الوَلَد وَالبَحْر
The Boy and the Sea
A Hayya Beena Naqraa story · Tier 2 · For ages 7–9
Cover page
الوَلَد وَالبَحْر
The Boy and the Sea
🎨 Illustration prompt
A wide watercolor scene of a young boy, around 7 years old, with dark wavy hair and a bright striped t-shirt, standing barefoot at the edge of the Mediterranean Sea. His arms are slightly raised in surprise and wonder. The sea stretches out in deep blues and turquoise, with a soft white foam line where the waves meet the sand. Behind him, the curve of a Levantine coastline — Beirut or Tyre in the distance, pale stone buildings catching the late afternoon light. The boy's small footprints lead into the frame. Warm palette: gold, soft blue, sand cream. Watercolor style. No text in the image.
Page 1
لَمْ يَرَ سَامِي البَحْرَ مِنْ قَبْل. اليَوْمَ، قَالَتْ مَامَا: "هَيَّا يَا حَبِيبِي. سَنَذْهَبُ إِلَى البَحْر."
Sami had never seen the sea before. Today, Mama said: "Come, habibi. We are going to the sea."
🎨 Illustration prompt
A warm Levantine apartment kitchen in the morning. Sami, a small boy in a striped t-shirt, stands by the door holding a little canvas bag. His mother, a kind-faced woman with her hair tied back, kneels to tie his sandal. Sunlight pours through a window with a small pot of mint on the sill. A folded beach towel hangs over her shoulder. Sami's eyes are wide with anticipation. Warm tones, soft watercolor edges. Watercolor style. No text in the image.
Page 2
مَشَيَا فِي شَارِعٍ صَغِير. ثُمَّ نَزَلَا دَرَجًا حَجَرِيًّا طَوِيلًا. وَفَجْأَةً، ظَهَرَ البَحْر.
They walked down a small street. Then they went down a long stone staircase. And suddenly, the sea appeared.
🎨 Illustration prompt
A view from the top of an old stone staircase that winds down between two pale Levantine buildings. Sami and his mother are halfway down, holding hands. At the bottom of the steps, the sea opens up wide and blue, filling the horizon. A few fishing boats bob in the distance. Bougainvillea spills pink over a low wall. Watercolor style with the sea done in cool blues and the stone in warm cream tones. No text in the image.
Page 3
كَانَ البَحْرُ أَزْرَقَ جِدًّا. أَزْرَقَ مِثْلَ السَّمَاءِ، لَكِنْ أَعْمَق. وَقَفَ سَامِي وَنَظَرَ بِعَيْنَيْنِ وَاسِعَتَيْن.
The sea was so blue. Blue like the sky, but deeper. Sami stood and looked with wide eyes.
🎨 Illustration prompt
A close watercolor of Sami from behind, small against the vast Mediterranean. He stands at the edge where the wet sand begins. The sea fills most of the frame in layers of blue — pale turquoise near the shore, deeper cobalt in the middle, a darker indigo line at the horizon. The sky above is a softer paler blue. The contrast makes the sea look enormous. Sami's small shoulders and dark hair are silhouetted. Watercolor style. No text in the image.
Page 4
خَلَعَ سَامِي حِذَاءَهُ. مَشَى عَلَى الرَّمْل. كَانَ الرَّمْلُ بَارِدًا وَرَطْبًا تَحْتَ قَدَمَيْه.
Sami took off his shoes. He walked on the sand. The sand was cool and wet under his feet.
🎨 Illustration prompt
Close-up watercolor of Sami's bare feet pressing into wet golden sand at the edge of the sea. Tiny footprints behind him are filling with shallow water. A few small pebbles and bits of seaweed scattered around. The light catches the wet sand and makes it shimmer. His sandals sit a few steps back, neatly placed. The mood is sensory, intimate. Watercolor style with soft texture in the sand. No text in the image.
Page 5
سَمِعَ البَحْرَ يَهْمِس. شُوووش… شُوووش… كَأَنَّهُ يَقُولُ لَهُ: "أَهْلًا يَا سَامِي."
He heard the sea whisper. Shoosh… shoosh… As if it were saying to him: "Hello, Sami."
🎨 Illustration prompt
Sami crouched at the water's edge, head tilted, one hand cupped near his ear as if listening carefully. Small ripples of foam are spreading toward his toes. The sea's gentle waves curl in soft white lines. The mood is quiet — almost reverent. A seagull glides in the pale sky above. Watercolor style with very soft brushwork, emphasizing the hush of the moment. No text in the image.
Page 6
جَاءَتْ مَوْجَةٌ صَغِيرَة. لَمَسَتْ قَدَمَيْه. قَفَزَ سَامِي مِنَ المُفَاجَأَة! ثُمَّ ضَحِكَ بِصَوْتٍ عَالٍ.
A little wave came. It touched his feet. Sami jumped from surprise! Then he laughed out loud.
🎨 Illustration prompt
Sami caught mid-jump, both feet just off the sand, knees bent, arms flung up in delight and surprise. A small foamy wave swirls around where his feet just were. His mouth is open in a big laugh. His mother stands a few steps back, also laughing, one hand on her chest. The scene is full of movement and joy. Watercolor style with a sense of splash and motion. No text in the image.
Page 7
نَظَرَ سَامِي إِلَى المَاء. مَرَّتْ سَمَكَةٌ صَغِيرَةٌ بِسُرْعَة. لَوَّحَ لَهَا سَامِي بِيَدِهِ وَقَالَ: "مَرْحَبًا!"
Sami looked into the water. A tiny fish darted past. Sami waved his hand and said: "Hello!"
