ǀOpesa ǂkhari ǃgâsarob
A free picture book in Khoekhoegowab by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi

ǀOpesa ǂkhari ǃgâsarob is a picture book in Khoekhoegowab for ages 2–8 by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi that you can read free online in Pagine — no download, no cost.
📖 Read it free →- Language
- Khoekhoegowab
- Written by
- Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi
- Illustrated by
- Mlungisi Dlamini, Ingrid Schechter
- Translated by
- Maureen Merley So-Oabes
- Reading level
- ages 2–8 · preschool, kindergarten to 2nd grade · Level 1 · First words
- From
- Namibia
- Source
- Global Storybooks
- Licence
- CC BY-NC 3.0
- Price
- Free — read online, nothing to download
About this book
ǀOpesa ǂkhari ǃgâsarob is a short illustrated picture book in Khoekhoegowab by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi, illustrated by Mlungisi Dlamini, Ingrid Schechter and translated by Maureen Merley So-Oabes. 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 Khoekhoegowab. The book comes from Global Storybooks and is shared under an open CC BY-NC 3.0 licence, which is why it is free to read. The same story is available in 33 other languages — handy for bilingual families and classrooms (see below).
How it begins
Tita ge khâi, tsî ǀaesa ra khau. ǁGam-e ta ge ra ǀgûǀgû. ǀAena ta ge ra ǁhā. Sūsa ta ge ra huni. ǂGapaba ta ge ra ǀnapu. Xawana ta ge ra ǁā. Tare-i ǃaroma ta nēti ǀgaisase ra nî sîsen……Opening lines quoted from the openly licensed book (CC BY-NC 3.0).
This story in other languages
Reading the same story in two languages helps bilingual children connect words they already know. “ǀOpesa ǂkhari ǃgâsarob” is also available in:
- Afrikaans · Lui klein boetie
- Aringati · Álụ́ ma ꞌbã á dríp ̣ ị ĩmbírá ŋá ũ vú rĩ
- Bemba · Kandume yandi akanaŋani
- English · Lazy little brother (Colour-in)
- Jamaican Creole · Liezi likl breda
- Kaonde · Nkasami Wamulume Nkope
- Kichaga · Maneru namroko
- Kikamba · Kamwanayia kaanu
- Kimaasai · Olotí aláshe túrúáí
- Kisukuma · Nzunaone ngokolo.
- Kiswahili · Mdogo wangu mvivu
- Lubukusu · Wandayase omutiti omukara
- Luganda · Muto wange munafu
- Lugbarati (official orthography) · Ma adrigaaovuoruri
- Lukhonzo · Mughala Wethu Omughatha
- Lumasaaba · Waandaaye umukyeekhe umutoro
- Lunda · Mwanyikami wamunyanya wakatala
- Lunyole · Muto yange omudoto
- Lusoga · Lwaki nkola zenka?
- Luvale · Songoyami walunga wauvwa
- Mauritian Creole · Enn ti frer pares
- Nyanja · Mphwanga Waulesi
- Oshikwanyama · Okamwameme mati okananyalo
- Oshindonga · Okamwamememati okananyalo
- Otjiherero · Okangu kotjirweyo
- Sesotho · Abuti ya monyenyane ya botswa
- Somali · Walal yar oo caajislow ah
- Spanish · El hermanito perezoso
- Tonga · Kasyoonto Kangu kasankwa Katolo
- Tswana · Kgantsadiake yo monnye wa sekopa
- Turkana · Lokaito Loochi Lokalany
- Xhosa · Umnakwethu Omncinci Olivila
- Zulu · Ubhuti omncane ovilaphayo
Reading together in Khoekhoegowab
- 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 Khoekhoegowab
Tsâsigu
ǂOaǀnanumâsib ǂKhanis
Tingib tsî gomadi
Zamas ge a ǂoaǂamsa
ǁGâusa xu ta ge kaiǃās ǁga ǃgû tsēs
Zambezib ǃāb ǃnâ tsâs xa
Kō re xamarina
Ti ǀhôasa mâpa hâ?
See all 40 free Khoekhoegowab books by reading level → · Books in 200+ languages · 👩🏫 Assign this book to a class
Frequently asked questions
Is “ǀOpesa ǂkhari ǃgâsarob” free to read?
Yes. “ǀOpesa ǂkhari ǃgâsarob” 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-NC 3.0).
What language is “ǀOpesa ǂkhari ǃgâsarob” in?
It is written in Khoekhoegowab. Pagine has 40 free children’s books in Khoekhoegowab.
What age is “ǀOpesa ǂkhari ǃgâsarob” for?
It is best for ages 2–8 (Level 1 · First words). Younger children can enjoy it read aloud.
Is “ǀOpesa ǂkhari ǃgâsarob” available in other languages?
Yes — the same story is in English, Kiswahili, Kikamba, Kimaasai, Turkana, Somali and more.
Who wrote “ǀOpesa ǂkhari ǃgâsarob”?
“ǀOpesa ǂkhari ǃgâsarob” was written by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi and illustrated by Mlungisi Dlamini, Ingrid Schechter; the Khoekhoegowab translation is by Maureen Merley So-Oabes.
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Get the free app →Credits: ǀOpesa ǂkhari ǃgâsarob — Written by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi; Illustrated by Mlungisi Dlamini, Ingrid Schechter; Translated by Maureen Merley So-Oabes. Khoekhoegowab, Level 1. From Global Storybooks (storybooksnamibia.net), originally from the African Storybook (https://africanstorybook.org/reader.php?id=2896). CC BY-NC 3.0. · Page updated October 2026