PagineMooskii ayeeyo
A free picture book in Somali by Ursula Nafula
Mooskii ayeeyo is a picture book in Somali for ages 8–11 by Ursula Nafula that you can read free online in Pagine — no download, no cost.
📖 Read it free →- Language
- Somali
- Written by
- Ursula Nafula
- Illustrated by
- Catherine Groenewald
- Translated by
- Abdi Muse
- Reading level
- ages 8–11 · 3rd to 5th grade · Level 4 · Longer paragraphs
- From
- Kenya
- Source
- Global Storybooks
- Licence
- CC BY 3.0
- Price
- Free — read online, nothing to download
About this book
Mooskii ayeeyo is a short illustrated picture book in Somali by Ursula Nafula, illustrated by Catherine Groenewald and translated by Abdi Muse. It is written for ages 8–11 (Grades 3–4) and is graded as Level 4 · Longer paragraphs, 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 3.0 licence, which is why it is free to read. The same story is available in 18 other languages — handy for bilingual families and classrooms (see below).
How it begins
Beerta ayeeyo waa mid cajiib ah, oo uu ka buuxo hadhuudh, masago, iyo xajmiga. Laakiin midka ugu wanaagsan dhamaan waa mooska. Inkasta oo ayeeyo ay leedahay ilmo faro badan, waxaan si qarsoodi ah u ogaaday in aan ahaa kan ay…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. “Mooskii ayeeyo” is also available in:
- Afrikaans · Ouma se piesangs
- Bemba · Inkonde shaba maama
- EkeGusii · Amatoke A’baba
- Jamaican Creole · Granmaa banaana dem
- Kaonde · Makonde aba Nkambo
- Kikamba · Maiũ ma Sũsũ
- Kimaasai · Ilmaisurîn le kokoô
- Kiswahili · Ndizi za bibi
- Lugbarati (official orthography) · Dede vile A’bua ri
- Lukhonzo · Ameeru A’mukaka
- Lumasaaba · Kamarofu ka Kuukhu
- Lunda · Makondi aNkanka
- Luvale · Makonde akhaka
- Mauritian Creole · Banann granmer
- Nyanja · Nthochi za Agogo
- Spanish · Los plátanos de mi abuela
- Tonga · Mabbanana Aabaneene
- Tswana · Dipanana tsa ga mmemogolo
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
Labo
Waa maxay sababta aysan jeerta ulahayn timo
Andiswa xidig kubadda cagta
Digaagad iyo Galayr
Fasaxyadii lala joogay ayeeyo
Yaxaaskii baahnaa
Karin
Tom muus iibiyaha
See all 40 free Somali books by reading level → · Books in 200+ languages · 👩🏫 Assign this book to a class
Frequently asked questions
Is “Mooskii ayeeyo” free to read?
Yes. “Mooskii ayeeyo” 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 “Mooskii ayeeyo” in?
It is written in Somali. Pagine has 40 free children’s books in Somali.
What age is “Mooskii ayeeyo” for?
It is best for ages 8–11 (Level 4 · Longer paragraphs). Younger children can enjoy it read aloud.
Is “Mooskii ayeeyo” available in other languages?
Yes — the same story is in EkeGusii, Kikamba, Kimaasai, Afrikaans, Tswana, Kiswahili and more.
Who wrote “Mooskii ayeeyo”?
“Mooskii ayeeyo” was written by Ursula Nafula and illustrated by Catherine Groenewald; the Somali translation is by Abdi Muse.
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Get the free app →Credits: Mooskii ayeeyo — Written by Ursula Nafula; Illustrated by Catherine Groenewald; Translated by Abdi Muse; Read by Ibrahim Ahmed. Somali, Level 4. From Global Storybooks (global-asp.github.io/storybooks-kenya), originally from the African Storybook (https://africanstorybook.org/reader.php?id=2094). CC BY 3.0. · Page updated October 2026