Nozibele ó ilpápít okúni

A free picture book in Kimaasai by Tessa Welch

Nozibele ó ilpápít okúni is a picture book in Kimaasai for ages 5–11 by Tessa Welch that you can read free online in Pagine — no download, no cost.

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Language

Kimaasai

Written by

Tessa Welch

Illustrated by

Wiehan de Jager

Reading level

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

From

Kenya, Tanzania

Source

Global Storybooks

Licence

CC BY 3.0

Price

Free — read online, nothing to download

About this book

Nozibele ó ilpápít okúni is a short illustrated picture book in Kimaasai by Tessa Welch, illustrated by Wiehan de Jager. 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 Kimaasai. 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

Óre apá té ápa, népuo intóyíe úni áaitayu ilkeék. Néírowúaju enkólong olêng. Néjo peê épúo olkejú áar enkáré áairopije iséseni. Néígurân te átua enkáré. Némanikí áajo emutó. Néísarrísar áashuko áapuo áng. Óre etaá kébáya áng, néyiolóu Nozibele ajó meáta esaéi…

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 ó ilpápít okúni” 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
• 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
• Tswana · Nozibele le Meriri e Meraro
• Xhosa · Unozibele Namanwele Amathathu
• Zulu · uNozibele kanye nezinwele ezintathu

Reading together in Kimaasai

• 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 Kimaasai

• Ilmaisurîn le kokoô
• Inkéra é emánóó
• Impukunót ó oloing’áng’e
• Aníng
• Enkíné, Oldía ó Enkíténg
• Olotí aláshe túrúáí
• Inkiláni e sukúul
• Anansi ó Eng’énó

See all 11 free Kimaasai books by reading level → · Books in 200+ languages · 👩‍🏫 Assign this book to a class

Frequently asked questions

Is “Nozibele ó ilpápít okúni” free to read?

Yes. “Nozibele ó ilpápít okúni” 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 ó ilpápít okúni” in?

It is written in Kimaasai. Pagine has 11 free children’s books in Kimaasai.

What age is “Nozibele ó ilpápít okúni” for?

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

Is “Nozibele ó ilpápít okúni” available in other languages?

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

Who wrote “Nozibele ó ilpápít okúni”?

“Nozibele ó ilpápít okúni” was written by Tessa Welch and illustrated by Wiehan de Jager.

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Credits: Nozibele ó ilpápít okúni — Written by Tessa Welch; Illustrated by Wiehan de Jager. Kimaasai, Level 3. From Global Storybooks (global-asp.github.io/storybooks-kenya), originally from the African Storybook (https://africanstorybook.org/reader.php?id=1880). CC BY 3.0. · Page updated October 2026