The Mole's Underground Train

Monty is a mole who lives beneath a green meadow, recognizable by his soft dark grey-brown fur, large pink digging paws, brass goggles and leather tool belt. Digging tunnels for his friends is a joy, yet his favourite pastime is dreaming of a train that could race through the darkness faster than a beetle and more smoothly than a raindrop. One day he sets out to make that dream real, laying shiny rails through his tunnels and building a small engine with a bright red chimney and a bell that rings ding-ding.

Monty invites Rabbit, Mouse, Hedgehog and Shrew for the very first ride, and the train puffs and chugs while everyone cheers. Then a sharp twist in the tunnel ahead stops the carriages. With her notebook and pencil, Shrew helps Monty understand that the passage is too narrow and the bend too tight, so the friends dig a wider curve, straighten bumpy rails and soften a steep slope, testing and fixing as they go. This warm story by Çınar BİBER can be read on Masalcı Baba, and it shows young readers a patient, practical kind of invention.