Lakwizinn
A free picture book in Mauritian Creole by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi

Lakwizinn is a picture book in Mauritian Creole 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
- Mauritian Creole
- Written by
- Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi
- Illustrated by
- Kathy Arbuckle, Ingrid Schechter
- Translated by
- Shameem Oozeerally & MIE French Students
- Reading level
- ages 2–8 · preschool, kindergarten to 2nd grade · Level 1 · First words
- From
- Mauritius
- Source
- Global Storybooks
- Licence
- CC BY-NC 3.0
- Price
- Free — read online, nothing to download
About this book
Lakwizinn is a short illustrated picture book in Mauritian Creole by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi, illustrated by Kathy Arbuckle, Ingrid Schechter and translated by Shameem Oozeerally & MIE French Students. 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 Mauritian Creole. 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 30 other languages — handy for bilingual families and classrooms (see below).
How it begins
Mo plis pomdeter. Mo koup lisou. Mo rap karot. Mo lav zariko. Mo koup ziromon. Mo koup bred zepinar. Mo mama koup zwayon. Zwayon koupe fer mwa plore. Lakwizinn — Written by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi; Illustrated by…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. “Lakwizinn” is also available in:
- Afrikaans · Kook
- Aringati · Aꞌdíŋá
- Ateso · Aipo
- Bemba · Ukwipika
- Dhopadhola · Tedo
- English · Cooking (Colour-in)
- Jamaican Creole · A kuk
- Kaonde · Kuteeka
- Khoekhoegowab · ǂÛdīs
- Kichaga · Kora
- Kisukuma · Kozuga
- Kiswahili · Kupika
- Lugbarati (official orthography) · Nyaká a’dɨ́zà
- Lukhonzo · Erihuka
- Lumasaaba · Khuuteekha
- Lunda · Kuteleka
- Lunyole · Ohunyiiya
- Lusoga · Okufumba
- Luvale · Kuteleka
- Nyanja · Kuphika
- Oshikwanyama · Okuteleka
- Oshindonga · Okuteleka
- Otjiherero · Okutereka
- Sesotho · Ho pheha
- Somali · Karin
- Spanish · Cocinando
- Tonga · Kujika
- Tswana · Apaya
- Xhosa · Ukupheka
- Zulu · Ukupheka
Reading together in Mauritian Creole
- 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 Mauritian Creole
Vakans kot granmer
Enn krokodil afame
Ki to pe fer?
Desizion
Zanfan-Bourik
Sakima so sante
Mo kontan lir!
Seve
See all 40 free Mauritian Creole books by reading level → · Books in 200+ languages · 👩🏫 Assign this book to a class
Frequently asked questions
Is “Lakwizinn” free to read?
Yes. “Lakwizinn” 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 “Lakwizinn” in?
It is written in Mauritian Creole. Pagine has 40 free children’s books in Mauritian Creole.
What age is “Lakwizinn” for?
It is best for ages 2–8 (Level 1 · First words). Younger children can enjoy it read aloud.
Is “Lakwizinn” available in other languages?
Yes — the same story is in English, Kiswahili, Somali, Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans and more.
Who wrote “Lakwizinn”?
“Lakwizinn” was written by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi and illustrated by Kathy Arbuckle, Ingrid Schechter; the Mauritian Creole translation is by Shameem Oozeerally & MIE French Students.
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Get the free app →Credits: Lakwizinn — Written by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi; Illustrated by Kathy Arbuckle, Ingrid Schechter; Translated by Shameem Oozeerally & MIE French Students. Mauritian Creole, Level 1. From Global Storybooks (global-asp.github.io/storybooks-mauritius), originally from the African Storybook (https://africanstorybook.org/reader.php?id=2795). CC BY-NC 3.0. · Page updated October 2026