Esiku nda thiga po egumbo ndi ye koshilando

A free picture book in Oshindonga by Lesley Koyi, Ursula Nafula

Esiku nda thiga po egumbo ndi ye koshilando is a picture book in Oshindonga for ages 5–11 by Lesley Koyi, Ursula Nafula that you can read free online in Pagine — no download, no cost.

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Language

Oshindonga

Written by

Lesley Koyi, Ursula Nafula

Illustrated by

Brian Wambi

Translated by

Rachel Nandjembo

Reading level

ages 5–11 · kindergarten to 2nd grade, 3rd to 5th grade · Level 3 · First paragraphs

From

Namibia

Source

Global Storybooks

Licence

CC BY 4.0

Price

Free — read online, nothing to download

About this book

Esiku nda thiga po egumbo ndi ye koshilando is a short illustrated picture book in Oshindonga by Lesley Koyi, Ursula Nafula, illustrated by Brian Wambi and translated by Rachel Nandjembo. 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 Oshindonga. 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

Ehala lya thinana lyomathikameno goombesa olya li lyu udha aantu noombesa ndhoka dha li dhu udha dha fa ofenya. Pevi opwa li natango oondongelwa ndhoka dha li dha tegelelwa okulondekwa. Aalondeki oya li taa igidha nokutseyitha omahala hoka oombesa dhawo…

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. “Esiku nda thiga po egumbo ndi ye koshilando” is also available in:

• Afrikaans · Die dag toe ek van my huis weggegaan het stad toe
• 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
• 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 Oshindonga

• 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 Oshindonga

• Ongandu ya sa ondjala
• Okuteleka
• Tom omulandithi gwomambanana
• Oshikombo, ombwa nongombe
• Nozibele noondali ndatu dhomafufu
• Ondi hole okulesha!
• Omafufu
• Olutu lwandje

See all 40 free Oshindonga books by reading level → · Books in 200+ languages · 👩‍🏫 Assign this book to a class

Frequently asked questions

Is “Esiku nda thiga po egumbo ndi ye koshilando” free to read?

Yes. “Esiku nda thiga po egumbo ndi ye koshilando” 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 “Esiku nda thiga po egumbo ndi ye koshilando” in?

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

What age is “Esiku nda thiga po egumbo ndi ye koshilando” for?

It is best for ages 5–11 (Level 3 · First paragraphs). Younger children can enjoy it read aloud.

Is “Esiku nda thiga po egumbo ndi ye koshilando” available in other languages?

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

Who wrote “Esiku nda thiga po egumbo ndi ye koshilando”?

“Esiku nda thiga po egumbo ndi ye koshilando” was written by Lesley Koyi, Ursula Nafula and illustrated by Brian Wambi; the Oshindonga translation is by Rachel Nandjembo.

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Credits: Esiku nda thiga po egumbo ndi ye koshilando — Written by Lesley Koyi, Ursula Nafula; Illustrated by Brian Wambi; Translated by Rachel Nandjembo; Read by Rachel Nandjembo. Oshindonga, Level 3. From Global Storybooks (storybooksnamibia.net), originally from the African Storybook (https://africanstorybook.org/reader.php?id=15029). CC BY 4.0. · Page updated October 2026