You Won’t Bite My Fin

Author: Laila Audi

Illustrator: Hanan Al-Karargy

3asafeer.com

The original work of this book was made possible through the generous support of the All Children Reading: A Grand Challenge for Development (ACR GCD) Partners (the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), World Vision, and the Australian Government). It was prepared by Asafeer Education Technologies FZ LLC and does not necessarily reflect the views of the ACR GCD Partners. Any adaptation or translation of this work should not be considered an official ACR GCD translation and ACR GCD shall not be liable for any content or error in this translation.

On a new polar day Mama seal and her pups; Fresh, Mesh and Sesh were sitting together. The pups danced and sung as Mama seal sang, “We drink and drink from our mother’s milk. It’s full of fat tarattat tarattat. Our skin is healthy and strong is our body. With a tail and a fin, together we win. We don’t care if it’s a whale or a bear. As long as we drink, from mum’s milk. It’s full of fat, taratat taraatat .

Mama seal glimpsed at the calendar on the wall. Her pups’ birthday is after a month. Her face was pale and she seemed worried, but why is she worried?

She was so worried because, it will be her pups first day in water. She was scared that the shark could eat them. She remembered the day the white shark ate her fin when she was young.

She worried more when she saw her pups preparing for the birthday celebration. She thought and she thought and finally came up with an idea.

She gathered her pups and started giving them some training. They had to make their fins stronger. One two three four. One two three four, but the pups were in a hurry.

They sneaked into the water and covered the fins with water. Mama Seal hurried towards them and got them out.

She said, “Not yet. You to have to sharpen your teeth. Don’t you want strong sea lion teeth? They all told her, “Yes! The seals sharpened their teeth and cleaned them. They tried biting everything … bite, bite, bite. But…

The naughty little ones sneaked into the water and covered the fins with water. Mama Seal hurried towards them and got them out.

She said, “Not yet. Now it’s time to practice swimming. Up, down into the water. Swim to the right, swim to the left. Come on my dear little ones. Now Fresh and Mesh are ready for swimming. But where did Sesh go?

Splash! Sesh jumped into the water. “Mama, Fresh, Mesh look at me. I can swim.” His brother pups were about to catch up with him when the big white shark appeared.

Mama seal screamed, “It’s a shark!” It’s the shark that ate my fin. Stay where you are. Don’t approach the water. Then she hurried into the water to rescue Fresh from the shark… but Fresh was only a few inches away from the shark.

Mama seal could hardly push the shark away with her fin. Suddenly her three pups started pushing the shark with their fins too. The

manoeuvred him and swam away from his teeth. Shortly after, the shark trembled. There were too many seals for him that he had to leave them and go.

The three pups chased him and told him “Don’t you dare come near us again. You won’t fill your tummy with us. If you try, you’ll see what we will do.” Mama seal hugged her brave young pups. She was very proud.

Then they swam and dove into the water and caught lots of fish and twenty squids. Finally, they returned to the shore where they found a surprise.

The rest of the seals prepared a surprise birthday party for the brave seals. They all sang together, “Our fish are yummy and full of fat. We love eating them just like that. We defend ourselves and we don’t care, if it’s a shark, whale or a bear.

THE END