Who takes the

train?
Ntembiso Velemane Mabel Mnensa Carla Latsky
Who takes the
train?
This book belongs to
Every child should own a hundred books by the age of five. To that end, Book Dash
Who takes the
train?
gathers creative professionals who volunteer to create new, African storybooks
that anyone can freely translate and distribute. To find out more, and to download
beautiful, print-ready books, visit bookdash.org.

Who takes the train?

Illustrated by Ntembiso Velemane
Written by Mabel Mnensa
Designed by Carla Latsky
Edited by Ester Levinrad
with the help of the Book Dash participants in Cape Town on 14 April 2018.

ISBN: 978-1-928442-35-6

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Licence (http://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). You are free to share (copy and redistribute
the material in any medium or format) and adapt (remix, transform, and build upon the
material) this work for any purpose, even commercially. The licensor cannot revoke these
freedoms as long as you follow the following license terms:

Attribution: You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if
changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that
suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
No additional restrictions: You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that
legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
Notices: You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the
public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation.
No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary
for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights
may limit how you use the material. Ntembiso Velemane Mabel Mnensa Carla Latsky
Today is Beach Day!

Naledi is going on the train

for the first time.
“Who takes the train?” Naledi asks.

“Let’s wait and see,” Mom says.

“Look, Mom!” Naledi whispers.
“Hello little girl, do you want to
say hi?”

Naledi looks at Mom.

Mom nods.

“Yes please!” says Naledi.

“Chocolates!
Chocolates!”

“Please can I get one?” Naledi asks.

“We need to leave space in your

tummy for the ice-cream at the
beach,” Mom says.
“Why are you wearing pyjamas?”
Naledi asks.
“We do karate.”

Kapow!

“Like this!”
“Oh, look! A soldier.”

“No,” Mom says, “that is a sailor.

She is from the navy.”
“Mom! Drummers!”

“Listen, Naledi,” Mom says.

“The drums beat to the sound of
the train.”
“Do you want to dance with us?”
the drummer asks.
“We are getting off at the next
stop,” Mom tells Naledi who is now
tired.
“So, what kind of people take the
train?” Mom asks.

“The best kind,” Naledi says.

Every child should own a hundred books by the age of five. To that end, Book Dash
gathers creative professionals who volunteer to create new, African storybooks that
anyone can freely translate and distribute. To find out more, and to download beautiful,
print-ready books, visit bookdash.org.
Sam van Riet Matthew Kalil Nina Lewis
Grandpa Farouk’s Garden

Grandpa Farouk’s
Illustrated by Sam van Riet
Written by Matthew Kalil

GARDEN
Designed by Nina Lewis
Edited by Ingrid Nye
with the help of the Book Dash participants in Cape Town on 14 April 2018.

ISBN: 978-1-928442-38-7

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Licence (http://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). You are free to share (copy and redistribute
the material in any medium or format) and adapt (remix, transform, and build upon the
material) this work for any purpose, even commercially. The licensor cannot revoke these
freedoms as long as you follow the following license terms:

Attribution: You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if
changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that
suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
No additional restrictions: You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that
legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
Notices: You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the
public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation.
No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary
for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights
may limit how you use the material.
 Deep in the city, surrounded by
houses and bricks and tar, you’ll find
Grandpa Farouk’s garden.
 Amir visits Grandpa once a week.
He loves the leaves and flowers and trees.
 He helps with the compost, and works with his
Grandpa all day.

Amir helps to water the plants.

 When they finish,
they feast on a harvest
of fruit.

One day, Grandpa didn’t eat his pear.

“What’s wrong?” asked Amir.
“My garden is dying,” replied Grandpa.

“Why?” asked Amir.

“Look closely,” said Grandpa. “Some

pests are eating the plants.”
“We need ladybirds!” said Grandpa. “They are
the bugs that eat the pests that kill the plants.
Without ladybirds, the garden will die.”

“I’ll bring you a bug or two,” said Amir.

For a whole week, Amir looked and searched
and collected.

He found one ladybird on the sports field.

Two more at the shop.

Three at the park.

And four behind the TV.

Next week, Amir went to visit Grandpa Farouk,

and showed him his jar of ten bugs.

