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A woman with a donkey tied to her back.

Bimbo asino Donkey Child L'enfant-âne

Written by Lindiwe Matshikiza

Illustrated by Meghan Judge

Translated by Laura Pighini

Read by Sonia Pighini

Language Italian

Level Level 3

Narrate full story

Reading speed

Autoplay story


A girl standing on a rock looking at woman in the distance.

Fu una piccola bimba a vedere per prima la misteriosa figura in lontananza.

It was a little girl who first saw the mysterious shape in the distance.

Une petite fille fut la première à voir la forme mystérieuse au loin.


A girl standing on a rock and a pregnant woman kneeling down holding her tummy.

Man mano che la figura si avvicinava, vide che si trattava di una donna molto incinta.

As the shape moved closer, she saw that it was a heavily pregnant woman.

Tandis que la forme se rapprocha, la petite fille vit que c’était une femme enceinte de plusieurs mois.


A pregnant woman surrounded by women hugging her.

Timida ma coraggiosa, la bimba si avvicinò alla donna. “Dobbiamo tenerla con noi,” decise la gente della piccola bimba. “Terremo lei e il suo bimbo al sicuro.”

Shy but brave, the little girl moved nearer to the woman. “We must keep her with us,” the little girl’s people decided. “We’ll keep her and her child safe.”

Timide mais brave, la petite fille se rapprocha de la femme. « Nous devons la garder avec nous, » dit le peuple de la petite fille. « Nous la garderons en sécurité, ainsi que son enfant. »


A woman in labour and other women helping her and bringing her water and blankets.

Il bimbo stava arrivando. “Spingi!” “Portate delle coperte!” “Acqua!” “SPINGIIIIII!!”

The child was soon on its way. “Push!” “Bring blankets!” “Water!” “Puuuuussssshhh!!!”

L’enfant arriva bientôt. « Pousse ! » « Apportez des couvertures ! » « De l’eau ! » « Pouuusseeee ! »


A baby donkey.

Ma quando videro il bimbo tutti fecero un salto indietro scioccati. “Un asino?!?”

But when they saw the baby, everyone jumped back in shock. “A donkey?!”

Mais quand ils virent le bébé, tous firent un saut en arrière. « Un âne ?! »


A group of women arguing.

Tutti cominciarono a discutere. “Avevamo detto che li avremmo tenuti al sicuro e questo è quello che faremo!” Dissero alcuni. “Ma ci porteranno sfortuna!” Dissero altri.

Everyone began to argue. “We said we would keep mother and child safe, and that’s what we’ll do,” said some. “But they will bring us bad luck!” said others.

Tout le monde commença à se disputer. « Nous avions dit que nous garderions mère et enfant en sécurité et c’est ce que nous ferons, » dirent quelques-uns. « Mais ils vont nous porter malchance ! » dirent d’autres.


A woman holding a donkey in her arms.

Al che, la donna si ritrovò da sola di nuovo. Si chiese cosa fare con questo strano bimbo. Si chiese cosa fare con se stessa.

And so the woman found herself alone again. She wondered what to do with this awkward child. She wondered what to do with herself.

Ainsi, la femme se retrouva seule encore une fois. Elle se demanda quoi faire de cet enfant embarrassant. Elle se demanda quoi faire d’elle-même.


A woman hugging a donkey.

Ma alla fine dovette accettare che quello era suo figlio e che lei era sua madre.

But finally she had to accept that he was her child and she was his mother.

Mais elle dut finalement accepter qu’il était son enfant et qu’elle était sa mère.


A woman with a donkey tied to her back.

Ora, se il bimbo fosse rimasto di quella stessa piccola taglia, tutto sarebbe stato diverso. Ma il bimbo asino crebbe e crebbe finché non poté più stare sulle spalle della mamma. E per quanto lei ci provasse, non poteva comportarsi come un essere umano. Sua madre era spesso stanca e frustrata. A volte gli faceva fare lavori da bestia.

Now, if the child had stayed that same, small size, everything might have been different. But the donkey child grew and grew until he could no longer fit on his mother’s back. And no matter how hard he tried, he could not behave like a human being. His mother was often tired and frustrated. Sometimes she made him do work meant for animals.

Maintenant, si l’enfant était resté petit, tout aurait été différent. Mais l’enfant-âne grandit et grandit jusqu’à ce qu’il ne puisse plus être porté sur le dos de sa mère. Et malgré ses plus grands efforts, il ne pouvait pas se comporter comme un être humain. Sa mère était très souvent fatiguée et frustrée. Parfois elle l’obligeait à faire du travail destiné aux animaux.


A donkey kicking a woman.

Confusione e rabbia crebbero dentro Asino. Non poteva fare questo, non poteva fare quello. Non poteva essere così e non poteva essere cosà. Un giorno si arrabbiò così tanto che scalciò al suolo sua madre.

Confusion and anger built up inside Donkey. He couldn’t do this and he couldn’t do that. He couldn’t be like this and he couldn’t be like that. He became so angry that, one day, he kicked his mother to the ground.

