Multilingual story supplementsBrowse our archive of Nal'ibali reading-for-enjoyment story supplements available in 10 language combinations.
One way to bring stories to life at your reading club, is to turn stories into plays! You can either work
on one story, altogether, or divide the children into smaller groups to work on different stories. Follow
the steps below and have fun!
IsiXhosa/English: PDF
Xitsonga/English: PDF
Afrikaans/English: PDF
Sesotho/English: PDF
Sepedi/English: PDF
Setswana/English: PDF
IsiZulu/English: PDF
Every family has stories to tell! Some of these stories might be ones that were told to you as a child.
The stories of our families are as unique as the people in our family! These stories are part of each family’s history
and they help children understand where they come from and who they are.
IsiXhosa/English: PDF
Xitsonga/English: PDF
Afrikaans/English: PDF
Sesotho/English: PDF
Sepedi/English: PDF
Setswana/English: PDF
IsiZulu/English: PDF
South Africa is celebrating National Book Week from2 to 8 September 2019 and, together with the rest of the world,
commemorates International Literacy Day on 8 September.
IsiXhosa/English: PDF
Xitsonga/English: PDF
Afrikaans/English: PDF
Sesotho/English: PDF
Sepedi/English: PDF
Setswana/English: PDF
IsiZulu/English: PDF
Making time in a busy day to read to children, is an investment in their future, no matter what their age.
These pleasurable times not only show children that you enjoy their company and care about them,
but they build lifelong good memories of books and reading too!
IsiXhosa/English: PDF
Xitsonga/English: PDF
Afrikaans/English: PDF
Sesotho/English: PDF
Sepedi/English: PDF
Setswana/English: PDF
IsiZulu/English: PDF
In South Africa during August, we honour the role that women have played and still play in building democracy in our country. Here are some reading, writing and drawing activity ideas that you can use to create opportunities for children to think about the influence women have on their lives. Choose the ones that are best suited to your children’s ages and interests.
IsiXhosa/English: PDF
Xitsonga/English: PDF
Afrikaans/English: PDF
Sesotho/English: PDF
Sepedi/English: PDF
Setswana/English: PDF
IsiZulu/English: PDF
Reading stories to children is a great bonding as well as educational activity. But did you know that there are other simple things you can do that help increase what children learn from the stories you share with them?
IsiXhosa/English: PDF
Xitsonga/English: PDF
Afrikaans/English: PDF
Sesotho/English: PDF
Sepedi/English: PDF
Setswana/English: PDF
IsiZulu/English: PDF
Getting young children into the habit of reading is sometimes easier than keeping them reading as they get older! So, what can you do to make sure that your children keep reading throughout their childhood and into their teenage years? Here are some ideas.
IsiXhosa/English: PDF
Xitsonga/English: PDF
Afrikaans/English: PDF
Sesotho/English: PDF
Sepedi/English: PDF
Setswana/English: PDF
IsiZulu/English: PDF
The month of May is filled with special opportunities for children to use reading and writing in meaningful and fun ways! Here are some ideas for the different celebrations this month. Rather than trying to do all of them, choose one or two that you think will most interest your children.
IsiXhosa/English: PDF
Xitsonga/English: PDF
Afrikaans/English: PDF
Sesotho/English: PDF
Sepedi/English: PDF
Setswana/English: PDF
IsiZulu/English: PDF
Have you ever wondered why people say that it is important to read to children who are not yet at school? Well, because it will expand their minds and make their hearts sing! Read with your 3 to 6 year olds regularly and you will witness just how much they learn and what they can do with books! Here are some ideas for sharing books with them. Each year on World Read Aloud Day, Nal’ibali reminds everyone who lives in South Africa about the benefits of reading aloud to children.
IsiXhosa/English: PDF
Xitsonga/English: PDF
Afrikaans/English: PDF
Sesotho/English: PDF
Sepedi/English: PDF
Setswana/English: PDF
IsiZulu/English: PDF
On 6 October 2018, Nal’ibali won third prize at the African Union’s Innovating Education in Africa Expo held in Dakar, Senegal. And guess what? Nal’ibali received this recognition for its bilingual reading-for-enjoyment supplement! Many people know that 14 February is Valentine’s Day, but did you know that Library Lovers’ Day and International Book Giving Day are also celebrated on this date each year? So, this year on 14 February, combine these three days into one celebration of love and reading by doing these things.
IsiXhosa/English: PDF
Xitsonga/English: PDF
Afrikaans/English: PDF
Sesotho/English: PDF
Sepedi/English: PDF
Setswana/English: PDF
IsiZulu/English: PDF
This year, children’s author and activist, Lebohang Masango, was Nal’ibali’s World Read Aloud Day ambassador. We chatted to her to find out more about her passion for literacy. "Reading and storytelling can teach people so many things, such as how to use your imagination, how to develop the confidence to speak out and how to be more compassionate to others. Exposing children to these lessons is important because readers become leaders, as we know."
