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خَلَايْ تَتَحَدَّثُ إِلَى النَّبَاتَاتِ Khalai talks to plants

Written by Ursula Nafula

Illustrated by Jesse Pietersen

Translated by Heba Tesheh, Maaouia Haj Mabrouk

Read by Mashael Muhanna

Language Arabic

Level Level 2

Narrate full story

Reading speed

Autoplay story


هَذِهِ خَلَايْ. عُمُرُهَا سَبْعُ سِنِينَ. مَعْنَى اِسْمِهَا “الشَّخْصُ الجَيِّدُ”. يُدْعَى فِي لُغَتِهَا “لُوبُوكُوزُو”.

This is Khalai. She is seven years old. Her name means ‘the good one’ in her language, Lubukusu.


تَسْتَيْقِظُ خَلَايْ كُلَّ صَبَاحٍ وَتَقُولُ لِشَجَرَةِ البُرْتُقَالِ: “أَرْجُوكِ يَا شَجَرَةَ البُرْتُقَالِ، اكْبَرِي، وَاعْطِنَا الكَثِيرَ مِنَ البُرْتُقَالِ الطًازَجِ”.

Khalai wakes up and talks to the orange tree. “Please orange tree, grow big and give us lots of ripe oranges.”


تَمْشِي خَلَايْ إِلَى المَدْرَسَةِ، وَفِي طَرِيقِهَا تَتَحَدَّثُ مَعَ الأَعْشَابِ. “أَرْجُوكِ أَيَّتُهَا الأَعْشَابُ، اكْبَرِي وَابْقَيْ خَضْرَاءَ وَلَا تَجُفّيِ”.

Khalai walks to school. On the way she talks to the grass. “Please grass, grow greener and don’t dry up.”


تَمُرُّ خَلَايْ أَمَامَ الأَزْهَارِ البَرِّيَّةِ. “أَرْجُوكِ أَيَّتُهَا الأَزْهَارُ، اِبْقَيْ مُزْهِرَةً لِأَسْتَطِيعَ أَنْ أَضَعَكِ فَوْقَ شَعْرِي”.

Khalai passes wild flowers. “Please flowers, keep blooming so I can put you in my hair.”


فِي المَدْرَسِةِ، تَتَحَدَّثُ خَلَايْ مَعَ الشَّجَرَةِ التِي فِي مُنْتَصَفِ المَبْنَى. “أَرْجُوكِ أَيَتُهَا اَلشَّجَرَةُ، مُدِّي أَغْصانَكِ الكَبيرَةَ لِنَسْتَطيعَ اَلقِراءَةَ تَحْتَ ظِلِكِ”.

At school, Khalai talks to the tree in the middle of the compound. “Please tree, put out big branches so we can read under your shade.”


تَتَحَدَثُ خَلَايْ مَع اَلشُّجيراتِ الصَّغيرَةِ. “أَرجوكِ، اِكْبَري وَكُونِي قَويَّةً لِتَمْنَعِي الأَشْخَاصَ السيِّئينَ مِنَ اَلدُخُولِ”.

Khalai talks to the hedge around her school. “Please grow strong and stop bad people from coming in.”


عِنْدَمَا تَعَودُ خَلَايْ إِلَى البَيْتِ، تَزُورُ شَجَرَةَ اَلبُرتُقالِ، وتَسْأَلُهَا: “أَلَمْ يُصْبِحْ بُرْتُقَالِكِ طَازَجًا بَعْدُ؟”

When Khalai returns home from school, she visits the orange tree. “Are your oranges ripe yet?” asks Khalai.


تَتَنَهَّدُ خَلَايْ: “اَلبُرْتُقالُ لَازَالَ أَخْضَراً”. ثُمَّ تَقُولُ: “سَوفَ أَرَاكِ يَا شَجَرَةَ اَلبُرْتُقالَ غَداً، بَعْدَهَا رُبَّمَا سَيكُونُ لَدَيْكِ بُرْتُقالاً طَازَجاً لِي”.

“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!”


Written by: Ursula Nafula
Illustrated by: Jesse Pietersen
Translated by: Heba Tesheh, Maaouia Haj Mabrouk
Read by: Mashael Muhanna
Language: Arabic
Level: Level 2
Source: Khalai talks to plants from African Storybook
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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