The Pinecone Palace

In a sheltered forest spot under ferns and moss, a beetle colony smaller than rice grains goes about its days under Pip, their lively leader in an acorn-cap hard hat who carries a woven grass satchel and keeps everyone occupied with plans. When young Buzz finds a huge pinecone in a clearing, the beetles choose to make it their palace, and with Gran, their wise grandmother beetle, and Tilly, a visiting ant with a sharp mind, they begin the work.

The tale follows the palace rising piece by piece: sap-held scales, staircases of leaf and twig, a grand hall, snug sleeping rooms, a mushroom garden and a library of leaf pages. Every beetle takes a special job, and Tilly's idea for a lookout tower adds a note of care. Written by Yavuz DEMİRKIRAN, this warm read-aloud suits bedtime or classroom talk about cooperation and planning, and it can be read on Online Masal.