Yini okutjhiwo ngudadwabo likaVusi?

A free picture book in South Ndebele by Nina Orange

Yini okutjhiwo ngudadwabo likaVusi? is a picture book in South Ndebele for ages 8–11 by Nina Orange that you can read free online in Pagine — no download, no cost.

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Language

South Ndebele · isiNdebele

Written by

Nina Orange

Illustrated by

Wiehan de Jager

Translated by

Tshabalala Amanda, Sekgosana Thulisile

Reading level

ages 8–11 · 3rd to 5th grade · Level 4 · Longer paragraphs

From

South Africa

Source

Global Storybooks

Licence

CC BY 3.0

Price

Free — read online, nothing to download

About this book

Yini okutjhiwo ngudadwabo likaVusi? is a short illustrated picture book in South Ndebele by Nina Orange, illustrated by Wiehan de Jager and translated by Tshabalala Amanda, Sekgosana Thulisile. It is written for ages 8–11 (Grades 3–4) and is graded as Level 4 · Longer paragraphs, so it works as a read-aloud for little ones and as practice for children learning to read in South Ndebele. 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 19 other languages — handy for bilingual families and classrooms (see below).

How it begins

Ngelinye ilanga ekuseni ugogo kaVusi wabiza uVusi, “Vusi, ngibawa uthathe iqanda nanti ulise kubabelethi bakho. Bafuna ukwenzela udadwenu ikhekhe elikhulu lomtjhado wakhe.” Endleleni eya kubabelethi bakhe, uVusi wahlangana nabesana ababili bakha iinthelo. Umsana munye waphamula iqanda kuVusi walibethanisa nomuthi. Laphuka…

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. “Yini okutjhiwo ngudadwabo likaVusi?” is also available in:

• Afrikaans · Wat Vusi se suster gesê het
• Bemba · Ifyalandile nkashi yakwa Vusi
• English · What Vusi's sister said
• Jamaican Creole · Wa Vuusi Sista Se
• Kaonde · Byaambile Ñenya Yakwa Vusi
• Khoekhoegowab · Vusib ausis ge mîs
• Kiswahili · Alichokisema dada yake Vusi
• Lukhonzo · Ekya’mwaliwabu Vusi abugha
• Lunda · Zhahosheliyi muhela Vusi
• Luvale · Ovyo ahanjikile ndumbu ya Vusi
• Mauritian Creole · Ser Vusi ki pou dir ?
• Nyanja · Zomwe Mulongo wa Vusi Ananena
• Oshikwanyama · Osho omumwainakadona waVusi a ti
• Oshindonga · Shoka omumwayinakadhona gwaVusi a ti
• Otjiherero · Omuṱena wa Vusi wa tja
• Somali · Waxa ay Vusi walaashiis tiri
• Spanish · Lo que la hermana de Vusi dijo
• Tonga · Ncaakaamba Mucizyi wa Vusi
• Tswana · Se mogoloe Susi a se buileng

Reading together in South Ndebele

• 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 South Ndebele

• UBaba uza ekhaya
• Imbewu Encazana
• Iqanda
• Buya, katsu!
• Ukuvuma ngeqiniso: Indatjana kaMiriam Makeba
• Ukuzuma umoya wethwasahlobo
• Ikosi yeenyoni
• UMaguru unikela imilenze

See all 69 free South Ndebele books by reading level → · Books in 200+ languages · 👩‍🏫 Assign this book to a class

Frequently asked questions

Is “Yini okutjhiwo ngudadwabo likaVusi?” free to read?

Yes. “Yini okutjhiwo ngudadwabo likaVusi?” 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 “Yini okutjhiwo ngudadwabo likaVusi?” in?

It is written in South Ndebele (isiNdebele). Pagine has 69 free children’s books in South Ndebele.

What age is “Yini okutjhiwo ngudadwabo likaVusi?” for?

It is best for ages 8–11 (Level 4 · Longer paragraphs). Younger children can enjoy it read aloud.

Is “Yini okutjhiwo ngudadwabo likaVusi?” available in other languages?

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

Who wrote “Yini okutjhiwo ngudadwabo likaVusi?”?

“Yini okutjhiwo ngudadwabo likaVusi?” was written by Nina Orange and illustrated by Wiehan de Jager; the South Ndebele translation is by Tshabalala Amanda, Sekgosana Thulisile.

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Credits: Yini okutjhiwo ngudadwabo likaVusi? — Written by Nina Orange; Illustrated by Wiehan de Jager; Translated by Tshabalala Amanda, Sekgosana Thulisile. isiNdebele, Level 4. From Global Storybooks (southafricareads.org), originally from the African Storybook (https://africanstorybook.org/reader.php?id=6895). CC BY 3.0. · Page updated October 2026