Tingi ndi ng’ombe

A free picture book in Nyanja by Ingrid Schechter

Tingi ndi ng’ombe is a picture book in Nyanja for ages 5–8 by Ingrid Schechter that you can read free online in Pagine — no download, no cost.

📖 Read it free →

Language

Nyanja

Written by

Ingrid Schechter

Illustrated by

Ingrid Schechter

Translated by

Fredrick Mapulanga

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 ndi ng’ombe is a short illustrated picture book in Nyanja by Ingrid Schechter, illustrated by Ingrid Schechter and translated by Fredrick Mapulanga. 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 Nyanja. 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 amakhala ndi agogo ake akazi. Amakonda kuweta ng’ombezo. Tsiku lina asilikali anabwela. Anatenga ng’ombezo kupita nazo. Tingi ndi agogo ake adathawa ndi kubisala. Adabisala kuthengo mpaka usiku. Kenako asilikaliwo anabwelela. Agogo adabisa Tingi pansi pamasamba. M’modzi wa asilikali adaika…

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 ndi ng’ombe” 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
• 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 Nyanja

• 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 Nyanja

• Ncifukwa Ciani Mvuu zilibe Tsitsi
• Bambo wamutali kwambili
• Tsiku lamene ndinanyamukila panyumba kuyenda kumzinda
• Simbegwire
• Mfumukazi yonyamula zitsulo zolemera
• Bwenzi wa Goby wa phokoso
• Kodi Amai adzabwera nthawi yanji?
• Mai Msoti

See all 105 free Nyanja books by reading level → · Books in 200+ languages · 👩‍🏫 Assign this book to a class

Frequently asked questions

Is “Tingi ndi ng’ombe” free to read?

Yes. “Tingi ndi ng’ombe” 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 ndi ng’ombe” in?

It is written in Nyanja. Pagine has 105 free children’s books in Nyanja.

What age is “Tingi ndi ng’ombe” for?

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

Is “Tingi ndi ng’ombe” available in other languages?

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

Who wrote “Tingi ndi ng’ombe”?

“Tingi ndi ng’ombe” was written by Ingrid Schechter and illustrated by Ingrid Schechter; the Nyanja translation is by Fredrick Mapulanga.

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 ndi ng’ombe — Written by Ingrid Schechter; Illustrated by Ingrid Schechter; Translated by Fredrick Mapulanga; Read by Christine Mwanza. Nyanja, 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