Waar is my kat?

Name: Waar is my kat?
Availability: InStock
Author: Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi

A free picture book in Afrikaans by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi

Cover of Waar is my kat?, a Afrikaans picture book

Waar is my kat? is a picture book in Afrikaans for ages 2–8 by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi that you can read free online in Pagine — no download, no cost.

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Language: Afrikaans
Written by: Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi
Illustrated by: Bronwen Heath, Ingrid Schechter
Translated by: Abigail de Sousa, Judy Grobler
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

Waar is my kat? is a short illustrated picture book in Afrikaans by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi, illustrated by Bronwen Heath, Ingrid Schechter and translated by Abigail de Sousa, Judy Grobler. 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 29 other languages — handy for bilingual families and classrooms (see below).

How it begins

Is hy onder die bed? Is hy bo-op die klerekas? Is hy agter die rusbank? Is hy langs die vullisblik? Is hy binne-in die mandjie? Is hy buite die huis? Hier is hy! Waar is my kat? — Written by…

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. “Waar is my kat?” is also available in:

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

See all 143 free Afrikaans books by reading level → · Books in 200+ languages · 👩‍🏫 Assign this book to a class

Frequently asked questions

Is “Waar is my kat?” free to read?

Yes. “Waar is my kat?” 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 “Waar is my kat?” in?

It is written in Afrikaans. Pagine has 143 free children’s books in Afrikaans.

What age is “Waar is my kat?” for?

It is best for ages 2–8 (Level 1 · First words). Younger children can enjoy it read aloud.

Is “Waar is my kat?” available in other languages?

Yes — the same story is in English, Kiswahili, Turkana, Somali, Xhosa, Sepedi and more.

Who wrote “Waar is my kat?”?

“Waar is my kat?” was written by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi and illustrated by Bronwen Heath, Ingrid Schechter; the Afrikaans translation is by Abigail de Sousa, Judy Grobler.

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Credits: Waar is my kat? — Written by Clare Verbeek, Thembani Dladla, Zanele Buthelezi; Illustrated by Bronwen Heath, Ingrid Schechter; Translated by Abigail de Sousa, Judy Grobler; Read by Willemien Wannberg. Afrikaans, Level 1. From Global Storybooks (southafricareads.org), originally from the African Storybook (https://africanstorybook.org/reader.php?id=1825). CC BY-NC 3.0. · Page updated October 2026