Kwena ya go swarwa ke tlala
A free picture book in Sepedi by Christian G

Kwena ya go swarwa ke tlala is a picture book in Sepedi for ages 2–8 by Christian G that you can read free online in Pagine — no download, no cost.
📖 Read it free →- Language
- Sepedi
- Written by
- Christian G
- Illustrated by
- Wiehan de Jager
- Translated by
- Lebogang Ramontsha
- Reading level
- ages 2–8 · preschool, kindergarten to 2nd grade · Level 1 · First words
- From
- South Africa
- Source
- Global Storybooks
- Licence
- CC BY 3.0
- Price
- Free — read online, nothing to download
About this book
Kwena ya go swarwa ke tlala is a short illustrated picture book in Sepedi by Christian G, illustrated by Wiehan de Jager and translated by Lebogang Ramontsha. 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 Sepedi. 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 26 other languages — handy for bilingual families and classrooms (see below).
How it begins
Gatee go kile gwa ba le kwena ya go swarwa ke tlala kudu. O ile ya nyaka dijo ka go nanya le ka setu. Gomme kamorago… POW!!! Kwena ya hlasela! Morago ga mowe, ga a sa na tlala, o thabile.…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. “Kwena ya go swarwa ke tlala” is also available in:
- Afrikaans · Die honger krokodil
- Bemba · Iŋwena iyansala
- Dagbani · Kum Ni Mali Nyɛbiga So
- English · The hungry crocodile
- Irish · An cogall ocrach
- Jamaican Creole · Di Onggri Krokodail
- Kaonde · Kiwele Waumvwine Nzala
- Khoekhoegowab · ǃÂsa ǁnâseb xa
- Kiswahili · Mamba mwenye njaa
- Luganda · Ggonya omuyala.
- Lukhonzo · Engonya y’amakwa Enzalha
- Lunda · In’gandu wanzala
- Luvale · Ngandu Wazala
- Mauritian Creole · Enn krokodil afame
- Nyanja · Ng’wena yanjala
- Oshikwanyama · Ongadu ya fya ondjla
- Oshindonga · Ongandu ya sa ondjala
- Otjiherero · Ongandu yondjara
- Sesotho · Kwena e lapileng
- Somali · Yaxaaskii baahnaa
- Spanish · El cocodrilo hambriento
- Tonga · Ciwena Wanzala
- Tswana · Kwena e e ne e tshwerwe ke tlala
- Turkana · Akinyang Na Anyamit Akoro
- Xhosa · Ingwenya elambileyo
- Zulu · Ingwenya elambile
Reading together in Sepedi
- 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 Sepedi
Kalabuše Wa Go Bolela Kudu
Bogolofadi Ga Se Go Se Kgone
Kgwele Ya Ka Ye Hubedu
Pedi
Re etela koko
Leeto la go ya pomping
Tšhengwana ya Rakgolo Farouk
Runye tšiki
See all 104 free Sepedi books by reading level → · Books in 200+ languages · 👩🏫 Assign this book to a class
Frequently asked questions
Is “Kwena ya go swarwa ke tlala” free to read?
Yes. “Kwena ya go swarwa ke tlala” 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 “Kwena ya go swarwa ke tlala” in?
It is written in Sepedi. Pagine has 104 free children’s books in Sepedi.
What age is “Kwena ya go swarwa ke tlala” for?
It is best for ages 2–8 (Level 1 · First words). Younger children can enjoy it read aloud.
Is “Kwena ya go swarwa ke tlala” available in other languages?
Yes — the same story is in English, Kiswahili, Turkana, Somali, Zulu, Xhosa and more.
Who wrote “Kwena ya go swarwa ke tlala”?
“Kwena ya go swarwa ke tlala” was written by Christian G and illustrated by Wiehan de Jager; the Sepedi translation is by Lebogang Ramontsha.
Log books, set goals and build a daily reading habit — free on iOS, Android and the web.
Get the free app →Credits: Kwena ya go swarwa ke tlala — Written by Christian G.; Illustrated by Wiehan de Jager; Translated by Lebogang Ramontsha. Sepedi, Level 1. From Global Storybooks (southafricareads.org), originally from the African Storybook (https://africanstorybook.org/reader.php?id=7043). CC BY 3.0. · Page updated October 2026