Nozibele le meriri e meraro

A free picture book in Sesotho by Tessa Welch

Nozibele le meriri e meraro is a picture book in Sesotho for ages 5–11 by Tessa Welch that you can read free online in Pagine — no download, no cost.

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Language

Sesotho

Written by

Tessa Welch

Illustrated by

Wiehan de Jager

Translated by

Maria Vaz

Reading level

ages 5–11 · kindergarten to 2nd grade, 3rd to 5th grade · Level 3 · First paragraphs

From

South Africa

Source

Global Storybooks

Licence

CC BY 3.0

Price

Free — read online, nothing to download

About this book

Nozibele le meriri e meraro is a short illustrated picture book in Sesotho by Tessa Welch, illustrated by Wiehan de Jager and translated by Maria Vaz. It is written for ages 5–11 (Grades 2–3) and is graded as Level 3 · First paragraphs, so it works as a read-aloud for little ones and as practice for children learning to read in Sesotho. 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 31 other languages — handy for bilingual families and classrooms (see below).

How it begins

Kgalekgale banana ba bararo ba ile ba ya bokella patsi. Ho ne ho tjhesa yaba ba ya nokeng ho ya sesa. Ba ile ba bapala, ba qhapatsa metsi, mme ba sesa ka metsing. Yaba ba hlokomela hore nako e se…

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. “Nozibele le meriri e meraro” is also available in:

• Afrikaans · Nozibele en die drie hare
• Aringati · Ãlíríkí ꞌi ã zíla drĩꞌ̣ bị́ na kî
• Bemba · Nozibele no mushishi utatu
• EkeGusii · Nozibele N’echitukia Isato
• English · Nozibele and the three hairs
• Jamaican Creole · Nuozibele an di chrii schraan a ier
• Kaonde · Nozibele ne Nsuki Isatu
• Khoekhoegowab · Nozibeles tsî ǃnona ǀûgu xa
• Kikamba · Nonzimbele na Nzwĩĩ Itatũ
• Kimaasai · Nozibele ó ilpápít okúni
• Kiswahili · Nozibele na nywele tatu
• Luganda · Nakku n’enviiri essatu
• Lugbarati (official orthography) · Candiru pi dri’biifi na ‘diyi be
• Lukhonzo · Nozibele haima Nesya Nzwiri Isathu
• Lumasaaba · Namutosi ni butsuune butaru
• Lunda · Nozibele na nansuki zhisatu
• Lunyole · Nanjoosi n’efiiri edatu
• Luvale · Nozibele najize jikhambu jitatu
• Mauritian Creole · Nozibele ek bann trwa seve
• Nigerian Pidgin · Nozibele an three hairs
• Nyanja · Nozibele ndi Tsitsi itatu
• Oshikwanyama · Nozibele neendali nhatu deexwiki
• Oshindonga · Nozibele noondali ndatu dhomafufu
• Otjiherero · Nozibele nozondjise ndatu
• Sepedi · Nozibele le Meriri e Meraro
• Somali · Nozibele iyo saddexdii timo
• Spanish · Nozibele y sus tres cabellos
• Tonga · Nozibele a Masusu Otatwe
• Tswana · Nozibele le Meriri e Meraro
• Xhosa · Unozibele Namanwele Amathathu
• Zulu · uNozibele kanye nezinwele ezintathu

Reading together in Sesotho

• 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 Sesotho

• Daisy ya makatsang!
• Sotheha o tsukutlehe
• Mamello ya Bonolo
• Kgoho o jalletsa Ntsu
• Monna ya molelele haholo
• Palesa o rata dimela
• Mosuwetsana wa ka
• Sheba diphoofolo

See all 125 free Sesotho books by reading level → · Books in 200+ languages · 👩‍🏫 Assign this book to a class

Frequently asked questions

Is “Nozibele le meriri e meraro” free to read?

Yes. “Nozibele le meriri e meraro” 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 “Nozibele le meriri e meraro” in?

It is written in Sesotho. Pagine has 125 free children’s books in Sesotho.

What age is “Nozibele le meriri e meraro” for?

It is best for ages 5–11 (Level 3 · First paragraphs). Younger children can enjoy it read aloud.

Is “Nozibele le meriri e meraro” available in other languages?

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

Who wrote “Nozibele le meriri e meraro”?

“Nozibele le meriri e meraro” was written by Tessa Welch and illustrated by Wiehan de Jager; the Sesotho translation is by Maria Vaz.

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Credits: Nozibele le meriri e meraro — Written by Tessa Welch; Illustrated by Wiehan de Jager; Translated by Maria Vaz. Sesotho, Level 3. From Global Storybooks (southafricareads.org), originally from the African Storybook (https://africanstorybook.org/reader.php?id=1880). CC BY 3.0. · Page updated October 2026