PagineLetsatsi je ke duleng mo gae ka ya toropong
A free picture book in Tswana by Lesley Koyi, Ursula Nafula
Letsatsi je ke duleng mo gae ka ya toropong is a picture book in Tswana for ages 5–11 by Lesley Koyi, Ursula Nafula that you can read free online in Pagine — no download, no cost.
📖 Read it free →- Language
- Tswana
- Written by
- Lesley Koyi, Ursula Nafula
- Illustrated by
- Brian Wambi
- Translated by
- Antonia
- Reading level
- ages 5–11 · kindergarten to 2nd grade, 3rd to 5th grade · Level 3 · First paragraphs
- From
- South Africa, Namibia
- Source
- Global Storybooks
- Licence
- CC BY 4.0
- Price
- Free — read online, nothing to download
About this book
Letsatsi je ke duleng mo gae ka ya toropong is a short illustrated picture book in Tswana by Lesley Koyi, Ursula Nafula, illustrated by Brian Wambi and translated by Antonia. It is written for ages 5–11 (Grades 2–3) and is graded as Level 3 · First paragraphs, 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 4.0 licence, which is why it is free to read. The same story is available in 19 other languages — handy for bilingual families and classrooms (see below).
How it begins
Lefelo le le nnye kwa dibese di emang gone mo motseng wa me go tletse batho le dibese tse di tletseng batho. Fa fa fatshe gone go tletse dilo tse di tshwanetsweng go olelwa. Mooleledi o ne a itsise maina…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. “Letsatsi je ke duleng mo gae ka ya toropong” is also available in:
- Afrikaans · Die dag toe ek van my huis weggegaan het stad toe
- Bemba · Ubushiku nafumine pa ŋanda ukuya ku kalaale
- English · Day I left home for the city
- English · The day I left home for the city
- Jamaican Creole · Di Die Mi Lef Mi Yaad Fi Go Toun
- Kaonde · Juuba Jonafumine Kumuzhi Kuya Kutaunyi
- Khoekhoegowab · ǁGâusa xu ta ge kaiǃās ǁga ǃgû tsēs
- Kiswahili · Siku niliyoondoka nyumbani kuelekea mjini
- Lukhonzo · Ekiro Nalw’eka ingaghenda omw’akibugha
- Lunda · Ifuku inafumini kumukala nakuya kumbaka
- Luvale · Likumbi ngwafumine hembo nakuya kumbaka
- Mauritian Creole · Zour mo’nn kit lakaz pou lavil
- Nyanja · Tsiku lamene ndinanyamukila panyumba kuyenda kumzinda
- Oshikwanyama · Efiku nda fiya po eumbo komukunda ndi ye koshilando
- Oshindonga · Esiku nda thiga po egumbo ndi ye koshilando
- Otjiherero · Eyuva ndu mba za ponganda okuyenda kotjihuro
- Somali · Maalintii aan ka tagay guriga een magalada aaday
- Spanish · El día que dejé mi casa para irme a la ciudad
- Tonga · Buzuba Mbwindakaunka Kudolopo
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
Nozibele le Meriri e Meraro
Magozwe
Yo o mo magareng
Metshamekwane ya ditshwene
O robala jang?
Sentlhaga se sentle go gaisa
Selo se sentle go gaisa
Leano le Legolo la Tshoswane
See all 103 free Tswana books by reading level → · Books in 200+ languages · 👩🏫 Assign this book to a class
Frequently asked questions
Is “Letsatsi je ke duleng mo gae ka ya toropong” free to read?
Yes. “Letsatsi je ke duleng mo gae ka ya toropong” 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 “Letsatsi je ke duleng mo gae ka ya toropong” in?
It is written in Tswana. Pagine has 103 free children’s books in Tswana.
What age is “Letsatsi je ke duleng mo gae ka ya toropong” for?
It is best for ages 5–11 (Level 3 · First paragraphs). Younger children can enjoy it read aloud.
Is “Letsatsi je ke duleng mo gae ka ya toropong” available in other languages?
Yes — the same story is in English, English, Kiswahili, Somali, Afrikaans, Lukhonzo and more.
Who wrote “Letsatsi je ke duleng mo gae ka ya toropong”?
“Letsatsi je ke duleng mo gae ka ya toropong” was written by Lesley Koyi, Ursula Nafula and illustrated by Brian Wambi; the Tswana translation is by Antonia.
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Get the free app →Credits: Letsatsi je ke duleng mo gae ka ya toropong — Written by Lesley Koyi, Ursula Nafula; Illustrated by Brian Wambi; Translated by Antonia. Tswana, Level 3. From Global Storybooks (southafricareads.org), originally from the African Storybook (https://africanstorybook.org/reader.php?id=15029). CC BY 4.0. · Page updated October 2026