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Morning light shone through the waves, painting the water in soft silver and blue. Manta stretched his wide wings. Swoooosh, flap! Sharky yawned, showing off his rows of tiny teeth. “Morning, Manta,” said Sharky sleepily. “Morning, Sharky! Let’s go find breakfast!” chirped Manta. But today, something unusual drifted in the water. All around them, strange shapes floated lazily: some small, some big, some blue, some white, even pink and green. They twirled and flapped like jellyfish, but they didn’t glow, and they didn’t swim on their own. ...

Far, far below the waves, sunlight danced across the sandy floor of the ocean. In that glittering blue world, a tiny manta ray pup flapped its wings like soft kites. Swish-swoosh, swish-swoosh! The manta pup had been born alone. No one stayed to guide it, so it had to figure things out quickly. “I need to eat,” the pup thought, fluttering along. “Plankton, little shrimps, anything tasty floating about!” As it skimmed near a coral reef, the manta suddenly spotted movement. A small shadow darted through the water. It was shaped like a torpedo, with bright curious eyes. ...

Once upon a time, in a cosy little house at the edge of a bustling town, there lived a boy named Jack. Jack had a boundless imagination and a heart full of adventure. His greatest love was for his dinosaur toys. He had a collection of every kind of dinosaur imaginable: mighty T-Rexes, long-necked Brachiosauruses, and his favourite, the spiky Stegosaurus. Jack would spend hours creating epic battles and adventures with his dino friends. ...

High in the branches of an old banyan tree lived two clever crows. One sunny morning, they began to argue about who was the stronger and wiser flier. At last, one crow said, “Let’s have a challenge! We’ll each carry a sack of the same size and see who can fly the highest.” The other crow agreed at once. The Plan Each crow flew down to the ground to fill his sack. ...

Once upon a time, there was a little boy named Leo. Everyone in the village called him Buttered Lamb because he was so scared of everything! If he saw a stranger, he would run and hide right away, and everyone thought he was an easy target. His reputation spread to a nasty, hungry witch who lived in the woods. The Sack and the Stone One day, the witch disguised herself as a kind traveller and came to the village. She saw Buttered Lamb run and hide in his mother’s cupboard. The witch tricked his mother, opened the cupboard, grabbed Leo, and stuffed him into her big sack. Then she walked off, planning to cook him for dinner! ...

Once upon a time, on a blisteringly hot summer afternoon, a lively young boy named Toby decided to go for a swim. The sun was baking the earth, and the river nearby looked like a shimmering ribbon of cool blue. Toby kicked off his sandals, ran down the grassy bank, and splashed straight in. At first it was wonderful. The water came up to his knees, and then to his waist. He splashed his face, chased a few silver minnows, and laughed as the cool current tickled his toes. ...

Somehow, one bright winter morning, a golden ray of sunlight managed to slip through the thick clouds and sparkle on the snowy ground. Beneath the snow, hidden deep and quiet, lay a tiny snowdrop bulb, dreaming of warmer days. It had been a long cold winter. When that bit of sunlight touched it, the little flower woke with a shiver. “Oh! Is it spring already?” it thought. It stretched and pushed, lengthening its stem as far as it could. It made a tiny hole through the snow, twisting and wriggling until, it burst through into the cold world above. ...

On the very last night of the year, when the moon hung like a silver button in the sky, Father Time sat quietly at the edge of the world. His long white beard glimmered like frost, and his clock, an enormous one with golden hands, ticked softly beside him. Each tick sounded like a heartbeat. “Tock… tick… tock…” Tonight was special. Tonight, Father Time would hand the world over to Baby New Year. ...

Long ago, there was a young man who had no work and no money. He wandered from village to village, hoping to find something to do. One day, he met a rich-looking man who said, “Come and work for me. I’ll take you across the seas to a place where treasure waits.” The young man, eager for employment, agreed. He boarded the man’s ship, and together they sailed far, far away until they reached a lonely island. In the middle of the island rose a tall, steep mountain that glittered strangely in the sunlight. ...

Far, far up north, where the sea wears a crown of frozen white, there lies a magical world made of drift ice. The wind whispers across the icy ocean, whoosh, whoosh, and beneath the chilly blue waves lives a creature so tiny and mysterious, she is called the fairy of the drift ice. Her name is Clione. But Clione wasn’t always the graceful dancer of the sea. Long ago, before she had wings and a shimmering glow, she was just a tiny jelly-like blob named Nio. She lived in the cold seas near Hokkaido, dreaming of exploring the world beyond. ...