The Boy and the Tree Frog

Leo puts on his yellow rain jacket and blue rubber boots to walk a muddy path into a rainforest for the first time. Above him, tall trees close into a green roof, vines hang down, and bright flowers sit in the shade. On a wide leaf he finds a tiny tree frog with lime-green skin, golden eyes and orange toe pads, and the frog leads him farther into the forest.

Step by step, the frog shows Leo what it needs to live: a leafy tree holding rainwater in a hollow, where tadpoles wiggle, and ferns and broad leaves full of hiding places, bees and lizards. Leo draws what he sees from a mossy log and begins to understand that a healthy forest needs tall trees, clean water and many kinds of plants. A guide names this idea biodiversity and explains how the canopy shelters wildlife. Written by Çınar BİBER, the tale can be read on Masalcı Baba.