The Little Gazelle's Race

In a sunny meadow, Zola the gazelle loves to run, wearing her red racing scarf and green shoes. She proudly calls herself the fastest in the meadow. One morning, her friend Tuck, a calm tortoise with a yellow sun hat and round glasses, asks to race. Zola laughs but agrees, and all the animals gather as the rabbit starts the contest through the forest, over big rocks and across a wide stream.

Zola speeds ahead like a golden arrow, while Tuck plods behind on his short legs. Soon, a pile of rocks too high to jump and too wide to go around blocks the path, and later a deep, fast stream too wide to leap. Each obstacle shows Zola that speed alone cannot carry her to the finish. Tuck pushes her up the rocks, she pulls him over, and he floats on his shell like a green boat to carry her across the water. Along the way, Zola begins to see that her friend's patience and kindness matter as much as her own quick legs. This gentle tale by Çınar BİBER can be read on Masalcı Baba and follows the two friends to the finish line and beyond, showing young readers how cooperation and consideration for others can change what winning means.