“You’ve done well, oh my boy, you’ve done

well,” Grandpa said, with a tear in his eye.
 Grandpa was very happy.

The ladybirds were very hungry!

The ladybirds ate the pests, and the
garden blossomed.
From that day on, Grandpa Farouk’s
garden did what gardens should do.

It grew and grew and grew.

 Little Goat

Nicola Anne Smith Tiffany Mac Sherry Mirna Lawrence

 Little Goat
This book belongs to
Every child should own a hundred books by the age of five. To that end, Book Dash gathers creative professionals
who volunteer to create new, African storybooks that anyone can freely translate and distribute. To find out more,
Little Goat
and to download beautiful, print-ready books, visit bookdash.org.

Little Goat
Illustrated by Nicola Anne Smith
Written by Mirna Lawrence (Representing The Molteno Institute of Language and Literacy)
Designed by Tiffany Mac Sherry
Edited by Nabeela Kalla
with the help of the Book Dash participants in Grahamstown on 12 November 2016.

ISBN: 978-1-928377-24-5

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Licence (http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by/4.0/). You are free to share (copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format) and
adapt (remix, transform, and build upon the material) this work for any purpose, even commercially. The
licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the following license terms:

Attribution: You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were
made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses
you or your use.
No additional restrictions: You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict
others from doing anything the license permits.
Notices: You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or
where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation.
No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended
use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the
material.
Nicola Anne Smith Tiffany Mac Sherry Mirna Lawrence
 The sky was blue above.
But she did not look up.

Little Goat went to find the

sweetest grass.
 The river gurgled below.
But Little Goat did not listen to its song.
 But Little Goat didn’t answer.

A bird called to her, saying,

“How do you do?”
Story spread 4

She just walked along looking for the

sweetest grass.
As she walked along, Little Goat
moved further and further away
from Mother Goat.
Little Goat found the sweetest grass.
She ate and ate.

She had walked far from Mother Goat.

Mother Goat wondered where
Little Goat had gone.

She looked in the mealie patch, but

Little Goat was not there.
Mother Goat ran to the river.
But Little Goat was not there.

“Where are you, Little Goat,”

bleated Mother Goat.
 A bird called to Mother Goat.
“Little Goat is asleep in the sweet grass
across the bridge.”
Mother Goat crossed the bridge,
to the sweet grass.
There she found Little Goat
fast asleep.
“Wake up, Little Goat,” said
Mother Goat gently. “You were lost!”

“I wasn’t lost… I have been here all the

time!” said Little Goat.
 Lebohang Masango Nompumelelo Mdluli Amanda vd Walt

Who will win the

Great Cake Contest?

A sweet story about a little

boy who wants to make
the best cake.

ISBN 9781928442806

English

bookdash.org 9 781928 442806

The Great Cake Contest

This book belongs to

Every child should own a hundred books by the age of five. To that end, Book Dash gathers
creative professionals who volunteer to create new, African storybooks that anyone can freely
translate and distribute. To find out more, and to download beautiful, print-ready books, visit
bookdash.org.

The Great Cake Contest

Illustrated by Nompumelelo Mdluli
Written by Lebohang Masango
Designed by Amanda van der Walt
Edited by Anna Stroud
with the help of the Book Dash participants in Johannesburg on 27 October 2018.

ISBN: 978-1-928442-80-6

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Licence (http://creativecommons.
org/licenses/by/4.0/). You are free to share (copy and redistribute the material in any medium
or format) and adapt (remix, transform, and build upon the material) this work for any purpose,
even commercially. The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the following
license terms:

Attribution: You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes
were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the
licensor endorses you or your use.
No additional restrictions: You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally
restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
Notices: You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public
domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation.
No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your
intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how
you use the material.

Lebohang Masango Nompumelelo Mdluli Amanda vd Walt

Lucky loves cake.
He is so happy that the
Great Cake Contest is in town.

“What cake can I bake?”

he thinks.
“I know. I can make a pancake!”
shouts Lucky.

He walks to Pontsho’s house to share

his idea, but she already beat him to it.
“Or, what if I made a carrot cake?”
he wonders.

