Hennetjie en Duisendpoot

Name: Hennetjie en Duisendpoot
Availability: InStock
Author: Winny Asara

A free picture book in Afrikaans by Winny Asara

Cover of Hennetjie en Duisendpoot, a Afrikaans picture book

Hennetjie en Duisendpoot is a picture book in Afrikaans for ages 5–11 by Winny Asara that you can read free online in Pagine — no download, no cost.

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Language: Afrikaans
Written by: Winny Asara
Illustrated by: Magriet Brink
Translated by: Tanja Pouwels, Helena Vilonel
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 3.0
Price: Free — read online, nothing to download

About this book

Hennetjie en Duisendpoot is a short illustrated picture book in Afrikaans by Winny Asara, illustrated by Magriet Brink and translated by Tanja Pouwels, Helena Vilonel. 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 3.0 licence, which is why it is free to read. The same story is available in 26 other languages — handy for bilingual families and classrooms (see below).

How it begins

Hennetjie en Duisendpoot was vriende. Maar hulle het altyd teen mekaar gekompeteer. Op ‘n dag het hulle besluit om sokker te speel om te bepaal wie die beste speler is. Hulle het sokkerveld toe geloop en met hulle wedstryd begin.…

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. “Hennetjie en Duisendpoot” is also available in:

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

See all 143 free Afrikaans books by reading level → · Books in 200+ languages · 👩‍🏫 Assign this book to a class

Frequently asked questions

Is “Hennetjie en Duisendpoot” free to read?

Yes. “Hennetjie en Duisendpoot” 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 “Hennetjie en Duisendpoot” in?

It is written in Afrikaans. Pagine has 143 free children’s books in Afrikaans.

What age is “Hennetjie en Duisendpoot” for?

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

Is “Hennetjie en Duisendpoot” available in other languages?

Yes — the same story is in Somali, Zulu, Xhosa, Tswana, Sesotho, Tsonga and more.

Who wrote “Hennetjie en Duisendpoot”?

“Hennetjie en Duisendpoot” was written by Winny Asara and illustrated by Magriet Brink; the Afrikaans translation is by Tanja Pouwels, Helena Vilonel.

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Credits: Hennetjie en Duisendpoot — Written by Winny Asara; Illustrated by Magriet Brink; Translated by Tanja Pouwels, Helena Vilonel; Read by Helena Vilonel. Afrikaans, Level 3. From Global Storybooks (southafricareads.org), originally from the African Storybook (https://africanstorybook.org/reader.php?id=9094). CC BY 3.0. · Page updated October 2026