The Tiny Submarine

Ben enjoys making things, and on a bright morning he transforms an old lunchbox into a tiny submarine with a toy motor, a plastic window and a propeller taken from a broken fan. A curious device he picked up at a yard sale then changes everything: pressing its large red button shrinks him down to the size of his own invention, so the submarine fits him exactly and the garden pond opens up as a vast world to explore. This gentle tale by Yavuz DEMİRKIRAN follows his underwater discoveries.

Below the surface Ben meets Pip, a cheerful water boatman carrying a reed satchel and a map drawn on a lily pad, who explains how the pond works and introduces Mara, the dragonfly nymph who leads the insects, and Ollie, an old snail in round spectacles who keeps the pond's secrets. The water, however, is growing cloudy and green, and the creatures are short of light and air. Ben offers his submarine to help, and the friends begin to restore their small world. The story can be read on Online Masal.