The Boy and the Puffin

On a windy morning by the sea, Leo brings his sketchbook and pencil to a green cliff where puffins nest each spring. Ranger May meets him at the colony and reveals that the birds are not in plain sight: they dig burrows in the soft soil beneath the grass, and each pair raises a single chick there. When one puffin waddles out of its hidden entrance, Leo is delighted, but Ranger May explains that these well-camouflaged homes are easily crushed by visitors who step off the path.

Troubled by how close he might have come to harming a nest, Leo turns to his sketchbook. He draws a picture guide showing where the burrows lie, marks a footprint on the grass with a red X, and reminds visitors to stay on the path, keep a safe distance, and watch the colony through binoculars. Posted at the start of the trail, his drawings begin to change how people behave. This tale by Çınar BİBER, which can be read on Masalcı Baba, gently introduces wildlife etiquette and hidden habitats to young readers and to adults reading aloud with them.