Text only  Print this page | E-mail this page| Add to favourites
British Council LearnEnglish Kids British Council Kids
The whale gets stuck © Damien Hazell
more stories
short stories
Are these stories too long? Read and listen to some fun short stories!
stories for little kids
Help your little brother or sister learn English with some stories
more about sea animals
Find more activities about sea animals
The Tide Turns
By Carolyne Ardron

Seas cover 70% of our planet, and are full of life. But we are not taking very good care of the sea. Sometimes we treat the sea like a great big dustbin. Rubbish, plastic, sewage and dangerous chemicals all end up in the sea, and this can harm the animals and plants that live there. Or we use big boats and big nets to catch fish - and catch more than we need, or hurt animals with our nets.

The animals have decided that it's time to fight back. They've attacked the fishermen with their big boats and nets, and now they are attacking the sewage factory - but the young Blue Whale is stuck in the pipe!

If you don't understand a word in this story, double-click on it and you'll see what it means in a new window.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THIS PAGE OF THE STORY
Page 1 2 3 4 5

"Get hold of his tail!" ordered the Pink Dolphin to his team of Octopus. With their thousands of tentacles the Octopus took hold of the tail and pulled and pulled until the Blue Whale, now black and oily, came out of the pipe with a POP!

Bigger than the biggest dinosaurs, the Blue Whales threw their bodies onto the top of the pipe, crushing and pushing it deep into the sea bed, closing it up forever.

"Hey!" cried one of the factory workers as the waste flooded back into the factory. "What's going on?! Quick! Let's get out of ….!"

As the Blue Whales and the Octopus swam back out to sea, the Hammerheads and Tiger Sharks, fish kings of junk food, prepared for action.

"You mean we have to locate all their rubbish, dump it on their beaches, and don't get to eat any?!" they asked, amazed.

"That's right!" whistled the Pink Dolphin. "Who knows what damage their rubbish is doing to your stomachs?"

Read next page

The United Kingdom’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities.
A registered charity: 209131 (England and Wales) SC037733 (Scotland)
Our privacy and copyright statements.
Our commitment to freedom of information. Double-click for pop-up dictionary.
 Positive About Disabled People Download Browsealoud