PagineTingi en die koeie
A free picture book in Afrikaans by Ingrid Schechter
Tingi en die koeie is a picture book in Afrikaans for ages 5–8 by Ingrid Schechter that you can read free online in Pagine — no download, no cost.
📖 Read it free →- Language
- Afrikaans
- Written by
- Ingrid Schechter
- Illustrated by
- Ingrid Schechter
- Translated by
- Helena Vilonel
- Reading level
- ages 5–8 · kindergarten to 2nd grade · Level 2 · First sentences
- From
- South Africa, Namibia
- Source
- Global Storybooks
- Licence
- CC BY 3.0
- Price
- Free — read online, nothing to download
About this book
Tingi en die koeie is a short illustrated picture book in Afrikaans by Ingrid Schechter, illustrated by Ingrid Schechter and translated by Helena Vilonel. It is written for ages 5–8 (Grades 1–2) and is graded as Level 2 · First sentences, 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 27 other languages — handy for bilingual families and classrooms (see below).
How it begins
Tingi woon by sy ouma. Hy het saam met haar die koeie opgepas. Eendag het soldate gekom. Hulle het die koeie weggevat. Tingi en sy ouma het weggehardloop en gaan wegkruip. Hulle het in die bosse weggekruip tot na donker.…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. “Tingi en die koeie” is also available in:
- Bemba · Tingi ne ŋombe
- English · Tingi and the cows
- Ga · Tingi kɛ tsinai lɛ
- Jamaican Creole · Tinggi an di Kou
- Kaonde · Tingi ne Bañombe
- Khoekhoegowab · Tingib tsî gomadi
- Kigogo · Tingi na ng’ombe
- Kiswahili · Tingi na ng’ombe
- Luganda · Tingi n’ente
- Lukhonzo · Tingi N’esyande
- Lunda · Tingi nawa ng’ombi
- Luvale · Tingi navangombe
- Mauritian Creole · Tingi ek bann vas
- Nigerian Pidgin · Tingi and cows
- Nyanja · Tingi ndi ng’ombe
- Oshikwanyama · Tingi neengobe
- Oshindonga · Tingi noongombe
- Otjiherero · Tingi nozongombe
- Rutooro · Tingi N’Ente
- Sesotho · Tingi le dikgomo
- Somali · Tingi iyo lo’dii
- South Ndebele · UBongani neenkomo
- Spanish · Tingi y las vacas
- Tonga · Tingi Aŋombe
- Tswana · Tingi le dikgomo
- Xhosa · UTingi kunye Nenkomo
- Zulu · Utingi
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
Ek haat die winter
Zenande se helpende hande
Sirkels
Hallo
Kyk op!
My Spesiale Bersie
Saam is ons sterk: Die Storie van Albertina Sisulu
Klein Miertjie se Groot Plan
See all 143 free Afrikaans books by reading level → · Books in 200+ languages · 👩🏫 Assign this book to a class
Frequently asked questions
Is “Tingi en die koeie” free to read?
Yes. “Tingi en die koeie” 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 “Tingi en die koeie” in?
It is written in Afrikaans. Pagine has 143 free children’s books in Afrikaans.
What age is “Tingi en die koeie” for?
It is best for ages 5–8 (Level 2 · First sentences). Younger children can enjoy it read aloud.
Is “Tingi en die koeie” available in other languages?
Yes — the same story is in English, Nigerian Pidgin, Kiswahili, Somali, Zulu, Xhosa and more.
Who wrote “Tingi en die koeie”?
“Tingi en die koeie” was written by Ingrid Schechter and illustrated by Ingrid Schechter; the Afrikaans translation is by Helena Vilonel.
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Get the free app →Credits: Tingi en die koeie — Written by Ingrid Schechter; Illustrated by Ingrid Schechter; Translated by Helena Vilonel; Read by Helena Vilonel. Afrikaans, Level 2. From Global Storybooks (southafricareads.org), originally from the African Storybook (https://africanstorybook.org/reader.php?id=7441). CC BY 3.0. · Page updated October 2026