PagineMagozwe
A free picture book in Tswana by Lesley Koyi
Magozwe is a picture book in Tswana for ages 8–11 by Lesley Koyi that you can read free online in Pagine — no download, no cost.
📖 Read it free →- Language
- Tswana
- Written by
- Lesley Koyi
- Illustrated by
- Wiehan de Jager
- Translated by
- McDonald Kgobetsi
- Reading level
- ages 8–11 · 3rd to 5th grade · Level 5 · Read aloud / independent
- From
- South Africa, Namibia
- 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 Tswana by Lesley Koyi, illustrated by Wiehan de Jager and translated by McDonald Kgobetsi. 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 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 28 other languages — handy for bilingual families and classrooms (see below).
How it begins
Mo toropokgolo e e tlhakatlhakanyeng ya Nairobi, kgakala le botshelo jwa tlhokomelo ya balelwapa, go agile basimane ba ba senang malwapa. Ba ne ba amogela letsatsi lengwe le lengwe jaaka le tla. Mo mosong mongwe basimane ba phutha diphate tsa…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
- Somali · Magozwe
- Spanish · Magozwe
- Tonga · Magozwe
- Tsonga · Mahewu
- Venda · Magozwe
- Xhosa · UMagozwe
- Zulu · UMagozwe
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
Go na le molelo mo Thabeng
Lara khukhwane e e serolwana
Bopelokgale Jo Bogolo jwa ga Talanyane
Letsatsi le le Ntle
Pula, Pula Naa
Mpho ya ga Mogau
Yapo O Re Direla Letsatsi
Go bala diphologolo
See all 103 free Tswana 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 Tswana. Pagine has 103 free children’s books in Tswana.
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, Sesotho, Tsonga and more.
Who wrote “Magozwe”?
“Magozwe” was written by Lesley Koyi and illustrated by Wiehan de Jager; the Tswana translation is by McDonald Kgobetsi.
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Get the free app →Credits: Magozwe — Written by Lesley Koyi; Illustrated by Wiehan de Jager; Translated by McDonald Kgobetsi. Tswana, 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