Ti ǀhôasa mâpa hâ?
A free picture book in Khoekhoegowab by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi

Ti ǀhôasa mâpa hâ? 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
- Bronwen Heath, Ingrid Schechter
- Translated by
- Ngeve Shangombe
- 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
Ti ǀhôasa mâpa hâ? is a short illustrated picture book in Khoekhoegowab by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi, illustrated by Bronwen Heath, Ingrid Schechter and translated by Ngeve Shangombe. 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 29 other languages — handy for bilingual families and classrooms (see below).
How it begins
Mâpa hâ ti ǀhôasa? Kharob ǃnāka i hâ? Xawankāb ǀgapika i hâ? Tsofab ǃgâb ai i hâ? ǀAwoxawab xōǀkhā i hâ? ǀHarus ǃnâ i hâ? Oms ǃauka i hâ? Nē a! Ti ǀhôasa mâpa hâ? — Written by Clare Verbeek,…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. “Ti ǀhôasa mâpa hâ?” is also available in:
- Afrikaans · Waar is my kat?
- Aringati · Mâ bú rã ŋâ íngõ lé ?
- Bemba · Puushi wandi alikwisa?
- English · Where is my cat? (Colour-in)
- Irish · Cá bhfuil mo chat?
- Jamaican Creole · We mi kyat de?
- Kaonde · Kamotoka kami kajipi?
- Kiswahili · Wapi paka wangu?
- Luganda · Kkapa yange eri wa?
- Lugbarati (official orthography) · Má vɨ́lé búsùá ngùá yǎ?
- Lukhonzo · Akangyangwa kayi kalihayi?
- Lunda · Kamesha kami wudi kudihi?
- Lunyole · Ekapa yange yiri ŋeena?
- Lusoga · Eipuusi lyange lili gha?
- Luvale · Kangatwe kami ali kulihi?
- Mauritian Creole · Mo sat kote?
- Nyanja · Cona wanga ali kuti?
- Oshikwanyama · Okambishi kange oke li peni?
- Oshindonga · Okambishi kandje oke li peni?
- Otjiherero · Okambihi kandje ke ri pi?
- Sepedi · Katse yaka e kae?
- Sesotho · Katse yaka e kae?
- Somali · Aaway yaanyuurtaydii?
- South Ndebele · Ukuphi ukatsu wami?
- Spanish · ¿Dónde está mi gato?
- Swati · Liphi likati lami
- Tonga · Ino Kaaze Wangu Uli Kuli?
- Turkana · Aluwae Eyei Ipus Nikang’?
- Xhosa · Iphi ikati yam?
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
Anis tsî ǃAriǃkhās hâra xa
ǂNam ra aob
ǃÂsa ǁnâseb xa
ǂÛdīs
Mîǁguib
ǀGirib tsî sores
Nozibeles tsî ǃnona ǀûgu xa
Tita ge khomais xa a ǃgâibahe!
See all 40 free Khoekhoegowab books by reading level → · Books in 200+ languages · 👩🏫 Assign this book to a class
Frequently asked questions
Is “Ti ǀhôasa mâpa hâ?” free to read?
Yes. “Ti ǀhôasa mâpa hâ?” 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 “Ti ǀhôasa mâpa hâ?” in?
It is written in Khoekhoegowab. Pagine has 40 free children’s books in Khoekhoegowab.
What age is “Ti ǀhôasa mâpa hâ?” for?
It is best for ages 2–8 (Level 1 · First words). Younger children can enjoy it read aloud.
Is “Ti ǀhôasa mâpa hâ?” available in other languages?
Yes — the same story is in English, Kiswahili, Turkana, Somali, Xhosa, Afrikaans and more.
Who wrote “Ti ǀhôasa mâpa hâ?”?
“Ti ǀhôasa mâpa hâ?” was written by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi and illustrated by Bronwen Heath, Ingrid Schechter; the Khoekhoegowab translation is by Ngeve Shangombe.
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Get the free app →Credits: Ti ǀhôasa mâpa hâ? — Written by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi; Illustrated by Bronwen Heath, Ingrid Schechter; Translated by Ngeve Shangombe. Khoekhoegowab, Level 1. From Global Storybooks (storybooksnamibia.net), originally from the African Storybook (https://africanstorybook.org/reader.php?id=1825). CC BY-NC 3.0. · Page updated October 2026