The Boy and the Sea Urchin

Leo comes to the Sunny Bay Marine Center carrying a small green backpack and a long list of questions about sharks, sea stars and the ocean. Marina, the marine educator, greets him and takes him first to the tiniest of the sea's helpers: a purple-red sea urchin called Spike, who lives in a touch tank filled with clear water, green seaweed and a smooth rock. Leo feels the soft spines, watches the urchin move on its tube feet and finds out that seaweed is its favourite food.

As the visit goes on, Marina explains how seaweed can grow too quickly and how sea urchins keep it in check, working like spiky gardeners. A picture of a kelp forest opens a conversation about the circle of life that connects seaweed, sea urchins and sea otters. Leo also meets a sea star, a crab and a small green turtle, and slowly sees that every creature has a job and that an ecosystem is a team. Written by Aysel Banu YAVUZAL, this gentle tale can be read on Masal İzle.