This book has been created with a lot of love by the students of the 4th grade  of the 1st Primary School of Chios. It is dedicated to Tassoula and Ionas, the animals we adopted and have become the  inspiration for us.

On a sunny summer day on a cosmopolitan beach in Zakynthos, Pitsa, the tortoise, her sister and their friends were enjoying their  sunbathing.

While they  were drinking their juice, relaxing, two huge legs appeared over their heads,  trampled the whole beach  as well as  their company. Fortunately they  managed to survive!

On the same day in the mountainous Nymphaeum, Tassoula, the bear, with her grandchildren took their daily walk. Then they sat on a forest glade and  grandmother bear began to tell them a story.  

Suddenly thick smoke appeared over their heads. Tassoula knew this smoke ……… It was fire! She  had to immediately get the little teddy bears and  leave the site! But where could they go since the neighboring forest had been deforested by people to build a mall? She had to think of something fast !!!

On a lonely beach in Alonissos, Kostis, the seal, was trying  to concentrate on writing his new book.

But the tranquility of nature was  ruined when two boats with their fishermen appeared  offshore and began to cast their nets. After a few minutes, a very loud noise like an explosion scared Kostis, who left his papers and ran to hide !  

What an injustice this is !!! I can not allow these things to happen and the animals to be in danger of extinction, exclaimed Dris, the defender of the animals and the weak !! This must change! But how? I will ask for help from the children of  4th grade, who I know love animals and take care of them, he thought!

 The next day, with his pointed tail like a drill, he opened a hole and appeared in the Mathematics class of Mrs. Maria. As soon as the children saw him, they got excited and started shouting. He told them everything that upset him and asked for their help! 

Everyone agreed and took action! First they made placards and marched to protest about endangered animals. 

Then  they built fences on the beach to mark  the area where the turtles lay their eggs.

Finally, they visited the forests recently burnt and started planting trees! 

In the end, they went to the port authority and persuaded them to carry out stricter patrols at sea, in order to eliminate illegal fishing.  

The children may have been tired but the animals were very happy, because they were no longer in danger of extinction. The children became famous as the author, Kostis, published his new book "The Defenders of Animals", which became a Best Seller and their example  was followed by other children in Greece.

 A big party was organized and Pitsa, Tasoula and Kostis came to the  1st  Primary School of Chios to meet the children and thanked them. The children loved the animals so much that they adopted them.

  As for Dris , it became the talk of the town! He had many proposals to work in television and deal with politics. But he preferred to remain a defender of the weak and appear only when someone needed him.   

Maybe one day, without waiting for him, you see him in your own class. You never know!

Supervising Teachers

Maria Kontogianni

Kallirroi Kristallidi (English Teacher)

Ioanna Papazoglou (Drama Teacher)

Book Creators 

Maria Kontogianni  and her 4 th graders:

Maddy G

Marianthi G

Dimitris G

Eugenia G

Filipos  G

Penelope  D

Markos D

Isidoros E

Markos Z

George Th.

Lemonia K

Mike  K

Helen  K

Valia K

Pantelis K

Stamatianna L

Georgios  R