El pelo

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

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

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Language: Spanish
Written by: Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi
Illustrated by: Bronwen Heath, Ingrid Schechter
Translated by: Karina Vásquez
Reading level: ages 2–8 · preschool, kindergarten to 2nd grade · Level 1 · First words
Source: Global Storybooks
Licence: CC BY-NC 3.0
Price: Free — read online, nothing to download

About this book

El pelo is a short illustrated picture book in Spanish by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi, illustrated by Bronwen Heath, Ingrid Schechter and translated by Karina Vásquez. 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-NC 3.0 licence, which is why it is free to read. The same story is available in 34 other languages — handy for bilingual families and classrooms (see below).

How it begins

Thuli tiene el pelo corto. Anna tiene el pelo largo. Cathy es la que tiene el pelo más largo. Zama se ha trenzado el pelo. Baba tiene barba. Zanele se ha peinado el pelo. Thabo se ha cortado el pelo.…

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

This story in other languages

Reading the same story in two languages helps bilingual children connect words they already know. “El pelo” 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 “El pelo” free to read?

Yes. “El pelo” 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-NC 3.0).

What language is “El pelo” in?

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

What age is “El pelo” for?

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

Is “El pelo” available in other languages?

Yes — the same story is in English, Kiswahili, Kikamba, Kimaasai, Turkana, Somali and more.

Who wrote “El pelo”?

“El pelo” was written by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi and illustrated by Bronwen Heath, Ingrid Schechter; the Spanish translation is by Karina Vásquez.

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Credits: El pelo — Written by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi; Illustrated by Bronwen Heath, Ingrid Schechter; Translated by Karina Vásquez; 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=1746). CC BY-NC 3.0. · Page updated October 2026