He goes to tell Nini his plan, but she

had the same idea.
“What about baking a black
forest cake?”
He rushes to tell Kima what he’s
come up with, but he’s too late.
On the way to Nthabi’s house, he thinks:
“Let me just make a
Christmas cake!”
But Nthabi already
made that happen.
“What other cake
can I bake?”
he asks himself.

“How about a chocolate

mousse cake?”
He arrives at Linda’s house but oh no!
He was too slow.
Lucky gets an idea.
“I will make a roly-poly cake.”
He gets to Zola’s house but
she’s way ahead of him.
Lucky feels sad when he gets home
because he is out of ideas. He asks his
family to help him think about what
great cake he can bake.
Mama, Papa and his big sister
Musa all put their heads
together to help him enter
the Great Cake Contest.
The cake is
so big,
so wide,
so tall ...

... that it begins to wobble,

wobble, wobble and fall!
Oh no! Everyone at the Where are the contestants?
Great Cake Contest is
covered in cake.
Where is
Where are the Lucky?
judges?
 The judges munch and chomp
their way out and everyone agrees:

Lucky is the winner of the

Great Cake Contest!
What cake would
you bake?
Password, please?
Author: Vahishta Mistry
Illustrator: Radhika Tipnis
Manju was fascinated by locks
and keys. The soft metallic sound
of a key turning in a lock made
her happy. The key bunch
Mummy kept tied to her saree
was Manju’s favourite toy.

She loved to explore the

mysterious depths of keyholes.

Manju passed the village

locksmith Ranjith’s shop on her
way to school every day. She
loved to listen to the rasping of
the tools as he made new keys.

2
One day, Mummy needed to get a new key for her almirah.
Manju went with her to Ranjith’s shop.
Ranjith picked up a flat piece of metal. “What is this?” Manju asked.

3
4
“This is a blank key,” replied Ranjith.

Then he held up Mummy’s key and said, “See these pointy bits that look like mountains? And these curvy bits
that look like valleys? Your almirah lock also has mountains and valleys inside it. The key’s mountains and
valleys fit that pattern. So when you turn the key, the lock opens!

I am copying the mountains and valleys from the old key to the new one. So the new key will also open the
almirah.”

5
Back home, Manju couldn’t stop talking about the locksmith. She told Munira Aunty, who lived next door. She
even told her cat, who stopped licking his face for half a minute and looked bored. When her cousin Riju
came to visit that evening, she told her too. Riju was studying to be an engineer.

6
“Do you know, Riju didi,” Manju said, “if you want to make a new key for
a lock, you have to copy the pattern of mountains and valleys from the
old key to a blank key?”

7
“Really?” said Riju. “Then it’s a very good thing that Mummy keeps the keys safe. Otherwise anyone could
copy the key and steal our things!”

“That’s true!”

“This is the sort of thing that I am studying,” said Riju.

8
“What, making keys?” asked Manju.

“Something similar,” replied Riju. “We lock up things we want to keep safe, like the sarees in our almirah,
right?”

Manju nodded.

“But what if the thing you want to keep safe is information?”

“Like what, Riju didi?” asked Manju.

“Like how much money you have in your bank account. Or your best friend’s secret.
Or the notebook of recipes passed down from our grandmother to your mother.”

“Oh yes, we need to keep those safe,” agreed Manju.

9
“If we have to protect this
information, we have to put it in
a safe place and lock it! There are
many safe places. Like my
computer, where I keep my
college notes,” said Riju.

She opened her laptop. “To see

my work, you have to type the
password here!”

“What’s a password?” Manju

wanted to know.

10
“A password is like a key. The
almirah’s lock opens only when
the pattern on the key fits the
pattern in the lock, like a jigsaw
puzzle. My computer will only
open if the password I type
matches the password I have set.
If you tell anyone the password,
they can open it too! So you have
to be very careful whom you give
your password to.”

“Hmmm… When I get a

computer, what should I set as
my password?”
Manju wondered aloud.

11
“Some people’s passwords are really easy to guess – their date of birth, their pet’s name, or the name of
their street. A good password is difficult to guess.
The longer it is, the harder it is to guess. It is better if it has letters and numbers.
But a password should also be easy to remember.”
Just then, Mummy called Riju, who ran off to greet her aunt.
TING! went Riju’s mobile.

