Khalai praat met plante

A free picture book in Afrikaans by Ursula Nafula

Khalai praat met plante is a picture book in Afrikaans for ages 5–8 by Ursula Nafula that you can read free online in Pagine — no download, no cost.

📖 Read it free →

Language

Afrikaans

Written by

Ursula Nafula

Illustrated by

Jesse Pietersen

Translated by

Fanie Viljoen, Helena Vilonel

Reading level

ages 5–8 · kindergarten to 2nd grade · Level 2 · First sentences

From

South Africa, Namibia

Source

Global Storybooks

Licence

CC BY 4.0

Price

Free — read online, nothing to download

About this book

Khalai praat met plante is a short illustrated picture book in Afrikaans by Ursula Nafula, illustrated by Jesse Pietersen and translated by Fanie Viljoen, Helena Vilonel. It is written for ages 5–8 (Grades 1–2) and is graded as Level 2 · First sentences, 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 4.0 licence, which is why it is free to read. The same story is available in 24 other languages — handy for bilingual families and classrooms (see below).

How it begins

Hierdie is Khalai. Sy is sewe jaar oud. Haar naam beteken “die goeie een” in haar taal, Lubukusu. Khalai word wakker en praat met die lemoenboom. “Asseblief, lemoenboom, groei hoog sodat jy vir ons baie ryp lemoene kan gee.” Khalai…

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. “Khalai praat met plante” is also available in:

• Bemba · Khalai Alasosha Icaani ne Fimuti
• English · Khalai talks to plants
• Jamaican Creole · Kalaahi
• Kaonde · Khalai wisamba na bijimwa
• Khoekhoegowab · Khalais ge haidi ǀkha ra ǃhoa
• Kiswahili · Khalai azungumza na mimea
• Lukhonzo · Khalai akakanaya n’ebirimwa
• Lunda · Khalai wahoshan’ga na zhimbutu
• Luvale · Khalai eji kuhanjika navimbuto
• Mauritian Creole · Khalai koz avek bann plant
• Nigerian Pidgin · Khalai yan with plant
• Nyanja · Khalai alankhula ku Zomela
• Oshikwanyama · Khalai ta popi noimeno
• Oshindonga · Khalai ta popi niimeno
• Otjiherero · Khalai ma hungirisa omiti
• Sesotho · Khalai o bua le dimela
• Somali · Kalaay waxay la hadashaa dhirta
• Spanish · Khalai le habla a las plantas
• Tonga · Khalai Ulabandika Kuzyisyango
• Tsonga · Wavhidi a Vulavula Na Swimilana
• Tswana · Khalai o bua le dimela
• Venda · Khalai U Amba Na Zwitavhiwa
• Xhosa · Upalesa Uthanda Izityalo
• Zulu · Ukhalai Ukhuluma Nezitshalo

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

• Nangila se Dapperheid
• Hoender En Duisendpoot
• Juffrou Akinyi
• My Rooi Bal
• Die honger krokodil
• Kook
• Tom, die piesangverkoper
• Donkie-kind

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

Frequently asked questions

Is “Khalai praat met plante” free to read?

Yes. “Khalai praat met plante” 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 “Khalai praat met plante” in?

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

What age is “Khalai praat met plante” for?

It is best for ages 5–8 (Level 2 · First sentences). Younger children can enjoy it read aloud.

Is “Khalai praat met plante” available in other languages?

Yes — the same story is in English, Nigerian Pidgin, Kiswahili, Somali, Zulu, Xhosa and more.

Who wrote “Khalai praat met plante”?

“Khalai praat met plante” was written by Ursula Nafula and illustrated by Jesse Pietersen; the Afrikaans translation is by Fanie Viljoen, Helena Vilonel.

Track reading with the free Pagine app

Log books, set goals and build a daily reading habit — free on iOS, Android and the web.

Get the free app →

Credits: Khalai praat met plante — Written by Ursula Nafula; Illustrated by Jesse Pietersen; Translated by Fanie Viljoen, Helena Vilonel; Read by Willemien Wannberg. Afrikaans, Level 2. From Global Storybooks (southafricareads.org), originally from the African Storybook (https://africanstorybook.org/reader.php?id=13545). CC BY 4.0. · Page updated October 2026