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Tom machann fig lan Tom the banana seller

Written by Humphreys Odunga

Illustrated by Zablon Alex Nguku

Translated by ACE Haiti-University of Notre Dame USA

Language Haitian

Level Level 2

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Tom ap mache ak yon panyen fig sou tèt li.

Tom carries a tray of ripe bananas.


Tom pral vann fig li yo nan mache a.

Tom goes to the market to sell bananas.


Moun yo ki nan mache a abitye achte fwi.

People at the market are buying fruit.


Men okenn nan yo pap achte fwi nan men Tom. Yo pito achte fwi nan men medam yo.

But no one is buying Tom’s bananas. They prefer to buy fruit from women.


Nan kominote nou se fi sèlman ki vann fwi. Moun yo kòmanse pale sou Tom “Ki kalite gason sa a ye?”

“In our community, only women sell fruit,” people say. “What kind of a man is this?” people ask.


Men Tom pa kite sa dekouraje’l. Lap rele « Achte fig mwen yo…Achte fig mwen yo. Fig mwen yo mi, fig yo dous.”

But Tom does not give up. He calls, “Buy my bananas! Buy my sweet ripe bananas!”


Yon madanm deside achte yon rejim fig nan men Tom. Li enspekte chak fig apa.

One woman picks up a bunch of bananas from the tray. She looks at the bananas carefully.


Lòt medam yo achte kèk fig tou.

The woman buys the bananas.


Lòt moun kòmanse rive. Yo achte fig Tom yo enpi yo manje yo.

More people come to the stall. They buy Tom’s bananas and eat them.


Anvan lontan Tom pa te gen fig ankò. Li konte lajan li.

Soon, the tray is empty. Tom counts the money he earned.


Ak lajan sa a Tom achte savon, sik ak pen. Li mete tout bagay sa yo nan panyen’l.

Then Tom buys soap, sugar, and bread. He puts the things in his tray.


Tom balanse panyen an sou tèt li epi li rantre lakay li.

Tom balances the tray on his head and goes home.


Written by: Humphreys Odunga
Illustrated by: Zablon Alex Nguku
Translated by: ACE Haiti-University of Notre Dame USA
Language: Haitian
Level: Level 2
Source: Tom the banana seller from African Storybook
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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