Khalai U Amba Na Zwitavhiwa

A free picture book in Venda by Ursula Nafula

Khalai U Amba Na Zwitavhiwa is a picture book in Venda for ages 5–8 by Ursula Nafula that you can read free online in Pagine — no download, no cost.

📖 Read it free →

Language

Venda

Written by

Ursula Nafula

Illustrated by

Jesse Pietersen

Translated by

Yvonne Mulovhedzi

Reading level

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

From

South Africa

Source

Global Storybooks

Licence

CC BY 4.0

Price

Free — read online, nothing to download

About this book

Khalai U Amba Na Zwitavhiwa is a short illustrated picture book in Venda by Ursula Nafula, illustrated by Jesse Pietersen and translated by Yvonne Mulovhedzi. 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 Venda. 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

Ho yu ndi Khalai. U na minwaha ya sumbe. Dzina lawe li amba wavhudi nga luambo lwawe lwa Lubukusu. Khalai u vuwa a tshi amba na muri wa muswiri. “Ndi khou humbela muri wa muswiri, hula uri fhe maswiri o…

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 U Amba Na Zwitavhiwa” is also available in:

• Afrikaans · Khalai praat met plante
• 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
• Xhosa · Upalesa Uthanda Izityalo
• Zulu · Ukhalai Ukhuluma Nezitshalo

Reading together in Venda

• 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 Venda

• Ndi tshienda tsha nnyi itshi?
• Maano mahulu a lusunzi
• Tshibode tshi wana haya hatsho
• Zwimange zwa Tshilima
• Holodeyi Na Makhulu
• Kha ri ye u ṱoḓa thukhwi
• Lara ṋemukula tsha muvhala wa ṱaḓa

See all 50 free Venda books by reading level → · Books in 200+ languages · 👩‍🏫 Assign this book to a class

Frequently asked questions

Is “Khalai U Amba Na Zwitavhiwa” free to read?

Yes. “Khalai U Amba Na Zwitavhiwa” 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 U Amba Na Zwitavhiwa” in?

It is written in Venda. Pagine has 50 free children’s books in Venda.

What age is “Khalai U Amba Na Zwitavhiwa” for?

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

Is “Khalai U Amba Na Zwitavhiwa” available in other languages?

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

Who wrote “Khalai U Amba Na Zwitavhiwa”?

“Khalai U Amba Na Zwitavhiwa” was written by Ursula Nafula and illustrated by Jesse Pietersen; the Venda translation is by Yvonne Mulovhedzi.

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 U Amba Na Zwitavhiwa — Written by Ursula Nafula; Illustrated by Jesse Pietersen; Translated by Yvonne Mulovhedzi. Venda, 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