Ouma se piesangs

A free picture book in Afrikaans by Ursula Nafula

Ouma se piesangs is a picture book in Afrikaans for ages 8–11 by Ursula Nafula that you can read free online in Pagine — no download, no cost.

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Language

Afrikaans

Written by

Ursula Nafula

Illustrated by

Catherine Groenewald

Translated by

Willemien Wannberg

Reading level

ages 8–11 · 3rd to 5th grade · Level 4 · Longer paragraphs

From

South Africa

Source

Global Storybooks

Licence

CC BY 3.0

Price

Free — read online, nothing to download

About this book

Ouma se piesangs is a short illustrated picture book in Afrikaans by Ursula Nafula, illustrated by Catherine Groenewald and translated by Willemien Wannberg. It is written for ages 8–11 (Grades 3–4) and is graded as Level 4 · Longer paragraphs, so it works as a read-aloud for little ones and as practice for children learning to read in Afrikaans. 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 18 other languages — handy for bilingual families and classrooms (see below).

How it begins

Ouma se tuin was wonderlik, vol sorghum, gars en maniok. Maar die beste van alles was die piesangs. Alhoewel Ouma baie kleinkinders gehad het, het ek in die geheim geweet ek is haar gunsteling. Sy het my dikwels na haar…

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. “Ouma se piesangs” is also available in:

• Bemba · Inkonde shaba maama
• EkeGusii · Amatoke A’baba
• Jamaican Creole · Granmaa banaana dem
• Kaonde · Makonde aba Nkambo
• Kikamba · Maiũ ma Sũsũ
• Kimaasai · Ilmaisurîn le kokoô
• Kiswahili · Ndizi za bibi
• Lugbarati (official orthography) · Dede vile A’bua ri
• Lukhonzo · Ameeru A’mukaka
• Lumasaaba · Kamarofu ka Kuukhu
• Lunda · Makondi aNkanka
• Luvale · Makonde akhaka
• Mauritian Creole · Banann granmer
• Nyanja · Nthochi za Agogo
• Somali · Mooskii ayeeyo
• Spanish · Los plátanos de mi abuela
• Tonga · Mabbanana Aabaneene
• Tswana · Dipanana tsa ga mmemogolo

Reading together in Afrikaans

• 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 Afrikaans

• Saam is ons sterk: Die Storie van Albertina Sisulu
• Klein Miertjie se Groot Plan
• Mev Pikkewyn se Perfekte Paleis
• ’n Dag Uit
• Koning Kaja en sy Dogter
• 'n Warm Saterdag
• Groot Blou Bus
• Wat Ek Graag Doen

See all 143 free Afrikaans books by reading level → · Books in 200+ languages · 👩‍🏫 Assign this book to a class

Frequently asked questions

Is “Ouma se piesangs” free to read?

Yes. “Ouma se piesangs” 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 “Ouma se piesangs” in?

It is written in Afrikaans. Pagine has 143 free children’s books in Afrikaans.

What age is “Ouma se piesangs” for?

It is best for ages 8–11 (Level 4 · Longer paragraphs). Younger children can enjoy it read aloud.

Is “Ouma se piesangs” available in other languages?

Yes — the same story is in EkeGusii, Kikamba, Kimaasai, Somali, Tswana, Kiswahili and more.

Who wrote “Ouma se piesangs”?

“Ouma se piesangs” was written by Ursula Nafula and illustrated by Catherine Groenewald; the Afrikaans translation is by Willemien Wannberg.

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Credits: Ouma se piesangs — Written by Ursula Nafula; Illustrated by Catherine Groenewald; Translated by Willemien Wannberg; Read by Willemien Wannberg. Afrikaans, Level 4. From Global Storybooks (southafricareads.org), originally from the African Storybook (https://africanstorybook.org/reader.php?id=2094). CC BY 3.0. · Page updated October 2026