Dumela

A free picture book in Setswana by Jennie Marima

Dumela is a picture book in Setswana for ages 2–8 by Jennie Marima that you can read free online in Pagine — no download, no cost.

📖 Read it free →

Language

Setswana

Written by

Jennie Marima

Illustrated by

Imile Wepener

Reading level

ages 2–8 · preschool, kindergarten to 2nd grade

From

South Africa

Source

Book Dash

Licence

CC BY 4.0

Price

Free — read online, nothing to download

About this book

Dumela is a short illustrated picture book in Setswana by Jennie Marima, illustrated by Imile Wepener. It is written for ages 2–8, so it works as a read-aloud for little ones and as practice for children learning to read in Setswana. The book comes from Book Dash and is shared under an open CC BY 4.0 licence, which is why it is free to read.

How it begins

Lolo o na le ditsala tse dintsi tse di rategang. Ke Letsatsi le Ngwedi le Naledi le Nonyane gape. O tla rata go di itsise go lona. Dumela — Written by Jennie Marima; Illustrated by Imile Wepener; Designed by Rox…

Opening lines quoted from the openly licensed book (CC BY 4.0).

Reading together in Setswana

• 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 Setswana

• Ee o ka kgona!
• Keletso ya ga Graҫa
• Boa, katse!
• Ke mang a ka balang go fitlha go lesome?
• Monna yo motelele thata
• Diaparo tsa sekolo
• Mmele wame
• Khalai o bua le dimela

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

Frequently asked questions

Is “Dumela” free to read?

Yes. “Dumela” 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 “Dumela” in?

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

What age is “Dumela” for?

It is best for ages 2–8. Younger children can enjoy it read aloud.

Who wrote “Dumela”?

“Dumela” was written by Jennie Marima and illustrated by Imile Wepener.

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Credits: Dumela — Written by Jennie Marima; Illustrated by Imile Wepener; Designed by Rox Jaden Palmer; Edited by Nabeela Kalla. Setswana. Published by Book Dash (ISBN 978-1-77632-468-2). CC BY 4.0. Source: https://bookdash.org/books/dumela-3/ · Page updated October 2026