The Boy and the Tree Frog

Eight-year-old Ben is fascinated by every creature that hops, flies, or crawls, so a morning trip to a rainforest reserve with Ms. Rivera, a friendly guide in a green ranger uniform, feels like the best day imaginable. With a map in hand and a notebook ready, he enters a noisy green world of enormous leaves, vivid flowers, and nonstop whistles, chirps, and buzzing. When Ms. Rivera explains the idea of biodiversity, Ben writes the word down and starts to see that each plant and animal has a place and depends on the others.

On a glossy leaf Ben notices Pip, a tiny lime-green tree frog with golden eyes and round, sticky toes. Watching patiently, he sees Pip leap and climb higher and higher, gripping wet bark and leaves with toe pads that act like small suction cups. Ms. Rivera points out how the tall trees serve as the frog's home, supermarket, and safe place, and how flowers need insects, frogs eat insects, and larger animals eat frogs. Ben sketches everything and learns that the rainforest works like a big team where every living thing has a job. This tale by Aysel Banu YAVUZAL can be read on Masal İzle.