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A wax bird flying in the sunshine.

Mga Batang Sera Children of wax Les enfants de cire

Written by Southern African Folktale

Illustrated by Wiehan de Jager

Translated by Arlene Avila

Read by La Trinidad Mina

Language Tagalog

Level Level 2

Narrate full story

Reading speed

Autoplay story


A man, a woman and three boys standing.

Noong unang panahon, may isang masayang mag-anak.

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.

Pawang mga lalaki ang mga anak at hindi sila kailanman nag-aaway. Tinutulungan nila ang kanilang magulang sa bukid at sa gawaing-bahay.

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.

Malaya nilang nagagawa ang anuman, maliban sa isang bagay. Hindi sila maaaring lumapit sa apoy.

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.

Sa gabi lamang sila nagtatrabaho dahil sila ay mga sera!

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.

Ngunit pinangarap ng isa na makita ang araw.

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.

Isang umaga, hindi niya nalabanan ang matinding pag-aasam. Pinigilan siya ng kanyang mga kapatid…

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.

Subalit huli na ang lahat! Siya ay nalusaw na ng mainit na araw.

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.

Labis na nalungkot ang mga batang sera sa nakitang dinanas ng kapatid.

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.

Kaya gumawa sila ng paraan upang matupad ang kanyang pangarap. Sama sama nilang hinubog ang serang labi ng kapatid at ginawa itong ibon.

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.

Dinala nila ang ibon sa tuktok ng bundok.

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.

At sabay ng pagsikat ng araw, lumipad ang ibon tungo sa liwanag ng araw, na may awit na taglay.

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: Arlene Avila
Read by: La Trinidad Mina
Language: Tagalog
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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