🎨 Illustration prompt
A view down through shallow clear water. Sami's bare feet are visible standing in a few inches of sea, and beside them a small silvery fish darts past, its body catching the light. Tiny ripples spread from his ankles. His hand is reaching down toward the water in a small friendly wave. The sand below the water is dappled with sunlight. Watercolor style, with the water rendered in transparent blue-green washes. No text in the image.
Page 8
بَحَثَ سَامِي فِي الرَّمْل. وَجَدَ صَدَفَةً صَغِيرَة. كَانَتْ بَيْضَاءَ وَوَرْدِيَّةً، مِثْلَ أُذُنٍ صَغِيرَة.
Sami searched in the sand. He found a small shell. It was white and pink, like a tiny ear.
🎨 Illustration prompt
A close-up watercolor of Sami's small open palm holding a single perfect seashell — spiral-shaped, white with soft pink inside. Grains of sand stick to his damp hand. In the background, slightly out of focus, the sea sparkles. The shell is the hero of the image — small, ordinary, treasured. Watercolor style with delicate detail on the shell. No text in the image.
Page 9
بَدَأَتِ الشَّمْسُ تَنْزِل. صَارَتِ السَّمَاءُ وَرْدِيَّةً وَبُرْتُقَالِيَّة. جَلَسَ سَامِي بِجَانِبِ مَامَا وَشَاهَدَا الغُرُوبَ مَعًا.
The sun began to go down. The sky turned pink and orange. Sami sat next to Mama and they watched the sunset together.
🎨 Illustration prompt
Sami and his mother sit side by side on the sand, both facing the sea. Her arm is around his small shoulders. The sky is a soft wash of pink, peach, and orange, melting into the deep blue sea. The sun is a glowing orange disc just touching the horizon. Their silhouettes are warm and dark against the bright sky. A few seagulls drift in the distance. Watercolor style, with the sunset done in loose blended washes. No text in the image.
Page 10
عَادَا إِلَى البَيْتِ بِخُطُوَاتٍ هَادِئَة. كَانَتْ يَدُ سَامِي مَقْبُوضَةً بِقُوَّة. فِي دَاخِلِهَا، الصَّدَفَةُ الصَّغِيرَة.
They walked home with quiet steps. Sami's hand was held tightly closed. Inside it, the little shell.
🎨 Illustration prompt
Sami and his mother walking up the stone staircase from the beach, away from the viewer. The sea behind them is now a deep evening blue. Streetlamps are beginning to glow warm yellow along the road above. Sami's small fist is closed tightly at his side — we can see he is holding something precious. His mother carries the beach bag and his sandals. The mood is peaceful, full. Watercolor style with twilight tones. No text in the image.
Page 11
فِي اللَّيْل، وَضَعَ سَامِي الصَّدَفَةَ بِجَانِبِ سَرِيرِه. أَغْمَضَ عَيْنَيْه. وَسَمِعَ البَحْرَ يَهْمِسُ مِنْ جَدِيد.
At night, Sami placed the shell next to his bed. He closed his eyes. And he heard the sea whisper again.
🎨 Illustration prompt
A quiet bedroom scene. Sami is curled up asleep in a small bed with a soft cotton blanket. On the wooden nightstand beside him sits the little pink-and-white shell, lit by the warm glow of a small lamp. A window is slightly open, and the curtain stirs gently. The whole room feels calm and full of love. Soft blues and warm yellows. Watercolor style. No text in the image.
كَلِمَاتٌ جَدِيدَة · New Words
| Arabic | How to say it | English |
|---|---|---|
بَحْر |
baḥr | sea |
رَمْل |
raml | sand |
أَزْرَق |
az-raq | blue |
مَوْجَة |
maw-jah | wave |
صَدَفَة |
ṣa-da-fah | shell |
سَمَكَة |
sa-ma-kah | fish |
غُرُوب |
ghu-rūb | sunset |
يَهْمِس |
yah-mis | whispers |
حَبِيبِي |
ḥa-bī-bī | my dear / sweetheart |
🗣️ Talk about it
These are not test questions — they're conversation starters. Pick one. Ask. Listen.
Sami had never seen the sea before. Can you remember the first time you saw something really big — the ocean, a mountain, a tall building, snow? What did it feel like in your body?
The wave surprised Sami, and then he laughed. Has something ever surprised you and then turned out to be fun? What was it?
Sami picked up one small shell to take home. If you went somewhere new, what tiny thing would you pick up to remember it? Why that one?
✏️ Try it
Pick one:
Find a small treasure on your next walk — a pebble, a leaf, a feather, a shell. Put it somewhere you'll see it every day. Notice it for a whole week.
Listen like Sami listened. Sit very still for one minute, eyes closed, and count how many different sounds you can hear. Tell someone in your family what you heard.
Draw the sea — even if you've never seen it. Use blue, green, and white. Add one small thing that you'd want to find on the beach.
A note for grown-ups reading along
This is a Tier 2 story. The Arabic still has full vowel marks (تَشْكِيل), but the sentences are longer than Tier 1 — usually two or three short sentences per page. Your reader is starting to hold a small idea across more than one line.
Read the Arabic first, slowly. Let your child watch your finger move right-to-left. Then read the English. On the second reading, ask your child to read along with you on the words they recognize — baḥr, raml, azraq. By the third time, they may be reading the short lines on their own.
If your family has been to the Mediterranean — Beirut, Tripoli, Tyre, Latakia, Jaffa, Gaza, anywhere on that long beautiful coast — tell your child your own first-sea story. The book is a doorway. Your story is the room.
— Hayya Beena Naqraa (هَيَّا بِنَا نَقْرَأ)