The Boy and the Water Vole

Sam puts on his bright yellow rain boots and joins his mother to help repair the stream close to their home. There he meets Ravi, a friendly riverbank worker wearing a wide-brimmed sun hat and an olive work jacket, who gives him a trowel and a tray of small green shoots. Together they dig into the soft, earthy soil and plant new greenery along the bank, and Ravi explains how these plants will grow thick and strong, holding the bank together and sheltering the animals that live there.

While he works, Sam hears a rustle in the tall grass and finds Pip, a shy water vole with glossy chestnut-brown fur and twitching whiskers. Ravi explains that water voles need dense plants for food and cover, and that bare mud leaves creatures like Pip exposed and frightened. Understanding the link between the little shoots and the safety of the wildlife around him, Sam works with fresh purpose. This gentle tale by Çınar BİBER can be read on Masalcı Baba.