PagineO dira eng?
A free picture book in Tswana by Nina Orange
O dira eng? is a picture book in Tswana for ages 2–8 by Nina Orange that you can read free online in Pagine — no download, no cost.
📖 Read it free →- Language
- Tswana
- Written by
- Nina Orange
- Illustrated by
- Wiehan de Jager
- Translated by
- Antonia Madi
- Reading level
- ages 2–8 · preschool, kindergarten to 2nd grade · Level 1 · First words
- From
- South Africa, Namibia
- Source
- Global Storybooks
- Licence
- CC BY 3.0
- Price
- Free — read online, nothing to download
About this book
O dira eng? is a short illustrated picture book in Tswana by Nina Orange, illustrated by Wiehan de Jager and translated by Antonia Madi. It is written for ages 2–8 (Nursery–Year 1) and is graded as Level 1 · First words, 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 29 other languages — handy for bilingual families and classrooms (see below).
How it begins
Ke a opela. O ntsamaisa sentle. Ke opa diatla. O otlolola mabogo. O a bitsa. Ke a araba. O reeditse. O dira eng? — Written by Nina Orange; Illustrated by Wiehan de Jager; Translated by Antonia Madi. Tswana, Level 1.…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. “O dira eng?” is also available in:
- Afrikaans · Wat doen jy?
- Bemba · Finshi Uleecita?
- Dagbani · Bɔ ka a niŋda?
- Jamaican Creole · Wa yu a du?
- Kaonde · Ubena Kuuba ka?
- Khoekhoegowab · Tare-ets ra dī?
- Kichaga · Kiki kukeuta?
- Kikuyu · Nĩkĩĩ ureka?
- Kisukuma · Uleetake?
- Kiswahili · Unafanya nini?
- Krio · Wetin yu de du?
- Lukhonzo · Ukakolhaki?
- Lunda · Winakwiladi?
- Lunyole · Ohola hiina?
- Luvale · Uli nakulinga ika?
- Mauritian Creole · Ki to pe fer?
- Nyanja · Ucita Ciani?
- Oshikwanyama · Oto ningi shike?
- Oshindonga · Oto ningi shike?
- Otjiherero · Ove mo tjiti tjike?
- Sepedi · O dira eng?
- Sesotho · O etsang?
- Somali · Maxaad samaynaysaa?
- Spanish · ¿Qué estás haciendo?
- Tonga · Ino Ucita Nzi?
- Tsonga · Xana u endla yini?
- Turkana · Nyo Isubi Iyong?
- Xhosa · Wenza Ntoni?
- Zulu · Wenzani?
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
Leru le le Ngongoregileng
Diresepe tsa ga Lonwabo
Ga se Thabi! Ke kubu!
Lesea lele ke mang?
Setshego se se latlhegileng
Go Tsamaya Mmogo
Setaele sa ga Rafiki
Setshwantsho sa nthla sa lesea le ba lelapa
See all 103 free Tswana books by reading level → · Books in 200+ languages · 👩🏫 Assign this book to a class
Frequently asked questions
Is “O dira eng?” free to read?
Yes. “O dira eng?” 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 “O dira eng?” in?
It is written in Tswana. Pagine has 103 free children’s books in Tswana.
What age is “O dira eng?” for?
It is best for ages 2–8 (Level 1 · First words). Younger children can enjoy it read aloud.
Is “O dira eng?” available in other languages?
Yes — the same story is in Kikuyu, Turkana, Somali, Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans and more.
Who wrote “O dira eng?”?
“O dira eng?” was written by Nina Orange and illustrated by Wiehan de Jager; the Tswana translation is by Antonia Madi.
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Get the free app →Credits: O dira eng? — Written by Nina Orange; Illustrated by Wiehan de Jager; Translated by Antonia Madi. Tswana, Level 1. From Global Storybooks (southafricareads.org), originally from the African Storybook (https://africanstorybook.org/reader.php?id=7292). CC BY 3.0. · Page updated October 2026