Full Text: Indaba kaJohnny Igundane Lasedolobheni
One story, four ways to read it
Every story comes in its original version plus several simplified reading levels, so it grows with your child.
The original text is the full story with rich vocabulary and descriptive language, ideal for reading aloud together and for kids who are ready for longer sentences.
The simplified levels retell the same story in shorter, simpler sentences matched to your child's stage. Ages 2-6 uses a few short sentences per scene, perfect for first time readers. Ages 4-8 adds simple dialogue and everyday vocabulary for kids beginning to follow along. Ages 6-10 keeps the language accessible while bringing back more of the story's detail, a natural bridge to the original.
Start at the level where your child is comfortable, and move up when they're ready. Hearing the same story told in richer language each time is one of the best ways to build vocabulary in any language.
Original Text: Indaba kaJohnny Igundane Lasedolobheni
UJohnny Town-mouse wazalelwa ekhabetheni. UTimmy Willie wazalelwa engadini. UTimmy Willie wayeyigundane elincane lasemaphandleni elaya edolobheni ngephutha liphakathi kubhasikidi. Umlimi wayethumela imifino edolobheni kanye ngesonto ngomthuthi; wayeyipaka kubhasikidi omkhulu.
Umlimi washiya ubhasikidi ngasesangweni lengadi ukuze umthuthi awuthathe uma edlula. UTimmy Willie wangena ngokunyonyoba phakathi ngembobo yobhasikidi olukiwe, futhi ngemuva kokudla amaphizi, wazumeka walala ubuthongo obukhulu.
Wavuka ethukile ngenkathi ubhasikidi uphakanyiselwa enqoleni yomthuthi. Kwabe sekuba khona ukugxumagxuma nokugqigqa kwezinyawo zamahhashi; amanye amaphasela aphonswa phakathi; amamayela ngamamayela—gxuma, gxuma, gxuma!—noTimmy Willie waqhaqhazela phakathi kwemifino exubene.
Ekugcineni inqola yama endlini lapho ubhasikidi wakhishwa khona, wangeniswa ngaphakathi, wabe esebekwa phansi. Umpheki wanika umthwali uhlamvu lwemali; umnyango wangemuva washayeka nenqola yahamba iduma. Kodwa kwakungekho ukuthula; kwakungathi kukhona amakhulu ezinqola ezidlulayo. Izinja zakhonkotha; abafana bashaya amakhwela emgwaqweni; umpheki wahleka, isisebenzi sasendlini sagijima sehla senyuka ezitebhisini; kanti ikanari yacula njengenjini yesitimela.
UTimmy Willie, owayehlale impilo yakhe yonke engadini, wethuka wacishe wafa. Kungekudala umpheki wavula ubhasikidi waqala ukukhipha imifino. Wagxumela ngaphandle uTimmy Willie owayethukile.
Umpheki wagxumela esitulweni, ememeza ethi "Igundane! Igundane! Biza ikati! Ngilethele insimbi yomlilo, Sarah!" UTimmy Willie akazange amlinde uSarah nensimbi yomlilo; wagijima eceleni kwebhodi elingaphansi waze wafika embotsheni encane, wase engena phakathi.
Wawa ibanga elingangesigamu sonyawo, waphoseka phakathi nedili lesidlo sakusihlwa samagundane, wephula izingilazi ezintathu.
"Kanti ngubani lona?" kubuza uJohnny Town-mouse.
Kodwa ngemuva kokubabaza kokuqala kokumangala, washesha wakhumbula inhlonipho yakhe.
Ngenhlonipho enkulu wamazisa uTimmy Willie kwamanye amagundane ayisishiyagalolunye, onke anemisila emide nothayi abamhlophe. Umsila kaTimmy Willie wona wawumncane. UJohnny Town-mouse nabangane bakhe bakunaka lokhu, kodwa babekhuliswe kahle kakhulu ukuthi bangaphawula ngakho; munye kuphela kubo owabuza uTimmy Willie ukuthi uke wangena yini ogibeni.
Isidlo sakusihlwa sasinezigaba eziyisishiyagalombili zokudla; kwakungekuningi kakhulu kwanoma yini, kodwa kwakukuhle ngempela. Zonke izitsha zokudla zazingaziwa nguTimmy Willie, owayezoba novalonyana lokuzinambitha; kodwa wayelambe kakhulu futhi ezimisele kakhulu ukuziphatha kahle phambi kwabantu. Umsindo ongapheli waphezulu wamenza waba novalo kakhulu waze wawisa ipuleti.
"Akunandaba, akuzona ezethu," kusho uJohnny.
"Kungani laba abancane bengabuyi nophudingi?" Amagundwane amabili amancane ayepakela amanye futhi ayegijima enyuka eya ekhishini phakathi kwezidlo. Kaningana ayesebuye egingqika engena, etshiyoza futhi ehleka; uTimmy Willie wathola ngovalo olukhulu ukuthi ayexoshwa yikati. Waphelelwa yisifiso sokudla; waba nesiyezi.
"Ake uzame ijeli?" kusho uJohnny Town-mouse.
"Cha? Uncamela ukuya embhedeni? Ngizokukhombisa umcamelo kasofa onethezeke kakhulu."
Umcamelo kasofa wawunembobo. UJohnny Town-mouse wawuncoma ngokweqiniso njengombhede ongcono kakhulu, ogcinelwe izivakashi kuphela. Kodwa usofa wawunuka ikati. UTimmy Willie wancamela ukuchitha ubusuku obunzima ngaphansi kwefenda.
