PagineTwee
A free picture book in Afrikaans by Carole Bloch
Twee is a picture book in Afrikaans for ages 2–8 by Carole Bloch that you can read free online in Pagine — no download, no cost.
📖 Read it free →- Language
- Afrikaans
- Written by
- Carole Bloch
- Illustrated by
- Richard MacIntosh
- Translated by
- Helena Vilonel
- Reading level
- ages 2–8 · preschool, kindergarten to 2nd grade · Level 1 · First words
- From
- South Africa, Namibia
- Source
- Global Storybooks
- Licence
- CC BY-NC 3.0
- Price
- Free — read online, nothing to download
About this book
Twee is a short illustrated picture book in Afrikaans by Carole Bloch, illustrated by Richard MacIntosh and translated by Helena Vilonel. 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 Afrikaans. 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 26 other languages — handy for bilingual families and classrooms (see below).
How it begins
Twee klein handjies om mee vas te hou. Twee klein voetjies om mee te skop. Twee klein ogies om mee te sien. Twee klein oortjies om mee te hoor. En twee arms om mee drukkies te gee. Twee — Written…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. “Twee” is also available in:
- Bemba · Tubili
- Dagbani · ayi
- English · Two
- Jamaican Creole · Tuu
- Kaonde · Tubiji
- Khoekhoegowab · ǀGam
- Kigogo · Nyejete
- Kikuyu · Igĩrĩ
- Kiswahili · Mbili
- Krio · Tu
- Lukhonzo · Ibiri
- Lunda · Ayedi
- Luvale · Avali
- Mauritian Creole · De
- Nyanja · Awili
- Oshikwanyama · Mbali
- Oshindonga · Mbali
- Otjiherero · Uvari
- Sepedi · Pedi
- Sesotho · Pedi
- Somali · Labo
- Spanish · Dos
- Tonga · Tobilo
- Tswana · Pedi
- Turkana · Ng’arei
- Zulu · Ezimbili
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
Hoe slaap jy?
Klein Bokkie
Saam Loop
Nkanyezi en die Fees van die Lente
Lara, die geel skilpadbesie
Die vis wat nie kon swem nie
Woef-Woef!
Nonkungu en die Imbulu
See all 143 free Afrikaans books by reading level → · Books in 200+ languages · 👩🏫 Assign this book to a class
Frequently asked questions
Is “Twee” free to read?
Yes. “Twee” 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 “Twee” in?
It is written in Afrikaans. Pagine has 143 free children’s books in Afrikaans.
What age is “Twee” for?
It is best for ages 2–8 (Level 1 · First words). Younger children can enjoy it read aloud.
Is “Twee” available in other languages?
Yes — the same story is in English, Kiswahili, Kikuyu, Turkana, Somali, Zulu and more.
Who wrote “Twee”?
“Twee” was written by Carole Bloch and illustrated by Richard MacIntosh; the Afrikaans translation is by Helena Vilonel.
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Get the free app →Credits: Twee — Written by Carole Bloch; Illustrated by Richard MacIntosh; Translated by Helena Vilonel; Read by Helena Vilonel. Afrikaans, Level 1. From Global Storybooks (southafricareads.org), originally from the African Storybook (https://africanstorybook.org/reader.php?id=3072). CC BY-NC 3.0. · Page updated October 2026