The Hollow Oak

In a green woodland, a vast old oak tree with a hollow centre becomes home to three animal families. Squirrel twins Pip and Pop gather acorns on a high branch, owls Owlen and Owlvie sleep in a dark hollow, and a beetle family lives under the bark and keeps it clean. At first each group is busy and content in its own space.

Before long, the squirrels' chattering and racing disturb the owls, and scattered nutshells upset the beetles. Arguments break out as each family insists on its own needs, and the tree fills with noise. A young woodpecker named Tap, in a green leaf vest and red cap, hears the trouble and suggests a woodland council where everyone can share ideas and take turns. This gentle story by Yavuz DEMİRKIRAN explores cooperation, compromise and listening to others, and can be read on Online Masal.