La confusion et la colère s’accumulèrent à l’intérieur d’Âne. Il ne pouvait pas faire ceci et il ne pouvait pas faire cela. Il ne pouvait pas être comme ceci et il ne pouvait pas être comme cela. Il devint tellement fâché qu’un jour il botta sa mère par terre.


A donkey running away.

Asino si vergognò. Cominciò a correre via il più veloce e lontano che poté.

Donkey was filled with shame. He started to run away as far and fast as he could.

Âne fut rempli de honte. Il commença à se sauver aussi vite et aussi loin qu’il pu.


A donkey sleeping.

Quando smise di correre, era notte e Asino si era perso. “Hi-ho?” ragliò nell’oscurità. “Hi-ho?” rispose l’eco. Era da solo. Acciambellatosi su se stesso si addormentò in un sonno profondo e tormentato.

By the time he stopped running, it was night, and Donkey was lost. “Hee haw?” he whispered to the darkness. “Hee Haw?” it echoed back. He was alone. Curling himself into a tight ball, he fell into a deep and troubled sleep.

Quand il s’arrêta de courir, la nuit était tombée et Âne était perdu. « Hi han ? » il chuchota à la noirceur. « Hi han ? » retourna la noirceur en écho. Il était seul. Se lovant en petite boule, il tomba dans un sommeil profond et agité.


A man dressed in a fur coat staring down at a donkey.

Asino si sveglio trovando uno strano vecchio a osservarlo. Asino lo guardò negli occhi e cominciò a sentire un barlume di speranza.

Donkey woke up to find a strange old man staring down at him. He looked into the old man’s eyes and started to feel a twinkle of hope.

Âne se réveilla et vit un vieil homme étrange qui le regardait. Il regarda dans les yeux du vieil homme et commença à ressentir un brin d’espoir.


A man carrying a donkey.

Asino andò a vivere con il vecchio che gli insegnò tanti modi diversi per sopravvivere. Asino ascoltava e imparava e lo stesso valeva per il vecchio. Si aiutavano vicenda e ridevano insieme.

Donkey went to stay with the old man, who taught him many different ways to survive. Donkey listened and learned, and so did the old man. They helped each other, and they laughed together.

Âne partit vivre avec le vieil homme, qui lui montra plusieurs façons de survivre. Âne écouta et apprit, et le vieil homme aussi. Ils s’aidèrent l’un l’autre et ils rirent ensemble.


A man sitting on a donkey walking up a mountain.

Una mattina, il vecchio chiese a Asino di portarlo in cima ad una montagna.

One morning, the old man asked Donkey to carry him to the top of a mountain.

Un matin, le vieil homme demanda à Âne de le transporter jusqu’au sommet d’une montagne.


A donkey and a man sleeping on the top of a mountain surrounded by clouds. The donkey dreaming of a woman.

Al di sopra delle nuvole si addormentarono. Asino sognò che sua madre era ammalata e lo chiamava. E quando si svegliò..

High up amongst the clouds they fell asleep. Donkey dreamed that his mother was sick and calling to him. And when he woke up…

En haut, parmi les nuages, ils s’endormirent. Âne rêva que sa mère était malade et qu’elle l’appelait. Et quand il se réveilla…


A donkey sitting on the top of a mountain with the sun shining on him.

…Le nuvole erano sparite insieme al suo amico, il vecchio.

… the clouds had disappeared along with his friend, the old man.

… les nuages avaient disparu avec son ami le vieil homme.


A donkey running.

Asino finalmente capì cosa doveva fare.

Donkey finally knew what to do.

Âne sut finalement quoi faire.


A sad-looking woman standing amongst some trees and a donkey looking at her.

Asino trovò sua madre, da sola che piangeva la scomparsa di suo figlio. Si fissarono a vicenda a lungo. E poi si abbracciarono molto forte.

Donkey found his mother, alone and mourning her lost child. They stared at each other for a long time. And then hugged each other very hard.

Âne trouva sa mère, seule et en deuil pour son enfant perdu. Ils se regardèrent longtemps. Puis ils s’embrassèrent très fort.


A woman sitting on top of a donkey near adults and children.

Il bambino asino e sua madre crebbero insieme e trovarono tanti modi per vivere l’uno affianco all’altro. Lentamente, intorno a loro, altre famiglie cominciarono a sistemarsi.

The donkey child and his mother have grown together and found many ways of living side by side. Slowly, all around them, other families have started to settle.

L’enfant-âne et sa mère ont grandi ensemble et ils ont trouvé plusieurs manières de coexister. Lentement, tout autour d’eux, d’autres familles ont commencé à s’installer.


Written by: Lindiwe Matshikiza
Illustrated by: Meghan Judge
Translated by: Laura Pighini
Read by: Sonia Pighini
Language: Italian
Level: Level 3
Source: Donkey Child from African Storybook
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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