The Boy and the Starfish

In this gentle tale, a boy in bright yellow rain boots and a red starfish-print shirt visits the tide pool each morning with his canvas satchel and notebook. His Grandpa Lee, wearing a straw hat and faded blue fisherman's sweater, teaches him about the tide and the small creatures left behind in the rocks, reminding him to use gentle hands and quiet voices. One sunny morning, the boy finds a palm-sized starfish with five orange-red arms and instead of touching it, he kneels down to sketch it in his notebook.

When his friend Mira arrives and reaches out to touch the starfish, the boy gently stops her and suggests they simply watch. Grandpa Lee explains that starfish are delicate and that touching them can hurt their skin and lifting them out of the water makes it hard for them to breathe. Moved by this, the boy decides to create a guide for careful rock-pool exploring, with rules like look, don't touch, walk slowly, keep animals in water, and leave shells and rocks where they are. The story follows the boy and Mira as they share the guide with other children at the tide pool. This tale by Çınar BİBER can be read on Masalcı Baba.