Low Tide Lanterns: story transcript
Page 1
Low Tide Lanterns
Page 2
At sunset, Mara knelt by the tide pools. Tiny lights flickered in the water like lanterns. "Tovi, why do they glow?" she asked. Tovi peered close. "Little plankton are making the sparkle!" he chirped. Their shining was the sea’s own gentle twinkle.
Page 3
Tovi hopped to a shallow pool and peered in. "Mara! Look!" he chirped. Stuck on a rock was a tiny baby sea star, its arms drooping and its skin looking dry. Mara leaned closer. "Sea stars need seawater to stay moist and move, right?" she asked. "Yes," the shore said softly.
Page 4
Mara nodded. "Sea stars breathe through tiny tube feet and skin-gills," she said. "If they dry out, it is hard for them to live and move." Tovi blinked. "So we must be quick and careful?" Mara smiled. "Yes—brave looking means noticing what help is needed."
Page 5
Mara looked for the safest path. Some rocks wore slippery green algae, like soap on a bathtub floor. She chose the drier, rougher stones and watched the water line, which was creeping higher with every sigh of the sea. "Step where the rocks are grippy, Tovi." "Grippy! Got it!"
Page 6
Mara cupped seawater in her bucket and poured it gently into the pool beside the sea star. The water spread like a cool blanket, keeping its skin damp. "Just a little at a time helps, right?" Tovi stood on a nearby rock, watching the rising tide and chirping, "Safe, safe, safe!"
Page 7
Mara spotted a flat shell nearby. She slid it into the wet sand, making a tiny ramp to guide the water. Then she dug a shallow channel with one careful finger, like drawing a silver line. "Will this help the sea star slide home?" Tovi fluttered. "Yes! The tide can do the pushing!"
Page 8
Mara paused at the edge of the pool and checked the water line again. It was close now, but not rushing. "First we wait for a little wave," she said. When it came, the sea star drifted onto the wet ramp like a leaf on a stream. Tovi chirped, "Home!"
Page 9
In the safer pool, the baby sea star slowly spread its five arms. A sea star moves with tiny tube feet on its underside, like hundreds of soft sticky shoes. The water swirled around it, and one arm reached, then another. "Look, Tovi—it’s waking up."
Page 10
The tide climbed over the rocks, soft as a blanket pulling up to a chin. Mara and Tovi stepped back and watched the pool fill. "Careful looking helped us help it," she said. "And brave looking, too!" chirped Tovi. In the shining dusk, the sea star was safe at last.
