Monna o motelele-telele

Name: Monna o motelele-telele
Availability: InStock
Author: Cornelius Gulere

A free picture book in Tswana by Cornelius Gulere

Cover of Monna o motelele-telele, a Tswana picture book

Monna o motelele-telele is a picture book in Tswana for ages 5–8 by Cornelius Gulere that you can read free online in Pagine — no download, no cost.

📖 Read it free →

Language: Tswana
Written by: Cornelius Gulere
Illustrated by: Catherine Groenewald
Translated by: Lorato Trok
Reading level: ages 5–8 · kindergarten to 2nd grade · Level 2 · First sentences
From: South Africa, Namibia
Source: Global Storybooks
Licence: CC BY 3.0
Price: Free — read online, nothing to download

About this book

Monna o motelele-telele is a short illustrated picture book in Tswana by Cornelius Gulere, illustrated by Catherine Groenewald and translated by Lorato Trok. It is written for ages 5–8 (Grades 1–2) and is graded as Level 2 · First sentences, 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 3.0 licence, which is why it is free to read. The same story is available in 35 other languages — handy for bilingual families and classrooms (see below).

How it begins

Peke e ne e le khutshwane thata. Mojako o ne o le kwa tlase thata. Bolao bo ne bo le bokhutshwane thata. Baesekele e ne e le nnye thata. Monna o ne a le motelele thata! O ile a lelefatsa…

Opening lines quoted from the openly licensed book (CC BY 3.0).

This story in other languages

Reading the same story in two languages helps bilingual children connect words they already know. “Monna o motelele-telele” is also available in:

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

See all 103 free Tswana books by reading level → · Books in 200+ languages · 👩‍🏫 Assign this book to a class

Frequently asked questions

Is “Monna o motelele-telele” free to read?

Yes. “Monna o motelele-telele” 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 3.0).

What language is “Monna o motelele-telele” in?

It is written in Tswana. Pagine has 103 free children’s books in Tswana.

What age is “Monna o motelele-telele” for?

It is best for ages 5–8 (Level 2 · First sentences). Younger children can enjoy it read aloud.

Is “Monna o motelele-telele” available in other languages?

Yes — the same story is in English, Nigerian Pidgin, Hausa, Kiswahili, Turkana, Somali and more.

Who wrote “Monna o motelele-telele”?

“Monna o motelele-telele” was written by Cornelius Gulere and illustrated by Catherine Groenewald; the Tswana translation is by Lorato Trok.

Scan to get the free Pagine reading tracker app

Track reading with the free Pagine app

Log books, set goals and build a daily reading habit — free on iOS, Android and the web.

Get the free app →

Credits: Monna o motelele-telele — Written by Cornelius Gulere; Illustrated by Catherine Groenewald; Translated by Lorato Trok. Tswana, Level 2. From Global Storybooks (southafricareads.org), originally from the African Storybook (https://africanstorybook.org/reader.php?id=918). CC BY 3.0. · Page updated October 2026