PagineTingi iyo lo’dii
A free picture book in Somali by Ingrid Schechter
Tingi iyo lo’dii is a picture book in Somali for ages 5–8 by Ingrid Schechter that you can read free online in Pagine — no download, no cost.
📖 Read it free →- Language
- Somali
- Written by
- Ingrid Schechter
- Illustrated by
- Ingrid Schechter
- Translated by
- Abdi Muse
- Reading level
- ages 5–8 · kindergarten to 2nd grade · Level 2 · First sentences
- From
- Kenya
- Source
- Global Storybooks
- Licence
- CC BY 3.0
- Price
- Free — read online, nothing to download
About this book
Tingi iyo lo’dii is a short illustrated picture book in Somali by Ingrid Schechter, illustrated by Ingrid Schechter and translated by Abdi Muse. 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 Somali. 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 waxuu la noolaa ayaydiis hooyo. Waxuu lo’da la raaci jiray ayada. Maalin ayaa waxaa yimid askartii. Waxay kaxaysteen lo’dii. Tingi iyo ayaydiis way carareen waa ayna dhuunteen. Waxay isku qariyeen duurka ilaa iyo habeenkii. Kadib askartii ayaa dib ugu…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 iyo lo’dii” is also available in:
- Afrikaans · Tingi en die koeie
- 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
- 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 Somali
- 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 Somali
Go’aan
Ilmo dameer ah
Heestii Sakima
Waxaan jeclahay in aan aqriyo!
Timo
Jirkeyga
Andiswa xidig kubadda cagta
Digaagad iyo Galayr
See all 40 free Somali books by reading level → · Books in 200+ languages · 👩🏫 Assign this book to a class
Frequently asked questions
Is “Tingi iyo lo’dii” free to read?
Yes. “Tingi iyo lo’dii” 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 iyo lo’dii” in?
It is written in Somali. Pagine has 40 free children’s books in Somali.
What age is “Tingi iyo lo’dii” for?
It is best for ages 5–8 (Level 2 · First sentences). Younger children can enjoy it read aloud.
Is “Tingi iyo lo’dii” available in other languages?
Yes — the same story is in English, Nigerian Pidgin, Kiswahili, Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans and more.
Who wrote “Tingi iyo lo’dii”?
“Tingi iyo lo’dii” was written by Ingrid Schechter and illustrated by Ingrid Schechter; the Somali translation is by Abdi Muse.
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Get the free app →Credits: Tingi iyo lo’dii — Written by Ingrid Schechter; Illustrated by Ingrid Schechter; Translated by Abdi Muse; Read by Ibrahim Ahmed. Somali, Level 2. From Global Storybooks (global-asp.github.io/storybooks-kenya), originally from the African Storybook (https://africanstorybook.org/reader.php?id=7441). CC BY 3.0. · Page updated October 2026