PagineMagozwe
A free picture book in Somali by Lesley Koyi
Magozwe is a picture book in Somali for ages 8–11 by Lesley Koyi that you can read free online in Pagine — no download, no cost.
📖 Read it free →- Language
- Somali
- Written by
- Lesley Koyi
- Illustrated by
- Wiehan de Jager
- Translated by
- Abdi Muse
- Reading level
- ages 8–11 · 3rd to 5th grade · Level 5 · Read aloud / independent
- From
- Kenya
- Source
- Global Storybooks
- Licence
- CC BY 4.0
- Price
- Free — read online, nothing to download
About this book
Magozwe is a short illustrated picture book in Somali by Lesley Koyi, illustrated by Wiehan de Jager and translated by Abdi Muse. It is written for ages 8–11 (Grades 4–5) and is graded as Level 5 · Read aloud / independent, so it works as a read-aloud for little ones and as practice for children learning to read in Somali. 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 28 other languages — handy for bilingual families and classrooms (see below).
How it begins
Gudaha magaaladda mashquulsan ee Nayroobi, ee ka fog daryeel nolol ee guriga, waxaa ku noolaa koox wiilal ah oo hoy la’aan ah. Waxay soo dhaweeyeen maalin kasta sidii ay u timid. Subax subxaha kamid ah, wiilasha ayaa darimahooda laablaabanayay ka…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. “Magozwe” is also available in:
- Asante Twi · Magozwe
- Bemba · Magozwe
- Dagaare · Magozwe
- Dagbani · Magozwe
- Dangme · Mokasa
- Ewe · Magozwe
- Fante · Magozwe
- Ga · Magozwe
- Gonja · Magozwe
- Jamaican Creole · Magozwe
- Kaonde · Magozwe
- Kasem · Magozwe
- Kiswahili · Magozwe
- Lukhonzo · Magozwe
- Lunda · Magozwe
- Luvale · Magozwe
- Mauritian Creole · Magozwe
- Nyanja · Magozwe
- Nzema · Magozwe
- Sepedi · Magozwe
- Sesotho · Magozwe
- Spanish · Magozwe
- Tonga · Magozwe
- Tsonga · Mahewu
- Tswana · Magozwe
- Venda · Magozwe
- Xhosa · UMagozwe
- Zulu · UMagozwe
Reading together in Somali
- 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 Somali
Nin aad u dheer
Maalintii aan ka tagay guriga een magalada aaday
Fasaxyadii lala joogay ayeeyo
Fiiri xayawaanada
Maxaad samaynaysaa?
Go’aan
Ilmo dameer ah
Heestii Sakima
See all 40 free Somali books by reading level → · Books in 200+ languages · 👩🏫 Assign this book to a class
Frequently asked questions
Is “Magozwe” free to read?
Yes. “Magozwe” 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 “Magozwe” in?
It is written in Somali. Pagine has 40 free children’s books in Somali.
What age is “Magozwe” for?
It is best for ages 8–11 (Level 5 · Read aloud / independent). Younger children can enjoy it read aloud.
Is “Magozwe” available in other languages?
Yes — the same story is in Zulu, Xhosa, Sepedi, Tswana, Sesotho, Tsonga and more.
Who wrote “Magozwe”?
“Magozwe” was written by Lesley Koyi and illustrated by Wiehan de Jager; the Somali translation is by Abdi Muse.
Log books, set goals and build a daily reading habit — free on iOS, Android and the web.
Get the free app →Credits: Magozwe — Written by Lesley Koyi; Illustrated by Wiehan de Jager; Translated by Abdi Muse; Read by Ibrahim Ahmed. Somali, Level 5. From Global Storybooks (global-asp.github.io/storybooks-kenya), originally from the African Storybook (https://africanstorybook.org/reader.php?id=13213). CC BY 4.0. · Page updated October 2026