Niños de cera

Name: Niños de cera
Availability: InStock
Author: Southern African Folktale

A free picture book in Spanish by Southern African Folktale

Cover of Niños de cera, a Spanish picture book

Niños de cera is a picture book in Spanish for ages 5–8 by Southern African Folktale that you can read free online in Pagine — no download, no cost.

📖 Read it free →

Language: Spanish
Written by: Southern African Folktale
Illustrated by: Wiehan de Jager
Translated by: Karina Vásquez
Reading level: ages 5–8 · kindergarten to 2nd grade · Level 2 · First sentences
Source: Global Storybooks
Licence: CC BY 3.0
Price: Free — read online, nothing to download

About this book

Niños de cera is a short illustrated picture book in Spanish by Southern African Folktale, illustrated by Wiehan de Jager and translated by Karina Vásquez. 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 Spanish. 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 30 other languages — handy for bilingual families and classrooms (see below).

How it begins

Había una vez una familia que vivía muy feliz. Nunca peleaban. Los hijos ayudaban a sus padres en el hogar y en los huertos. Pero tenían prohibido acercarse al fuego. Tenían que hacer todo su trabajo por las noches. ¡Porque…

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. “Niños de cera” is also available in:

Reading together in Spanish

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 Spanish

See all 40 free Spanish books by reading level → · Books in 200+ languages · 👩‍🏫 Assign this book to a class

Frequently asked questions

Is “Niños de cera” free to read?

Yes. “Niños de cera” 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 “Niños de cera” in?

It is written in Spanish. Pagine has 40 free children’s books in Spanish.

What age is “Niños de cera” for?

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

Is “Niños de cera” available in other languages?

Yes — the same story is in English, Kiswahili, EkeGusii, Kikamba, Kimaasai, Turkana and more.

Who wrote “Niños de cera”?

“Niños de cera” was written by Southern African Folktale and illustrated by Wiehan de Jager; the Spanish translation is by Karina Vásquez.

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: Niños de cera — Written by Southern African Folktale; Illustrated by Wiehan de Jager; Translated by Karina Vásquez; Read by Áurea Vericat. Spanish, Level 2. From Global Storybooks (global-asp.github.io/storybooks-dc), originally from the African Storybook (https://africanstorybook.org/reader.php?id=2181). CC BY 3.0. · Page updated October 2026