Simbegwire

A free picture book in Tswana by Rukia Nantale

Simbegwire is a picture book in Tswana for ages 8–11 by Rukia Nantale that you can read free online in Pagine — no download, no cost.

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Language

Tswana

Written by

Rukia Nantale

Illustrated by

Benjamin Mitchley

Translated by

Domitilla Naledi Madi

Reading level

ages 8–11 · 3rd to 5th grade · Level 5 · Read aloud / independent

From

South Africa, Namibia

Source

Global Storybooks

Licence

CC BY 3.0

Price

Free — read online, nothing to download

About this book

Simbegwire is a short illustrated picture book in Tswana by Rukia Nantale, illustrated by Benjamin Mitchley and translated by Domitilla Naledi Madi. It is written for ages 8–11 (Grades 4–5) and is graded as Level 5 · Read aloud / independent, 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 15 other languages — handy for bilingual families and classrooms (see below).

How it begins

E rile fa mmagwe Simbegwire a tlhokafala, o ne a utlwile botlhoko thata.Rragwe Simbegwire o dirile ka bojotlhe jwa gagwe go tlhokomela morwadie. Ka bonya, ba ithuta go ikutlwa ba itumetse, kwa ntle ga ga mmagwe Simbegwire. Letsatsi le letsatsi…

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. “Simbegwire” is also available in:

• Afrikaans · Simbegwire
• Bemba · Simbegwire
• English · Simbegwire
• Jamaican Creole · Simbegwiere
• Kaonde · Simbegwire
• Kiswahili · Simbegwire
• Lukhonzo · Simbegwire
• Lunda · Simbegwire
• Lunyole · Sibahwana
• Luvale · Simbegwire
• Mauritian Creole · Simbegwire
• Nyanja · Simbegwire
• Somali · Simbegwire
• Spanish · Simbegwire
• Tonga · Simbegwire

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

• Hau-Hau!
• Dikatse tsa ga Selemeng
• Maikutlo
• Buka ya seemo sa bosa
• Tingi le dikgomo
• Zama o godile.
• Koko le Sebokolodi
• Magozwe

See all 103 free Tswana books by reading level → · Books in 200+ languages · 👩‍🏫 Assign this book to a class

Frequently asked questions

Is “Simbegwire” free to read?

Yes. “Simbegwire” 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 “Simbegwire” in?

It is written in Tswana. Pagine has 103 free children’s books in Tswana.

What age is “Simbegwire” for?

It is best for ages 8–11 (Level 5 · Read aloud / independent). Younger children can enjoy it read aloud.

Is “Simbegwire” available in other languages?

Yes — the same story is in English, Kiswahili, Somali, Afrikaans, Lukhonzo, Lunyole and more.

Who wrote “Simbegwire”?

“Simbegwire” was written by Rukia Nantale and illustrated by Benjamin Mitchley; the Tswana translation is by Domitilla Naledi Madi.

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Credits: Simbegwire — Written by Rukia Nantale; Illustrated by Benjamin Mitchley; Translated by Domitilla Naledi Madi. Tswana, Level 5. From Global Storybooks (southafricareads.org), originally from the African Storybook (https://africanstorybook.org/reader.php?id=7068). CC BY 3.0. · Page updated October 2026