IsiXhosa/English: PDF
Xitsonga/English: PDF
Afrikaans/English: PDF
Sesotho/English: PDF
Sepedi/English: PDF
Setswana/English: PDF
IsiZulu/English: PDF
This is a special edition! It’s World Read Aloud Day as well as the 150th edition of the Nal’ibali Supplement. Read about our journey from the beginning of Nal’ibali and get ideas for how to celebrate World Read Aloud Day at home and at your school, library or reading club. Enjoy our special World Read Aloud Day story, ‘Where are you?’ as well as ‘That’s not Thabi’ (Book Dash) and ‘Feleng learns to read’.
IsiXhosa/English: PDF
Xitsonga/English: PDF
Afrikaans/English: PDF
Sesotho/English: PDF
Sepedi/English: PDF
Setswana/English: PDF
IsiZulu/English: PDF
It’s a new year and we have tips and ideas on how to make 2019 a story-filled year! Play our special story-building board game to get you in the mood. Our three stories to start the year are: ‘Peggy’s smile’ (David Philip/New Africa Books); ‘The fish that couldn’t swim’ (Book Dash) and ‘Ginger’.
IsiXhosa/English: PDF
Xitsonga/English: PDF
Afrikaans/English: PDF
Sesotho/English: PDF
Sepedi/English: PDF
Setswana/English: PDF
IsiZulu/English: PDF
It’s International Picture Book Month and this edition is a celebration of the picture book – from reasons to use picture books to ideas for celebrating them this month. The stories that we feature are picture books, ‘Frederick’ (Jacana with the Little Hands Trust/PRAESA) and ‘Can you?’ (David Philip/New Africa Books), as well as ‘The lion and the monkey’.
IsiXhosa/English: PDF
Xitsonga/English: PDF
Afrikaans/English: PDF
Sesotho/English: PDF
Sepedi/English: PDF
Setswana/English: PDF
IsiZulu/English: PDF
This edition is a celebration of South Africa’s world famous storyteller and author, Gcina Mhlophe. It includes an interview with her and information about some of her published storybooks. One of the cut-out-and-keep books, ‘The journey of the mother of books’ (Ezabantsundu Writers Network), is an illustrated biography of Gcina, and we also have a story by Gcina – ‘Sun and Moon’ (from ‘Our Story Magic’ published by UKZN Press). Then there is another story that features some of the Nal’ibali characters, ‘Skycatcher’.
IsiXhosa/English: PDF
Xitsonga/English: PDF
Afrikaans/English: PDF
Sesotho/English: PDF
Sepedi/English: PDF
Setswana/English: PDF
IsiZulu/English: PDF
In this edition we focus on Make-a-Difference Day and how, by being a reading role model, you can change children’s lives! One of the cut-out-and-keep books, ‘Heroes for change’ (UNICEF) is linked to this theme. We also have two stories for you: ‘Little Hat’, which is a South African retelling of the well-known story of Little Red Riding Hood, and ‘Dirty Dassie’.
IsiXhosa/English: PDF
Xitsonga/English: PDF
Afrikaans/English: PDF
Sesotho/English: PDF
Sepedi/English: PDF
Setswana/English: PDF
IsiZulu/English: PDF
In this edition we’re discussing how languages are such an important part of our heritage and we’ve included a poster on this theme too: ‘11 South African ways to become a better reader’. Our three new stories are: ‘Modjadji, the Rain Queen’ (David Phillip/ New Africa Books) ; ‘The lazy ant’ (Book Dash) and ‘The rainmaker’.
IsiXhosa/English: PDF
Xitsonga/English: PDF
Afrikaans/English: PDF
Sesotho/English: PDF
Sepedi/English: PDF
Setswana/English: PDF
IsiZulu/English: PDF
It’s International Literacy Day and we’re talking about the progress of South African literacy! We’ve also got a fun poster with tips for growing readers! Find out how to use stories to help children with their different school subjects and then share our three new stories with them: ‘The missing ball’ (Jacana); ‘When it rains’ (PRAESA) and a special International Literacy Day story, ‘Message in a bottle’.
IsiXhosa/English: PDF
Xitsonga/English: PDF
Afrikaans/English: PDF
Sesotho/English: PDF
Sepedi/English: PDF
Setswana/English: PDF
IsiZulu/English: PDF
In this edition we’re talking about how to help young children learn to read and write. We’ve also included a bilingual poster featuring the rights of readers and some ideas about how to use stories to teach language. The three stories we’ve got for you are: ‘Lindiwe, our hero!’ (David Phillip/ New Africa Books); ‘The lion who wouldn’t try’ (Book Dash) and ‘Why the bat flies at night’.
IsiXhosa/English: PDF
Xitsonga/English: PDF
Afrikaans/English: PDF
Sesotho/English: PDF
Sepedi/English: PDF
Setswana/English: PDF
IsiZulu/English: PDF
This edition celebrates Women’s Month! The stories we read our children have an influence on how they see women and girls. We give you some tips on how to spot the stories that do not empower women. We’ve also included a second bilingual poster! Our three new stories are: ‘Her story. Daughters of Modjadji’ (Khaloza Books); ‘My dream in the drawer’ (Book Dash) and ‘The giraffe and the fox’.
IsiXhosa/English: PDF
Xitsonga/English: PDF
Afrikaans/English: PDF
Sesotho/English: PDF
Sepedi/English: PDF
Setswana/English: PDF
IsiZulu/English: PDF