Ilmaisurîn le kokoô

A free picture book in Kimaasai by Ursula Nafula

Ilmaisurîn le kokoô is a picture book in Kimaasai for ages 8–11 by Ursula Nafula that you can read free online in Pagine — no download, no cost.

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Language

Kimaasai

Written by

Ursula Nafula

Illustrated by

Catherine Groenewald

Translated by

Leonard Kotikash

Reading level

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

From

Kenya, Tanzania

Source

Global Storybooks

Licence

CC BY 3.0

Price

Free — read online, nothing to download

About this book

Ilmaisurîn le kokoô is a short illustrated picture book in Kimaasai by Ursula Nafula, illustrated by Catherine Groenewald and translated by Leonard Kotikash. 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 Kimaasai. 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

Kéúno te enkúrma é kokoô indáíki kumók. Kétíi olóíkempé ó maanka. Káke óre esídáí aisúl náa ilmaisurîn. Nétií enkají e kokoô inóo inkakúyia kumók. Káke káyíólo nanú ajó kárá kirotét aláng pookí. Káaipotu oshî aké kókoô náainosáki ilomón kúmok. Káke…

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. “Ilmaisurîn le kokoô” 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
• 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
• Tswana · Dipanana tsa ga mmemogolo

Reading together in Kimaasai

• 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 Kimaasai

• Inkiláni e sukúul
• Anansi ó Eng’énó
• Káínyoo peê méáta olmákau ilpápít
• Ilpápít
• Nozibele ó ilpápít okúni
• Inkéra é emánóó
• Impukunót ó oloing’áng’e
• Aníng

See all 11 free Kimaasai books by reading level → · Books in 200+ languages · 👩‍🏫 Assign this book to a class

Frequently asked questions

Is “Ilmaisurîn le kokoô” free to read?

Yes. “Ilmaisurîn le kokoô” 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 “Ilmaisurîn le kokoô” in?

It is written in Kimaasai. Pagine has 11 free children’s books in Kimaasai.

What age is “Ilmaisurîn le kokoô” for?

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

Is “Ilmaisurîn le kokoô” available in other languages?

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

Who wrote “Ilmaisurîn le kokoô”?

“Ilmaisurîn le kokoô” was written by Ursula Nafula and illustrated by Catherine Groenewald; the Kimaasai translation is by Leonard Kotikash.

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Credits: Ilmaisurîn le kokoô — Written by Ursula Nafula; Illustrated by Catherine Groenewald; Translated by Leonard Kotikash. Kimaasai, Level 4. From Global Storybooks (global-asp.github.io/storybooks-kenya), originally from the African Storybook (https://africanstorybook.org/reader.php?id=2094). CC BY 3.0. · Page updated October 2026