12
What might that be? A new
game? Riju had the best games!
Manju often spent her evenings
pestering her cousin to let her
play. Today, she would play them
by herself.

Manju pressed a button on her

cousin’s phone. The screen lit up.
A keypad with numbers
appeared. It needed a password!

13
She pressed 1234. “Incorrect password” appeared on the screen. Then she tried 0000, but the phone did not
unlock. She also tried Riju’s birthday, 10-10-97.

“Hoi!”

That was Riju.

14
“I’ve locked my phone with a
password,” she said. “And I don’t
give it to nosey little girls.”

Manju stuck her tongue out.

15
“Now do you see why passwords are so important,
Manju?” Riju said. “They’re like keys to the things
we want to keep private.”
“Yes, didi,” said Manju. “I only wanted to play some
games!”

“And you only had to ask!” Riju said, typing in her

password. “Let me show you a new game – Guess
the Password!”

16
Play with Manju
This game gives you clues to passwords. See if you
can crack them.

Phone passwords
1. Manju is nine years younger than her cousin. If
Manju chooses her birth year as her password,
what would it be?

2. If Riju’s password is her date of birth backwards,

it would be...

3. Remember the first password Manju tried on

Riju’s phone? What’s that in reverse order?

Answers:
1. 2006 2. 790101 3. 4321

17
Did you solve the clues? Remember, if you did, others can too. So here are some simple dos and don’ts:

1. Don’t keep passwords that are too short (123, xyz, abcd are weak passwords).

2. Remember your password so that you do not have to write it down. If you write it down, someone might
be able to find it.

3. Use both upper and lower cases (ComPUteR).

4. Don’t use words that are easy to guess (The name of your school, dog or town).

Passwords are used to ‘unlock’ or open mobile phones, computers, safety vaults in banks, our accounts on
websites, and many other things.

Fingerprints and retina scans are also used as passwords. These are called bio-metric passwords.

18
A password could also be a set pattern you trace on the screen.
Like this:

19
 This book was made possible by Pratham Books' StoryWeaver platform. Content under Creative
Commons licenses can be downloaded, translated and can even be used to create new stories ​‐
provided you give appropriate credit, and indicate if changes were made. To know more about this,
and the full terms of use and attribution, please visit the following link.

Story Attribution:
This story: Password, please? is written by Vahishta Mistry . © Pratham Books , 2018. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.
Other Credits:
'Password, please?' has been published on StoryWeaver by Pratham Books. The development of this book has been supported by CISCO. www.prathambooks.org
Guest Art Director: Priti Rajwade
Images Attributions:
Cover page: A girl and a woman with a laptop, by Radhika Tipnis © Pratham Books, 2018. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Page 2: A girl
waving to a man, by Radhika Tipnis © Pratham Books, 2018. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Page 3: A man sitting across a girl and woman,
by Radhika Tipnis © Pratham Books, 2018. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Page 4: A hand holding a key, by Radhika Tipnis © Pratham
Books, 2018. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Page 6: A woman, a child and a cat, by Radhika Tipnis © Pratham Books, 2018. Some rights
reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Page 7: A cat, rangoli, and baskets, by Radhika Tipnis © Pratham Books, 2018. Some rights reserved. Released under CC
BY 4.0 license. Page 8: A woman talking, by Radhika Tipnis © Pratham Books, 2018. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Page 10: A girl and a
woman talking, by Radhika Tipnis © Pratham Books, 2018. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Page 11: A cat and a laptop, by Radhika Tipnis ©
Pratham Books, 2018. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Page 12: A cat and a phone, by Radhika Tipnis © Pratham Books, 2018. Some rights
reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Page 13: A finger typing a password, by Radhika Tipnis © Pratham Books, 2018. Some rights reserved. Released under
CC BY 4.0 license.

Disclaimer: https://www.storyweaver.org.in/terms_and_conditions

The development of this book has been supported by CISCO.

Some rights reserved. This book is CC​-BY​-4.0 licensed. You can copy, modify, distribute www.prathambooks.org
and perform the work, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission.
For full terms of use and attribution, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
 This book was made possible by Pratham Books' StoryWeaver platform. Content under Creative
Commons licenses can be downloaded, translated and can even be used to create new stories ​‐
provided you give appropriate credit, and indicate if changes were made. To know more about this,
and the full terms of use and attribution, please visit the following link.

