Frequently asked questions
Is “Die dag toe ek van my huis weggegaan het stad toe” free to read?
Yes. “Die dag toe ek van my huis weggegaan het stad toe” 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 4.0).
What language is “Die dag toe ek van my huis weggegaan het stad toe” in?
It is written in Afrikaans. Pagine has 143 free children’s books in Afrikaans.
What age is “Die dag toe ek van my huis weggegaan het stad toe” for?
It is best for ages 5–11 (Level 3 · First paragraphs). Younger children can enjoy it read aloud.
Is “Die dag toe ek van my huis weggegaan het stad toe” available in other languages?
Yes — the same story is in English, English, Kiswahili, Somali, Tswana, Lukhonzo and more.
Who wrote “Die dag toe ek van my huis weggegaan het stad toe”?
“Die dag toe ek van my huis weggegaan het stad toe” was written by Lesley Koyi, Ursula Nafula and illustrated by Brian Wambi; the Afrikaans translation is by Willemien Wannberg.
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Get the free app →Credits: Die dag toe ek van my huis weggegaan het stad toe — Written by Lesley Koyi, Ursula Nafula; Illustrated by Brian Wambi; Translated by Willemien Wannberg; Read by Willemien Wannberg. Afrikaans, Level 3. From Global Storybooks (southafricareads.org), originally from the African Storybook (https://africanstorybook.org/reader.php?id=15029). CC BY 4.0. · Page updated October 2026