Utingi

A free picture book in Zulu by Ingrid Schechter

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

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Language

Zulu

Written by

Ingrid Schechter

Illustrated by

Ingrid Schechter

Translated by

Foundation phase teachers Umlazi

Reading level

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

From

South Africa

Source

Global Storybooks

Licence

CC BY 3.0

Price

Free — read online, nothing to download

About this book

Utingi is a short illustrated picture book in Zulu by Ingrid Schechter, illustrated by Ingrid Schechter and translated by Foundation phase teachers Umlazi. 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 Zulu. 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

UTingi wayehlala nogogo wakhe. UTingi wayejwayele ukwalusa izinkomo nogogo wakhe. Ngelinye ilanga kwafika amasosha. Amasosha athatha izinkomo ahamba nazo. UTingi nogogo wakhe babaleka bayocasha. Bacasha ehlathini kwaze kwaba sebusuku. Abaye abuya amasosha. Ugogo wafihla uTingi ngaphansi kwamaqabunga. Elinye lamasosha lamnyathela…

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. “Utingi” 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
• 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

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

• Ikati nenja ziyadweba futhi ziyahlobisa
• Buya, Kati!
• Ingwenya elambile
• Ukupheka
• Imbuzi, Inja Nenkomo
• UMagozwe
• Izimbali zikaGogo ezikhangayo
• Imidlalo yezinkawu

See all 145 free Zulu books by reading level → · Books in 200+ languages · 👩‍🏫 Assign this book to a class

Frequently asked questions

Is “Utingi” free to read?

Yes. “Utingi” 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 “Utingi” in?

It is written in Zulu. Pagine has 145 free children’s books in Zulu.

What age is “Utingi” for?

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

Is “Utingi” available in other languages?

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

Who wrote “Utingi”?

“Utingi” was written by Ingrid Schechter and illustrated by Ingrid Schechter; the Zulu translation is by Foundation phase teachers Umlazi.

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Credits: Utingi — Written by Ingrid Schechter; Illustrated by Ingrid Schechter; Translated by Foundation phase teachers Umlazi; Read by Beauty Ngwenya. Zulu, Level 2. From Global Storybooks (southafricareads.org), originally from the African Storybook (https://africanstorybook.org/reader.php?id=7441). CC BY 3.0. · Page updated October 2026