Xijaab-Cas iyo Waraabahii
Xijaab Cas iyo Waraabahii (Red-Hijab and the Hyena) is a bilingual Somali-English retelling of a traditional tale, following a young girl’s journey to visit her unwell grandmother — and the hungry hyena she meets along the way.
The newest title in the AAN Bilingual Books collection is Xijaab Cas iyo Waraabahii (Red-Hijab and the Hyena) — a Somali-English retelling of a story that will feel instantly familiar, with a distinctly Somali telling of its own.
The story
Red-Hijab sets off to visit her grandmother, who isn’t well, carrying food and good wishes for her recovery. Along the way, she meets a hungry hyena — a recurring figure in Somali folk tales, often standing in for cunning and danger the way the wolf does in European fairy tales. What follows is a gentle but attentive story about trust, cleverness, and looking out for family, told in both Somali and English side by side.
Why traditional tales matter for bilingual reading
Somali storytelling has a long oral history — poetry and fables were, for centuries, how culture, history and moral lessons passed between generations, often shared around the fire at night. Books like this one carry that tradition forward in written form, giving children a story rooted in Somali culture rather than a straight translation of a Western tale. For a child growing up in the diaspora, that distinction matters: it’s a chance to meet a story their grandparents might recognise, told in a language they’re still building confidence in.
Who it’s for
This is an easy reader, well suited to children who’ve moved past first alphabet and word books and are ready for a short story with a beginning, middle and end. It works equally well as a shared bedtime read, with a parent reading aloud, or as independent practice for a more confident young reader working through the Somali text on their own.
Where to find it
Xijaab Cas iyo Waraabahii (Red-Hijab and the Hyena) is available now, alongside the full collection of bilingual books, on the Bilingual Books page