Tingi navangombe

A free picture book in Luvale by Ingrid Schechter

Tingi navangombe is a picture book in Luvale for ages 5–8 by Ingrid Schechter that you can read free online in Pagine — no download, no cost.

📖 Read it free →

Language

Luvale

Written by

Ingrid Schechter

Illustrated by

Ingrid Schechter

Translated by

Masho Kaloza

Reading level

ages 5–8 · kindergarten to 2nd grade · Level 2 · First sentences

From

Zambia

Source

Global Storybooks

Licence

CC BY 3.0

Price

Free — read online, nothing to download

About this book

Tingi navangombe is a short illustrated picture book in Luvale by Ingrid Schechter, illustrated by Ingrid Schechter and translated by Masho Kaloza. 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 Luvale. 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 atwamine nakhaka yenyi waphwevo. Apwilenga nakulama vangombe hamwe nakhaka yenyi waphwevo. Likumbi limwe maswalale vejile. Vambachile vangombe nakuya navo. Tingi nakhaka yenyi waphwevo vachinyine nakuswama. Vaswamine mumusenge kuheta nakuufuku. Kaha maswalale vejile cheka. Khaka yenyi waphwevo aswekele Tingi kwishi…

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 navangombe” 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
• 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 Luvale

• 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 Luvale

• Anansi na Chinyingi
• Ovyo ahanjikile ndumbu ya Vusi
• Kulava tunyama
• Avali
• Chahonesa nguvu kupwa naungona
• Lunga wamusuku chikuma
• Likumbi ngwafumine hembo nakuya kumbaka
• Makumbi akunokha nakhaka waphwevo

See all 40 free Luvale books by reading level → · Books in 200+ languages · 👩‍🏫 Assign this book to a class

Frequently asked questions

Is “Tingi navangombe” free to read?

Yes. “Tingi navangombe” 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 navangombe” in?

It is written in Luvale. Pagine has 40 free children’s books in Luvale.

What age is “Tingi navangombe” for?

It is best for ages 5–8 (Level 2 · First sentences). Younger children can enjoy it read aloud.

Is “Tingi navangombe” available in other languages?

Yes — the same story is in English, Nigerian Pidgin, Kiswahili, Somali, Zulu, Xhosa and more.

Who wrote “Tingi navangombe”?

“Tingi navangombe” was written by Ingrid Schechter and illustrated by Ingrid Schechter; the Luvale translation is by Masho Kaloza.

Track reading with the free Pagine app

Log books, set goals and build a daily reading habit — free on iOS, Android and the web.

Get the free app →

Credits: Tingi navangombe — Written by Ingrid Schechter; Illustrated by Ingrid Schechter; Translated by Masho Kaloza. Luvale, Level 2. From Global Storybooks (storybookszambia.net), originally from the African Storybook (https://africanstorybook.org/reader.php?id=7441). CC BY 3.0. · Page updated October 2026