PagineMagozwe
A free picture book in Sesotho by Lesley Koyi
Magozwe is a picture book in Sesotho for ages 8–11 by Lesley Koyi that you can read free online in Pagine — no download, no cost.
📖 Read it free →- Language
- Sesotho
- Written by
- Lesley Koyi
- Illustrated by
- Wiehan de Jager
- Translated by
- Tseliso Masolane
- Reading level
- ages 8–11 · 3rd to 5th grade · Level 5 · Read aloud / independent
- From
- South Africa
- 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 Sesotho by Lesley Koyi, illustrated by Wiehan de Jager and translated by Tseliso Masolane. 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 Sesotho. 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
Toropong e phetheselang ya Nairobi, hole le bophelo ba tsotello ba hae, ho ne ho dula bashanyana ba se nang mahae. Ba ne ba amohela letsatsi ka leng ka moo le neng le tla kateng. Hoseng ho hong, bashanyana ba…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
- Somali · Magozwe
- Spanish · Magozwe
- Tonga · Magozwe
- Tsonga · Mahewu
- Tswana · Magozwe
- Venda · Magozwe
- Xhosa · UMagozwe
- Zulu · UMagozwe
Reading together in Sesotho
- 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 Sesotho
Lenyalo la Tlhapi le Kgoho
Ho batlana le moya wa hwetla
Moru wa dinoha
Moqebelo o mong o tjhesang haholo
Bese ya mmala wa botala ba lehodimo
Bolo ya ka e kgubedu
Maikutlo
Buka ya boemo ba lehodimo
See all 125 free Sesotho 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 Sesotho. Pagine has 125 free children’s books in Sesotho.
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 Somali, Zulu, Xhosa, Sepedi, Tswana, Tsonga and more.
Who wrote “Magozwe”?
“Magozwe” was written by Lesley Koyi and illustrated by Wiehan de Jager; the Sesotho translation is by Tseliso Masolane.
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Get the free app →Credits: Magozwe — Written by Lesley Koyi; Illustrated by Wiehan de Jager; Translated by Tseliso Masolane. Sesotho, Level 5. From Global Storybooks (southafricareads.org), originally from the African Storybook (https://africanstorybook.org/reader.php?id=13213). CC BY 4.0. · Page updated October 2026