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A girl next to an orange tree.

Khalai ta uyungire yimeno Khalai talks to plants

Written by Ursula Nafula

Illustrated by Jesse Pietersen

Translated by Anna Sengumbe

Language Rukwangali

Level Level 2

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A girl in a field waving.

Ogu yige Khalai. Nomvhura dedi ntambali.Edina lyendi kutanta asi’ gomuwa’ meraka lyawo lyoru Lubukusu.

This is Khalai. She is seven years old. Her name means ‘the good one’ in her language, Lubukusu.


A girl talking to an orange tree.

Khalai ana pinduka kuna kuuyungisa sitji somaguni.”Nakanderere sitji somaguni kura yipo ngo tu pe maguni gomanzi gokupya”.

Khalai wakes up and talks to the orange tree. “Please orange tree, grow big and give us lots of ripe oranges.”


A girl kneeling on the ground talking to grass.

Khalai kwa kugenda aze kosure.Monzira zendi ta uyungisa wayi.”Nakandere wayi kura sinamahako waha kukuta”.

Khalai walks to school. On the way she talks to the grass. “Please grass, grow greener and don’t dry up.”


A girl looking at wild flowers.

Khalai ta piti ponombya domowiza.”Nakandere nombya, temuneni ngorooro yipo ni mu ture monohuki dange”.

Khalai passes wild flowers. “Please flowers, keep blooming so I can put you in my hair.”


A girl next to a tree in a school playground.

Posure, Khalai ta uyunga nositji sopokatji keharango lyosure.”Nakandere sitji kara nonomutayi dononene yipo nga tu resere monda zomundwire goge.”

At school, Khalai talks to the tree in the middle of the compound. “Please tree, put out big branches so we can read under your shade.”


A girl talking to a hedge outside a school.

Khalai ta uyungisa rugumbo rwakundurukida sure, “Nakanderere kara nononkodo dokukondera vantu wovadona va ha hwilira monda zo sure.”

Khalai talks to the hedge around her school. “Please grow strong and stop bad people from coming in.”


A girl next to an orange tree.

Apa ga tengwire Khalai kembo a tunde kosure, ta dingura sitji soma guni.”Maguni goge gana pi nare ndi?” yimo ga pulire Khalai.

When Khalai returns home from school, she visits the orange tree. “Are your oranges ripe yet?” asks Khalai.


A girl next to an orange tree.

“Maguni simpe mavihu, “yimo ga ga mwene Khalai.” Ngatu limona mungura sitji somaguni,” yimo ga uyungire Khalai.”Nampo ngani ya gwana ko eguni lyokupya!”

“The oranges are still green,” sighs Khalai. “I will see you tomorrow orange tree,” says Khalai. “Perhaps then you will have a ripe orange for me!”


Written by: Ursula Nafula
Illustrated by: Jesse Pietersen
Translated by: Anna Sengumbe
Language: Rukwangali
Level: Level 2
Source: Khalai talks to plants from African Storybook
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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