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A wax bird flying in the sunshine.

Crianças de cera Children of wax Les enfants de cire

Written by Southern African Folktale

Illustrated by Wiehan de Jager

Translated by Priscilla Freitas de Oliveira

Read by Alfredo Ferreira

Language Portuguese

Level Level 2

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Reading speed

Autoplay story


A man, a woman and three boys standing.

Era uma vez uma família feliz.

Once upon a time, there lived a happy family.

Il était une fois une famille bien heureuse.


Three boys doing chores and working in a field.

Eles nunca brigavam um com o outro. Ajudavam seus pais em casa e no campo.

They never fought with each other. They helped their parents at home and in the fields.

Ils ne se disputaient jamais. Ils aidaient leurs parents à la maison et dans les champs.


A man standing in front of a campfire holding his hand up and three boys standing next to him.

Mas estavam proibidos de chegar perto do fogo.

But they were not allowed to go near a fire.

Mais ils n’avaient pas le droit de s’approcher d’un feu.


Half a house in daytime with the sun above it and the other half at nighttime with the moon and stars.

Eles tinha que fazer todo seus trabalhos durante a noite, porque eram feitos de cera.

They had to do all their work during the night. Because they were made of wax!

Ils devaient faire tout leur travail pendant la nuit. Puisqu’ils étaient faits de cire !


A boy thinking about daytime.

Mas um dos meninos desejava sair à luz do dia.

But one of the boys longed to go out in the sunlight.

Mais un des garçons désirait se promener au soleil.


A boy walking through a bright doorway and two boys covering their eyes.

Um dia esse desejo estava muito forte. Seus irmãos o avisaram…

One day the longing was too strong. His brothers warned him…

Un jour son désir était trop puissant. Ses frères l’avertirent…


A boy melting.

Mas era tarde demais! Ele derreteu com o calor do sol.

But it was too late! He melted in the hot sun.

Mais c’était trop tard ! Il fondit au soleil brûlant.


Two sad-looking boys with their arms around each other.

As crianças de cera ficaram muito tristes vendo seu irmão derretendo.

The wax children were so sad to see their brother melting away.

Les enfants de cire étaient si tristes de voir leur frère fondre.


Two boys shaping a lump of melted wax into a bird.

Mas tiveram um plano. Moldaram o pedaço de cera derretida em cima de um pássaro.

But they made a plan. They shaped the lump of melted wax into a bird.

Mais ils firent un plan. Ils façonnèrent le morceau de cire fondue en oiseau.


A wax bird on a high mountain at sunrise.

Levaram o irmão pássaro numa montanha bem alta.

They took their bird brother up to a high mountain.

Ils apportèrent leur frère l’oiseau jusqu’au sommet d’une montagne haute.


A wax bird flying in the sunshine.

E quando o sol se levantou, ele saiu voando, cantando sob a luz da manhã.

And as the sun rose, he flew away singing into the morning light.

Et lorsque le soleil se leva, il s’envola vers la lumière du matin en chantant.


Written by: Southern African Folktale
Illustrated by: Wiehan de Jager
Translated by: Priscilla Freitas de Oliveira
Read by: Alfredo Ferreira
Language: Portuguese
Level: Level 2
Source: Children of wax from African Storybook
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 International License.
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