Ubushiku nafumine pa ŋanda ukuya ku kalaale

A free picture book in Bemba by Lesley Koyi, Ursula Nafula

Ubushiku nafumine pa ŋanda ukuya ku kalaale is a picture book in Bemba for ages 5–11 by Lesley Koyi, Ursula Nafula that you can read free online in Pagine — no download, no cost.

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Language

Bemba

Written by

Lesley Koyi, Ursula Nafula

Illustrated by

Brian Wambi

Translated by

Sandra Mulesu

Reading level

ages 5–11 · kindergarten to 2nd grade, 3rd to 5th grade · Level 3 · First paragraphs

From

Zambia

Source

Global Storybooks

Licence

CC BY 4.0

Price

Free — read online, nothing to download

About this book

Ubushiku nafumine pa ŋanda ukuya ku kalaale is a short illustrated picture book in Bemba by Lesley Koyi, Ursula Nafula, illustrated by Brian Wambi and translated by Sandra Mulesu. It is written for ages 5–11 (Grades 2–3) and is graded as Level 3 · First paragraphs, so it works as a read-aloud for little ones and as practice for children learning to read in Bemba. The book comes from Global Storybooks and is shared under an open CC BY 4.0 licence, which is why it is free to read. The same story is available in 19 other languages — handy for bilingual families and classrooms (see below).

How it begins

Pa citesheni ca saaca mu mushi wandi pali abantu abengi na basaaca abaiswilemo abantu. Panshi napo ninshi pali ifipe na fimbi ifyakulonga. Abalumendo ninshi baleependilila ukuleya basaaca. “Ku kalale! Ku kalale! Abaleya ku masamba!” Naumfwile baleepunda. Eesaaca nalingile ukuniina. Saaca…

Opening lines quoted from the openly licensed book (CC BY 4.0).

This story in other languages

Reading the same story in two languages helps bilingual children connect words they already know. “Ubushiku nafumine pa ŋanda ukuya ku kalaale” is also available in:

• Afrikaans · Die dag toe ek van my huis weggegaan het stad toe
• English · Day I left home for the city
• English · The day I left home for the city
• Jamaican Creole · Di Die Mi Lef Mi Yaad Fi Go Toun
• Kaonde · Juuba Jonafumine Kumuzhi Kuya Kutaunyi
• Khoekhoegowab · ǁGâusa xu ta ge kaiǃās ǁga ǃgû tsēs
• Kiswahili · Siku niliyoondoka nyumbani kuelekea mjini
• Lukhonzo · Ekiro Nalw’eka ingaghenda omw’akibugha
• Lunda · Ifuku inafumini kumukala nakuya kumbaka
• Luvale · Likumbi ngwafumine hembo nakuya kumbaka
• Mauritian Creole · Zour mo’nn kit lakaz pou lavil
• Nyanja · Tsiku lamene ndinanyamukila panyumba kuyenda kumzinda
• Oshikwanyama · Efiku nda fiya po eumbo komukunda ndi ye koshilando
• Oshindonga · Esiku nda thiga po egumbo ndi ye koshilando
• Otjiherero · Eyuva ndu mba za ponganda okuyenda kotjihuro
• Somali · Maalintii aan ka tagay guriga een magalada aaday
• Spanish · El día que dejé mi casa para irme a la ciudad
• Tonga · Buzuba Mbwindakaunka Kudolopo
• Tswana · Letsatsi je ke duleng mo gae ka ya toropong

Reading together in Bemba

• 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 Bemba

• Ibuuku lya pamiceele
• Abaana bepula
• Umuntu umutali saana
• Inkoko ne Ciyongoli
• Simbegwire
• Mona Inama
• Finshi Uleecita?
• Ukusalapo

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

Frequently asked questions

Is “Ubushiku nafumine pa ŋanda ukuya ku kalaale” free to read?

Yes. “Ubushiku nafumine pa ŋanda ukuya ku kalaale” 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 4.0).

What language is “Ubushiku nafumine pa ŋanda ukuya ku kalaale” in?

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

What age is “Ubushiku nafumine pa ŋanda ukuya ku kalaale” for?

It is best for ages 5–11 (Level 3 · First paragraphs). Younger children can enjoy it read aloud.

Is “Ubushiku nafumine pa ŋanda ukuya ku kalaale” available in other languages?

Yes — the same story is in English, English, Kiswahili, Somali, Afrikaans, Tswana and more.

Who wrote “Ubushiku nafumine pa ŋanda ukuya ku kalaale”?

“Ubushiku nafumine pa ŋanda ukuya ku kalaale” was written by Lesley Koyi, Ursula Nafula and illustrated by Brian Wambi; the Bemba translation is by Sandra Mulesu.

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Credits: Ubushiku nafumine pa ŋanda ukuya ku kalaale — Written by Lesley Koyi, Ursula Nafula; Illustrated by Brian Wambi; Translated by Sandra Mulesu. Bemba, Level 3. From Global Storybooks (storybookszambia.net), originally from the African Storybook (https://africanstorybook.org/reader.php?id=15029). CC BY 4.0. · Page updated October 2026