Kwakufana ncamashi nangosuku olulandelayo. Kwalungiswa isidlo sasekuseni esihle kakhulu—samagundane ayekujwayele ukudla ibhekeni; kodwa uTimmy Willie wayekhuliswe ngezimpande nesaladi. UJohnny Town-mouse nabangane bakhe bagijimagijima ngaphansi kwephansi base bephuma ngesibindi endlini yonke kusihlwa. Umsindo owodwa omkhulu wokuwa wawubangelwe uSarah ewa ezitebhisini nethileyi letiye; kwakunemvuthu noshukela kanye namabala ejemi okwakumele kuqoqwe, yize kwakunekati.
UTimmy Willie wayelangazelela ukuba sekhaya esidlekeni sakhe esinokuthula endundumeni enelanga. Ukudla kwakungamphathi kahle; umsindo wawumvimbela ukuba alale. Ezinsukwini ezimbalwa wazaca kakhulu waze uJohnny Town-mouse wakuqaphela wambuza. Walalela indaba kaTimmy Willie wase ebuza ngengadi.
"Kuzwakala kuyindawo enesicefe. Wenzani uma lina?"
"Uma lina, ngihlala emgodini wami omncane onesihlabathi ngihlubule ummbila nembewu engikugcine ngenkathi yasekwindla. Ngilunguze ngibuke amathrashi nezinyoni ezimnyama otshanini, kanye nomngane wami uRooster Robin. Futhi uma ilanga seliphuma futhi, kufanele ubone ingadi yami nezimbali—ama-rose, ama-pink, nama-pansy—akukho msindo ngaphandle kwezinyoni nezinyosi, kanye namawundlu emadlelweni."
"Nantiya leliya kati futhi!" kubabaza uJohnny Town-mouse.
Lapho sebephephele egumbini elingaphansi lamalahle waqhubeka nengxoxo. "Ngiyavuma ngidumale kancane; sizame ukukujabulisa, Timothy William."
"Hhawu yebo, yebo, nibe nomusa kakhulu; kodwa ngizizwa ngigula kakhulu," kusho uTimmy Willie.
"Kungenzeka ukuthi amazinyo akho nokugaya kwakho ukudla akukujwayele ukudla kwethu; mhlawumbe kungaba ngcono ukuba ubuyele ngobhasikidi."
"Hhawu? Hhawu!" kukhala uTimmy Willie.
"Phela, besingakubuyisela emuva ngesonto eledlule," kusho uJohnny ecasukile. "Ubungazi yini ukuthi ubhasikidi ubuyela emuva ungenalutho ngemiGqibelo?"
Ngakho uTimmy Willie wavalelisa kubangani bakhe abasha, wabe esecasha kubhasikidi nemvuthu yekhekhe kanye neqabunga elibunile leklabishi; kwathi ngemuva kokunyakaziswa kakhulu, wabekwa phansi ngokuphepha engadini yakhe.
Ngesinye isikhathi ngemiGqibelo, wayeya ayobheka ubhasikidi olele ngasesangweni, kodwa wayazi ukuthi akufanele aphinde angene kuwo. Futhi akekho owaphuma, nakuba uJohnny Town-mouse ayethembise kancane ukuthi uzomvakashela.
Ubusika badlula; ilanga laphinda laphuma; uTimmy Willie wahlala ngasemgodini wakhe efudumeza ijazi lakhe elincane loboya futhi ehogela iphunga lama-violet notshani basentwasahlobo. Wayeseqishe wakhohlwa ngokuvakashela kwakhe edolobheni. Kuthe lapho endleleni enesihlabathi, ecocekile futhi ebukeka kahle ephethe isikhwama sesikhumba esinsundu, kwafika uJohnny Town-mouse!
UTimmy Willie wamamukela ngezandla ezivulekile.
"Ufike ngesikhathi esihle kakhulu sonyaka; sizodla uphudingi wamakhambi futhi sihlale elangeni."
"H'm'm! Kunomswakama kancane," kusho uJohnny Town-mouse, owayephethe umsila wakhe ngaphansi kwengalo yakhe, ewukhipha odakeni.
"Uyini lowo msindo owesabekayo?" wethuka kakhulu.
"Lokho?" kusho uTimmy Willie. "Leyo yinkomo nje; ngizocela ubisi oluncane. Azinangozi nhlobo, ngaphandle uma kwenzeka zikulala phezu kwakho. Banjani bonke abangani bethu?"
Indaba kaJohnny yayimaphakathi nendawo. Wachaza ukuthi kungani evakashe ekuqaleni kwenkathi yonyaka; umndeni wawuye olwandle ngePhasika kanti umpheki wayenza ukuhlanza kwasentwasahlobo enemiyalelo ekhethekile yokukhipha amagundane. Kwakunamazinyane ekati amane, futhi inyoni i-canary yayingasekho.
"Bathi yithina esikwenzile; kodwa ngazi kangcono," kusho uJohnny Town-mouse. "Kanti yini lowo msindo owesabekayo?"
"Lowo ngumshini wokusika utshani kuphela; ngizolanda obunye botshani obusikiwe maduze ukwenza umbhede wakho. Ngiqinisekile kungaba ngcono ukuthi uzinze emaphandleni, Johnny."
"Hmm—sizobona ngesonto elizayo ngoLwesibili; ubhasikidi umisiwe ngenkathi besolwandle."
"Ngiqinisekile ukuthi ngeke uphinde ufune ukuhlala edolobheni futhi," kusho uTimmy Willie.
Kodwa wenza njalo. Wabuyela emuva kubhasikidi wemifino olandelayo; wathi kwakuthule kakhulu!
Enye indawo ifanele umuntu oyedwa, enye indawo ifanele omunye umuntu. Mina ngokwami ngincamela ukuhlala emaphandleni, njengoTimmy Willie.