Pagine‘n Baie lang man
A free picture book in Afrikaans by Cornelius Gulere
‘n Baie lang man is a picture book in Afrikaans for ages 5–8 by Cornelius Gulere that you can read free online in Pagine — no download, no cost.
📖 Read it free →- Language
- Afrikaans
- Written by
- Cornelius Gulere
- Illustrated by
- Catherine Groenewald
- Translated by
- Anelda du Plessis, Helena Vilonel
- 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
‘n Baie lang man is a short illustrated picture book in Afrikaans by Cornelius Gulere, illustrated by Catherine Groenewald and translated by Anelda du Plessis, Helena Vilonel. 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 Afrikaans. 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
Sy skoffel was te kort. Sy deuropening was te laag. Sy bed was te kort. Sy fiets was te laag. Hierdie man was te lank! Hy het ‘n baie lang skoffelsteel gemaak. Hy het baie hoë deurrame gemaak. Hy het…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. “‘n Baie lang man” is also available in:
- Aringati · Ágóbí ázó mbílíkó rĩ
- Ateso · Etunganan Lo Awojan Noi
- Bemba · Umuntu umutali saana
- Dhopadhola · Jali Ma Bori Tektek Swa
- English · A very tall man
- Ga · Nuu Kakadaŋŋ Ko
- Gurene · Budaa n ba’am wɔgε
- Hausa · Wani Dogon Mutum
- Jamaican Creole · Wahn taal-taal man
- Kakwa · Ŋ Utu Laga a Lojo
- Kaonde · Muntu Walepa Bingi
- Khoekhoegowab · Gaxu aob
- Kiswahili · Mwanamume mrefu
- Luganda · Omusajja Omuwanvu ennyo
- Lugbarati (official orthography) · Ágʉ̀pɨ́ ɨ́zʉ̀ rɨ́
- Lukhonzo · Omulhume muli
- Lumasaaba · Umusaani umuleeyi naabi
- Lunda · Iyala wamulehi nankshi
- Lunyole · Omusinde omuleeŋi obugali
- Lusoga · Omusaadha omuleeyi einho
- Luvale · Lunga wamusuku chikuma
- Mauritian Creole · Enn misie bien long
- Nigerian Pidgin · Na longie man o
- Nyanja · Bambo wamutali kwambili
- Oshikwanyama · Omulumenhu omule unene
- Oshindonga · Omulumentu omule unene
- Otjiherero · Omurumendu omure tjinene
- Somali · Nin aad u dheer
- South Ndebele · Uthimba Uyaphulukisa!
- Spanish · Un hombre muy alto
- Tonga · Mwaalumi Mulamfwu Kapati
- Tsonga · Wanuna Wo Leha Swinene
- Tswana · Monna o motelele-telele
- Turkana · Ekile Lokooyan Noi
- Xhosa · Indoda Ende Kakhulu
Reading together in Afrikaans
- 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 Afrikaans
Mamma se hande
Tata kom huis toe
Shongololo se skoene
Dis nie Thabi nie!
Dapper Bora
Tlotlego se teeparty
’n Klein saadjie
Waar is Lulu?
See all 143 free Afrikaans books by reading level → · Books in 200+ languages · 👩🏫 Assign this book to a class
Frequently asked questions
Is “‘n Baie lang man” free to read?
Yes. “‘n Baie lang man” 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 “‘n Baie lang man” in?
It is written in Afrikaans. Pagine has 143 free children’s books in Afrikaans.
What age is “‘n Baie lang man” for?
It is best for ages 5–8 (Level 2 · First sentences). Younger children can enjoy it read aloud.
Is “‘n Baie lang man” available in other languages?
Yes — the same story is in English, Nigerian Pidgin, Hausa, Kiswahili, Turkana, Somali and more.
Who wrote “‘n Baie lang man”?
“‘n Baie lang man” was written by Cornelius Gulere and illustrated by Catherine Groenewald; the Afrikaans translation is by Anelda du Plessis, Helena Vilonel.
Log books, set goals and build a daily reading habit — free on iOS, Android and the web.
Get the free app →Credits: ‘n Baie lang man — Written by Cornelius Gulere; Illustrated by Catherine Groenewald; Translated by Anelda du Plessis, Helena Vilonel; Read by Helena Vilonel. Afrikaans, 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