Dipanana tsa ga mmemogolo

A free picture book in Tswana by Ursula Nafula

Dipanana tsa ga mmemogolo is a picture book in Tswana for ages 8–11 by Ursula Nafula that you can read free online in Pagine — no download, no cost.

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Language

Tswana

Written by

Ursula Nafula

Illustrated by

Catherine Groenewald

Translated by

Domitilla Naledi Madi

Reading level

ages 8–11 · 3rd to 5th grade · Level 4 · Longer paragraphs

From

South Africa, Namibia

Source

Global Storybooks

Licence

CC BY 3.0

Price

Free — read online, nothing to download

About this book

Dipanana tsa ga mmemogolo is a short illustrated picture book in Tswana by Ursula Nafula, illustrated by Catherine Groenewald and translated by Domitilla Naledi Madi. It is written for ages 8–11 (Grades 3–4) and is graded as Level 4 · Longer paragraphs, so it works as a read-aloud for little ones and as practice for children learning to read in Tswana. 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 18 other languages — handy for bilingual families and classrooms (see below).

How it begins

Tshimo ya ga mmemogolo e ne e le ntle tota, e tletse mabele,photso ya mabele, le makwele. Mme mo go tse tsotlhe tse di botlhokwa thata e ne e le dipanana. Le fa Mmemogolo a na le ditlogolo tse dintsi,…

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. “Dipanana tsa ga mmemogolo” is also available in:

• Afrikaans · Ouma se piesangs
• Bemba · Inkonde shaba maama
• EkeGusii · Amatoke A’baba
• Jamaican Creole · Granmaa banaana dem
• Kaonde · Makonde aba Nkambo
• Kikamba · Maiũ ma Sũsũ
• Kimaasai · Ilmaisurîn le kokoô
• Kiswahili · Ndizi za bibi
• Lugbarati (official orthography) · Dede vile A’bua ri
• Lukhonzo · Ameeru A’mukaka
• Lumasaaba · Kamarofu ka Kuukhu
• Lunda · Makondi aNkanka
• Luvale · Makonde akhaka
• Mauritian Creole · Banann granmer
• Nyanja · Nthochi za Agogo
• Somali · Mooskii ayeeyo
• Spanish · Los plátanos de mi abuela
• Tonga · Mabbanana Aabaneene

Reading together in Tswana

• 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 Tswana

• Dikatse tsa ga Selemeng
• Maikutlo
• Buka ya seemo sa bosa
• Tingi le dikgomo
• Zama o godile.
• Koko le Sebokolodi
• Magozwe
• Yo o mo magareng

See all 103 free Tswana books by reading level → · Books in 200+ languages · 👩‍🏫 Assign this book to a class

Frequently asked questions

Is “Dipanana tsa ga mmemogolo” free to read?

Yes. “Dipanana tsa ga mmemogolo” 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 “Dipanana tsa ga mmemogolo” in?

It is written in Tswana. Pagine has 103 free children’s books in Tswana.

What age is “Dipanana tsa ga mmemogolo” for?

It is best for ages 8–11 (Level 4 · Longer paragraphs). Younger children can enjoy it read aloud.

Is “Dipanana tsa ga mmemogolo” available in other languages?

Yes — the same story is in EkeGusii, Kikamba, Kimaasai, Somali, Afrikaans, Kiswahili and more.

Who wrote “Dipanana tsa ga mmemogolo”?

“Dipanana tsa ga mmemogolo” was written by Ursula Nafula and illustrated by Catherine Groenewald; the Tswana translation is by Domitilla Naledi Madi.

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Credits: Dipanana tsa ga mmemogolo — Written by Ursula Nafula; Illustrated by Catherine Groenewald; Translated by Domitilla Naledi Madi. Tswana, Level 4. From Global Storybooks (southafricareads.org), originally from the African Storybook (https://africanstorybook.org/reader.php?id=2094). CC BY 3.0. · Page updated October 2026