Swahili Stories for Kids: Meet the Very Hungry Hyena

The most famous hungry creature in children's books almost wasn't a caterpillar.

Eric Carle first took his idea to his editor, Ann Beneduce, as a story about a bookworm: A Week with Willi Worm. She wasn't sure children would love a worm, and suggested a caterpillar instead. Carle's answer, as he told it, was one word: “Butterfly!”

Then came the holes. Carle wanted little holes punched right through the pages, as if the caterpillar had eaten its way through the book. No printer in the United States would take the job on. Beneduce found one in Japan who would, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar came out in 1969, holes and all. (The story is told by the Eric Carle Museum and Literary Hub.)

The “impossible” part turned out to be the part every child loves: the little finger poking through each hole. The awkward thing was worth fighting for.

Bilingual stories have their own awkward thing: two languages on every page. It's also what lets a grown-up who doesn't speak a word of Swahili read one aloud tonight. So here's one to try, from our own book, with a very hungry animal and a hole in the middle of it.

Read it tonight: the first three pages

Sungura na Fisi means “The Hare and the Hyena”. It's a traditional East African tale, and in our book every page has the Swahili with the English underneath. Here are the first three pages, word for word.

How does Fisi get out? You'll have to read the rest: download Sungura na Fisi free. It downloads straight away, no email needed.

Seven words to say first

Practise these before you start and the whole story gets easier. Every vowel is its own sound (a, e, i, o, u), and the stress falls on the second-to-last syllable, shown in capitals.

How to read it aloud if you don't speak Swahili

1. English first. Read the English line, so everyone knows what's happening.
2. Then the Swahili, slowly. It doesn't need to be perfect. Your child will copy you, and copying is how they learn.
3. Make the sounds. Hum like the bees for mvumo mtamu (a sweet humming). Pat your tummy like a drum for kama ngoma (like a drum).
4. Join in on the repeats. Akala, akala means “he ate, and ate”. Say it together, the way children shout “but he was still hungry!” in Eric Carle's book.
5. Pause before the surprise. Stop just before hakuweza! (he could not!) and let your child guess what happens.

Two hungry animals, one lesson

Eric Carle's caterpillar eats far too much one Saturday and ends up with a stomach ache. Fisi eats far too much and ends up stuck in a tree. Sungura saw it coming, and his warning is worth learning: Kula kidogo tu (eat only a little). Next time someone reaches for a fourth biscuit, you'll know exactly what to say.

More free Swahili stories

Questions parents ask

Where can I find free Swahili stories for kids?

Read the first three pages of our bilingual story Sungura na Fisi in this post, then download the whole story free from our books page, no email needed. For more, look under “Kiswahili” on African Storybook, a free library of openly licensed African picture books.

How do I read a Swahili story aloud if I don't speak Swahili?

Read the English line first, then the Swahili line slowly. Say every vowel on its own (a, e, i, o, u) and put the stress on the second-to-last syllable, as in soon-GOO-rah. Your child will copy you, and that's how they learn.

What is Sungura na Fisi about?

Sungura na Fisi (The Hare and the Hyena) is a traditional East African tale. Hare finds honey inside a baobab tree and warns Hyena to eat only a little, but greedy Hyena eats and eats until he gets stuck.

Keep going

Want one new Swahili word every morning, with how to say it? Join Jambo Daily. And if tonight's story goes well, tomorrow's could star your child: try the Swahili Story Maker.

Usiku mwema! — Good night!