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Khalai talks to plants
Ursula Nafula
Jesse Pietersen
English
This is Khalai. She is seven years old.

In her language, Lubukusu, her name means 'the good one.'
Khalai wakes up and talks to the orange tree.

"Please orange tree, grow big and give us lots of ripe oranges."
Khalai walks to school. On the way, she talks to the grass.

"Please grass, grow greener and don't dry up."
Khalai sees flowers.

"Please flowers, keep blooming so I can put you in my hair."
Khalai talks to the tree at her school.

"Please tree, put out big branches so we can read under your shade."
Khalai talks to the hedge round her school.

"Please, grow strong and protect us from bad people."
When Khalai returns home, she visits the orange tree.

"Are your oranges ripe yet?" Khalai asks the tree.
"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!"
You are free to download, copy, translate or adapt this story and use the illustrations as long as you attribute in the following way:
Khalai talks to plants
Author - Ursula Nafula
Translation - Ursula Nafula
Illustration - Jesse Pietersen
Language - English
Level - First paragraphs
© African Storybook Initiative 2015
Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0
Source www.africanstorybook.org
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  • Translations and adaptations
    • Palesa is lief vir plante
      Afrikaans (Translation)
    • خلاي تتحدث إلى النباتات
      Arabic (Translation)
    • Palesa loves plants
      English (Adaptation)
    • Khalai talks to plants (Colour-in)
      English (Adaptation)
    • Khalai talks to plants (Colour-in)
      English (Adaptation)
    • Maluba Aalitemwa Ifimenwa
      IciBemba (Translation)
    • UPalesa uthanda iintjalo
      isiNdebele (Translation)
    • UPalesa uthanda izityalo
      isiXhosa (Translation)
    • UKhalai ukhuluma nezitshalo
      isiZulu (Translation)
    • Khalai avugana n'ibimera
      Kinyarwanda (Translation)
    • Khalai anapenda mimea
      Kiswahili (Original)
    • Kalay súŋnen e viŋgà ví
      Lámnsoʼ (Translation)
    • Palesa ayenda ebimera
      Lusoga (Translation)
    • Suhuyini Wuri Bunbula
      Mampruli (Translation)
    • Khalai O Bua Le Dimela
      Sesotho (South Africa) (Translation)
    • Palesa o rata dimela
      Sesotho (South Africa) (Translation)
    • Molemo o bua le dijalo
      Setswana (Translation)
    • Palesa utsandza titjalo
      Siswati (Translation)
    • Palesa Nɔŋa Tebula
      Talen (Translation)
    • Khalai u amba na zwitavhiwa
      Tshivenḓa (Translation)
    • Wavhidi a Vulavula Na Swimilana
      Xitsonga (Translation)
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