PagineJonga Phezulu!
A free picture book in Xhosa by Jen Thorpe
Jonga Phezulu! is a picture book in Xhosa for ages 2–8 by Jen Thorpe that you can read free online in Pagine — no download, no cost.
📖 Read it free →- Language
- Xhosa · isiXhosa
- Written by
- Jen Thorpe
- 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
Jonga Phezulu! is a short illustrated picture book in Xhosa by Jen Thorpe. 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 Xhosa. 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
Jonga phezulu! Kuninzi onokukubona. Jonga Phezulu! — Written by Jen Thorpe; Designed by Lauren Nel; Edited by Sarah McGregor. isiXhosa. Published by Book Dash (ISBN 978-1-77632-420-0). CC BY 4.0. Source: https://bookdash.org/books/jonga-phezulu/Opening lines quoted from the openly licensed book (CC BY 4.0).
Reading together in Xhosa
- 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 Xhosa
ULara, ubhantom otyheli
Iphupha lam edroweni
ULondi intombazana ephuphayo
Iphupha likaGraça
Igolide kaTatomkhulu
UMpungutye Qhinga wenza amaqhinga
UYapo Uhlangula Usuku
Iinwele
See all 145 free Xhosa books by reading level → · Books in 200+ languages · 👩🏫 Assign this book to a class
Frequently asked questions
Is “Jonga Phezulu!” free to read?
Yes. “Jonga Phezulu!” 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 “Jonga Phezulu!” in?
It is written in Xhosa (isiXhosa). Pagine has 145 free children’s books in Xhosa.
What age is “Jonga Phezulu!” for?
It is best for ages 2–8. Younger children can enjoy it read aloud.
Who wrote “Jonga Phezulu!”?
“Jonga Phezulu!” was written by Jen Thorpe.
Log books, set goals and build a daily reading habit — free on iOS, Android and the web.
Get the free app →Credits: Jonga Phezulu! — Written by Jen Thorpe; Designed by Lauren Nel; Edited by Sarah McGregor. isiXhosa. Published by Book Dash (ISBN 978-1-77632-420-0). CC BY 4.0. Source: https://bookdash.org/books/jonga-phezulu/ · Page updated October 2026