PagineNozibele le Meriri e Meraro
A free picture book in Tswana by Tessa Welch
Nozibele le Meriri e Meraro is a picture book in Tswana for ages 5–11 by Tessa Welch that you can read free online in Pagine — no download, no cost.
📖 Read it free →- Language
- Tswana
- Written by
- Tessa Welch
- Illustrated by
- Wiehan de Jager
- Translated by
- Lorato Trok
- Reading level
- ages 5–11 · kindergarten to 2nd grade, 3rd to 5th grade · Level 3 · First paragraphs
- From
- South Africa, Namibia
- 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 Tswana by Tessa Welch, illustrated by Wiehan de Jager and translated by Lorato Trok. 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 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 31 other languages — handy for bilingual families and classrooms (see below).
How it begins
Bogologolo tala basetsana ba bararo ba ne ba ya go rwalela dikgong. Letsatsi le ne le fisa thata mme ba ya nokeng go ya go thuma. Ba ile ba tshameka monate, ba gasana ka metsi ba itumetse. Fa ba tswa…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
- Sesotho · Nozibele le meriri e meraro
- Somali · Nozibele iyo saddexdii timo
- Spanish · Nozibele y sus tres cabellos
- Tonga · Nozibele a Masusu Otatwe
- Xhosa · Unozibele Namanwele Amathathu
- Zulu · uNozibele kanye nezinwele ezintathu
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
O dira eng?
Katlholo
Botlhale jwa ga Anansi
Pusoloso ya mogaka
Thišu ya ga Thuli
A re yeng go batlana le matlakala
Ntlo e ntle e kgolo ya ga Moh Phenkwini
Lee
See all 103 free Tswana 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 Tswana. Pagine has 103 free children’s books in Tswana.
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 Tswana translation is by Lorato Trok.
Log books, set goals and build a daily reading habit — free on iOS, Android and the web.
Get the free app →Credits: Nozibele le Meriri e Meraro — Written by Tessa Welch; Illustrated by Wiehan de Jager; Translated by Lorato Trok. Tswana, 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