Images Attributions:
Page 14: Typing passwords, by Radhika Tipnis © Pratham Books, 2018. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Page 15: A woman holding a phone,
a girl sticking her tongue out, by Radhika Tipnis © Pratham Books, 2018. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Page 16: A girl wondering about
something, by Radhika Tipnis © Pratham Books, 2018. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Page 17: A locked house and a key, by Radhika Tipnis
© Pratham Books, 2018. Some rights reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license. Page 19: Pattern lock, by Radhika Tipnis © Pratham Books, 2018. Some rights
reserved. Released under CC BY 4.0 license.

Disclaimer: https://www.storyweaver.org.in/terms_and_conditions

The development of this book has been supported by CISCO.

Some rights reserved. This book is CC​-BY​-4.0 licensed. You can copy, modify, distribute www.prathambooks.org
and perform the work, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission.
For full terms of use and attribution, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Password, please? Manju wants to play games on her cousin’s phone. But it’s locked with
a password! Here is a book that introduces readers to the concept of
passwords as a key to guard information. To find out more, open the
(English) book; you don’t need a password for that!

This is a Level 3 book for children who are ready to read on their own.

Pratham Books goes digital to weave a whole new chapter in the realm of multilingual children's stories. Knitting together children, authors, illustrators and
publishers. Folding in teachers, and translators. To create a rich fabric of openly licensed multilingual stories for the children of India ​ and the world. Our unique
online platform, StoryWeaver, is a playground where children, parents, teachers and librarians can get creative. Come, start weaving today, and help us get a
book in every child's hand!
the Lion who
Wouldn't Try
Liza Esterhuyse
Andre Kieswetter
Nick Mulgrew
 the Lion who
Wouldn't Try
this book belongs to
 the Lion who
The Lion Who Wouldn't Try
Illustrated by Andre Kieswetter
Written by Liza Esterhuyse
Designed by Nick Mulgrew

Wouldn't Try
with the help of the Book Dash participants in Cape Town on 5 March 2016.

ISBN: 978-1-928365-93-8

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Licence

(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). You are free to share (copy
and redistribute the material in any medium or format) and adapt (remix,
transform, and build upon the material) this work for any purpose, even
commercially. The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you by

Liza Esterhuyse
follow the following license terms:

Attribution: You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license,
and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable
manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your
Andre Kieswetter
& Nick Mulgrew
use.
No additional restrictions: You may not apply legal terms or technological
measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license
permits.
Notices: You do not have to comply with the license for elements of
the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an
applicable exception or limitation.
No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the
permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such
as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material.
It was a sunny day in the jungle.

All the animals were out playing.

“Come play with me, Lion,” said Cheetah.
“Catch me if you can!”

zoom-zoom! went Cheetah.

“I don’t want to play,” said Lion. “I’ll lose.”

“Come play with me, Lion,” said Elephant.
“We can throw rocks!”

ka-pow! ka-pow! went Elephant.

“I don’t want to play,” said Lion. “I’ll lose.”

“Come play with us, Lion!” said the monkeys.
“Who can eat the most bananas?”

pop! pop! pop! went the monkeys.

“I don’t want to play,” said Lion. “I’ll lose.”

“Come play with me, Lion," said Springbok.
“Let’s jump high!”

zoop! zoop! zoop! went Springbok.

“I don’t want to play,” said Lion. “I’ll lose.”

“Come play with me, Lion,” said Crocodile.
“It’s a swimming competition!”

splash! splash! went Crocodile.

“I don’t want to play,” said Lion. “I’ll lose.”

 Crocodile was quicker than Elephant,
but each time Crocodile got ahead,
Elephant tickled him!

tee-hee-hee! went Elephant and

Crocodile.

Elephant and Crocodile had the swimming

competition without Lion.
Lion sat sadly by himself, watching Crocodile and
Elephant swim.
“Why are you sad, Lion?” asked Mouse.

“Because I don't want to play,” said Lion.

“I'll lose."
Lion slipped on a banana peel!

wheeeeee! went Lion.

“That looks like fun!” said all the other animals.

Lion played,
and he was happy.