Kgantsadiake yo monnye wa sekopa
A free picture book in Tswana by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi

Kgantsadiake yo monnye wa sekopa is a picture book in Tswana for ages 2–8 by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi that you can read free online in Pagine — no download, no cost.
📖 Read it free →- Language
- Tswana
- Written by
- Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi
- Illustrated by
- Mlungisi Dlamini, Ingrid Schechter
- Translated by
- Antonia Madi
- Reading level
- ages 2–8 · preschool, kindergarten to 2nd grade · Level 1 · First words
- From
- South Africa, Namibia
- Source
- Global Storybooks
- Licence
- CC BY-NC 3.0
- Price
- Free — read online, nothing to download
About this book
Kgantsadiake yo monnye wa sekopa is a short illustrated picture book in Tswana by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi, illustrated by Mlungisi Dlamini, Ingrid Schechter and translated by Antonia Madi. 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 Tswana. 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 33 other languages — handy for bilingual families and classrooms (see below).
How it begins
Ke a tsoga ke gotsa molelo. Ke tlhatlhaya metse. Ke rata dikgong tse di gotsang. Ke hudua pitsa. Ke feela boalo. Ke tlhatswa dijana. Ke ka ntlha ya eng ke dira thata jana… …fa kgantsadiake ene a tshameka? Kgantsadiake yo…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. “Kgantsadiake yo monnye wa sekopa” is also available in:
- Afrikaans · Lui klein boetie
- Aringati · Álụ́ ma ꞌbã á dríp ̣ ị ĩmbírá ŋá ũ vú rĩ
- Bemba · Kandume yandi akanaŋani
- English · Lazy little brother (Colour-in)
- Jamaican Creole · Liezi likl breda
- Kaonde · Nkasami Wamulume Nkope
- Khoekhoegowab · ǀOpesa ǂkhari ǃgâsarob
- Kichaga · Maneru namroko
- Kikamba · Kamwanayia kaanu
- Kimaasai · Olotí aláshe túrúáí
- Kisukuma · Nzunaone ngokolo.
- Kiswahili · Mdogo wangu mvivu
- Lubukusu · Wandayase omutiti omukara
- Luganda · Muto wange munafu
- Lugbarati (official orthography) · Ma adrigaaovuoruri
- Lukhonzo · Mughala Wethu Omughatha
- Lumasaaba · Waandaaye umukyeekhe umutoro
- Lunda · Mwanyikami wamunyanya wakatala
- Lunyole · Muto yange omudoto
- Lusoga · Lwaki nkola zenka?
- Luvale · Songoyami walunga wauvwa
- Mauritian Creole · Enn ti frer pares
- Nyanja · Mphwanga Waulesi
- Oshikwanyama · Okamwameme mati okananyalo
- Oshindonga · Okamwamememati okananyalo
- Otjiherero · Okangu kotjirweyo
- Sesotho · Abuti ya monyenyane ya botswa
- Somali · Walal yar oo caajislow ah
- Spanish · El hermanito perezoso
- Tonga · Kasyoonto Kangu kasankwa Katolo
- Turkana · Lokaito Loochi Lokalany
- Xhosa · Umnakwethu Omncinci Olivila
- Zulu · Ubhuti omncane ovilaphayo
Reading together in Tswana
- 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 Tswana
Yapo O Re Direla Letsatsi
Go bala diphologolo
Kwena e e ne e tshwerwe ke tlala
O dira eng?
Katlholo
Botlhale jwa ga Anansi
Se mogoloe Susi a se buileng
Leru le le Ngongoregileng
See all 103 free Tswana books by reading level → · Books in 200+ languages · 👩🏫 Assign this book to a class
Frequently asked questions
Is “Kgantsadiake yo monnye wa sekopa” free to read?
Yes. “Kgantsadiake yo monnye wa sekopa” 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 “Kgantsadiake yo monnye wa sekopa” in?
It is written in Tswana. Pagine has 103 free children’s books in Tswana.
What age is “Kgantsadiake yo monnye wa sekopa” for?
It is best for ages 2–8 (Level 1 · First words). Younger children can enjoy it read aloud.
Is “Kgantsadiake yo monnye wa sekopa” available in other languages?
Yes — the same story is in English, Kiswahili, Kikamba, Kimaasai, Turkana, Somali and more.
Who wrote “Kgantsadiake yo monnye wa sekopa”?
“Kgantsadiake yo monnye wa sekopa” was written by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi and illustrated by Mlungisi Dlamini, Ingrid Schechter; the Tswana translation is by Antonia Madi.
Log books, set goals and build a daily reading habit — free on iOS, Android and the web.
Get the free app →Credits: Kgantsadiake yo monnye wa sekopa — Written by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi; Illustrated by Mlungisi Dlamini, Ingrid Schechter; Translated by Antonia Madi. Tswana, Level 1. From Global Storybooks (southafricareads.org), originally from the African Storybook (https://africanstorybook.org/reader.php?id=2896). CC BY-NC 3.0. · Page updated October 2026