PagineUMagozwe
A free picture book in Zulu by Lesley Koyi
UMagozwe is a picture book in Zulu for ages 8–11 by Lesley Koyi that you can read free online in Pagine — no download, no cost.
📖 Read it free →- Language
- Zulu
- Written by
- Lesley Koyi
- Illustrated by
- Wiehan de Jager
- Translated by
- Margaret Nokuthula Zondi
- Reading level
- ages 8–11 · 3rd to 5th grade · Level 5 · Read aloud / independent
- From
- South Africa
- Source
- Global Storybooks
- Licence
- CC BY 4.0
- Price
- Free — read online, nothing to download
About this book
UMagozwe is a short illustrated picture book in Zulu by Lesley Koyi, illustrated by Wiehan de Jager and translated by Margaret Nokuthula Zondi. It is written for ages 8–11 (Grades 4–5) and is graded as Level 5 · Read aloud / independent, so it works as a read-aloud for little ones and as practice for children learning to read in Zulu. 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 28 other languages — handy for bilingual families and classrooms (see below).
How it begins
Edolobheni elinyamfukayo iNairobi, kude le nempilo yekhaya enokunakekela, kwakuhlala iqembu labafana abangenamakhaya. Kubona usuku lwalufana nolunye. Ekuseni ngelinye ilanga abafana babeqoqa amacansi abo kade belele onqenqemeni olubandayo lomgwaqo. Babasa umlilo ngemfucuza ukuze baxoshe amakhaza. Phakathi kwaleli qembu kwakunomncane kubo bonke…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. “UMagozwe” is also available in:
- Asante Twi · Magozwe
- Bemba · Magozwe
- Dagaare · Magozwe
- Dagbani · Magozwe
- Dangme · Mokasa
- Ewe · Magozwe
- Fante · Magozwe
- Ga · Magozwe
- Gonja · Magozwe
- Jamaican Creole · Magozwe
- Kaonde · Magozwe
- Kasem · Magozwe
- Kiswahili · Magozwe
- Lukhonzo · Magozwe
- Lunda · Magozwe
- Luvale · Magozwe
- Mauritian Creole · Magozwe
- Nyanja · Magozwe
- Nzema · Magozwe
- Sepedi · Magozwe
- Sesotho · Magozwe
- Somali · Magozwe
- Spanish · Magozwe
- Tonga · Magozwe
- Tsonga · Mahewu
- Tswana · Magozwe
- Venda · Magozwe
- Xhosa · UMagozwe
Reading together in Zulu
- 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 Zulu
Indlela Yokuthambisa Inunu
Indlu kaGundane
Uphi uThabo?
Isitsha samakhekhe masiwe
Icebo Elikhulu LikaNtuthwane Omncane
UMnumzane Sinamba Owozelayo
USindiwe kanye nawokhanyikhanyi
Umhlaba wezimanga kaNkosazana Helen
See all 145 free Zulu books by reading level → · Books in 200+ languages · 👩🏫 Assign this book to a class
Frequently asked questions
Is “UMagozwe” free to read?
Yes. “UMagozwe” 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 “UMagozwe” in?
It is written in Zulu. Pagine has 145 free children’s books in Zulu.
What age is “UMagozwe” for?
It is best for ages 8–11 (Level 5 · Read aloud / independent). Younger children can enjoy it read aloud.
Is “UMagozwe” available in other languages?
Yes — the same story is in Somali, Xhosa, Sepedi, Tswana, Sesotho, Tsonga and more.
Who wrote “UMagozwe”?
“UMagozwe” was written by Lesley Koyi and illustrated by Wiehan de Jager; the Zulu translation is by Margaret Nokuthula Zondi.
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Get the free app →Credits: UMagozwe — Written by Lesley Koyi; Illustrated by Wiehan de Jager; Translated by Margaret Nokuthula Zondi; Read by Beauty Ngwenya. Zulu, Level 5. From Global Storybooks (southafricareads.org), originally from the African Storybook (https://africanstorybook.org/reader.php?id=13213). CC BY 4.0. · Page updated October 2026