Mâ bú rã ŋâ íngõ lé?

Name: Mâ bú rã ŋâ íngõ lé?
Availability: InStock
Author: Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi

A free picture book in Aringati by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi

Cover of Mâ bú rã ŋâ íngõ lé?, a Aringati picture book

Mâ bú rã ŋâ íngõ lé? is a picture book in Aringati for ages 2–8 by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi that you can read free online in Pagine — no download, no cost.

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Language: Aringati
Written by: Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi
Illustrated by: Bronwen Heath, Ingrid Schechter
Translated by: Barnabas Delu
Reading level: ages 2–8 · preschool, kindergarten to 2nd grade · Level 1 · First words
From: Uganda
Source: Global Storybooks
Licence: CC BY-NC 3.0
Price: Free — read online, nothing to download

About this book

Mâ bú rã ŋâ íngõ lé? is a short illustrated picture book in Aringati by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi, illustrated by Bronwen Heath, Ingrid Schechter and translated by Barnabas Delu. 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 Aringati. 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 29 other languages — handy for bilingual families and classrooms (see below).

How it begins

Mâ bú rã ŋâ i ́ngõ lé ? ̃ gbọ́ lọ́ indú ̣ yã ? Iꞌdi ̣̃ ̃ ká bã di ̃ dri ̣̃ gá yã ? Iꞌdi ̃ kụ́ rụ̃ si ̣̃ ũ ngú kú gá Iꞌdi yã ?…

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. “Mâ bú rã ŋâ íngõ lé?” is also available in:

Reading together in Aringati

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 Aringati

See all 9 free Aringati books by reading level → · Books in 200+ languages · 👩‍🏫 Assign this book to a class

Frequently asked questions

Is “Mâ bú rã ŋâ íngõ lé?” free to read?

Yes. “Mâ bú rã ŋâ íngõ lé?” 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 “Mâ bú rã ŋâ íngõ lé?” in?

It is written in Aringati. Pagine has 9 free children’s books in Aringati.

What age is “Mâ bú rã ŋâ íngõ lé?” for?

It is best for ages 2–8 (Level 1 · First words). Younger children can enjoy it read aloud.

Is “Mâ bú rã ŋâ íngõ lé?” available in other languages?

Yes — the same story is in English, Kiswahili, Turkana, Somali, Xhosa, Afrikaans and more.

Who wrote “Mâ bú rã ŋâ íngõ lé?”?

“Mâ bú rã ŋâ íngõ lé?” was written by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi and illustrated by Bronwen Heath, Ingrid Schechter; the Aringati translation is by Barnabas Delu.

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Credits: Mâ bú rã ŋâ íngõ lé ? — Written by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi; Illustrated by Bronwen Heath, Ingrid Schechter; Translated by Barnabas Delu. Aringati, Level 1. From Global Storybooks (global-asp.github.io/storybooks-uganda), originally from the African Storybook (https://africanstorybook.org/reader.php?id=1825). CC BY-NC 3.0. · Page updated October 2026