Gülsüm Alakuş Sağlam's team                            pages  6-7

                 Melike Aydın's team                                               pages 8-9

                Begüm Kumaş's  team                                           pages 10-11

                Tuğba Dalan's team                                               pages 12-13

               Maria Kanellopoulou's team                               pages  14-15

                      WRITERS OF THE BOOK

             Rümeysa Tenekeci's team                                    pages  16-17

             Andreanna Boultouki's team                              pages  18-19

            Cristina Festucci's  team                                       pages  20-21

            Mariana Sádovská’s team                                     pages 22-23

            Rita Kancerienė’s team                                          pages 24-25

             Julijana banacov's team                                        pages  26-27

            Celile Özcan's Team                                                pages 28-29

There was a country where people were connected to each other with visible strings. In this country, people would throw the strings they carried in their pockets to one another, and they always greeted each other in this way.

After exchanging greetings, everyone would ask each other, "How are you?" Then, one by one, everyone would express the feelings they were experiencing. Some would say they were happy, others sad. Afterwards, they would take out visible clothespins from their pockets and hang expressions representing their feelings on a string.

Sometimes the rope grew heavy with emotions that did not belong to the person holding it. In moments like these, people did not look away.  Instead, they would gently hold the rope together. They had learned that empathy was not about fixing emotions, but about staying there with them. When one person’s sorrow pulled the rope downward, another would step closer and lighten the weight.

Over time, the people of this country realized that even the heaviest burdens became lighter and vanished when the rope was held together. Everyone began to carry not just their own strings in their pockets, but also the patience and understanding to untie the knots of others. For they knew that sharing the weight of a heart did not just reduce the burden; it transformed the bond into a rope too strong to break. 

So when our friend is sad, we go to them and listen.Sometimes just listening makes people feel better.When we put ourselves in our friend’s place, we fight less.When we help each other, problems get smaller and our friendship becomes stronger.

In this special country, every small act of kindness added a new, colorful heart to the rope they all shared. And even on days when someone felt too tired to speak, the others stayed close, holding their string softly so it wouldn't fall. Little by little, the children learned that empathy was not something magical or difficult—it was simply choosing to stand beside a friend, even when words were few. And that was enough.

One day, a little boy's rope dangled down to the ground. The rope was very heavy. The boy didn't say anything. His friend saw this and came over and held the rope. Then another friend came. The three of them held the rope together. The rope slowly became lighter. The little boy smiled. The rope rose back up again.

After that day, the children began to watch the strings around them more carefully. They realized that some strings become heavy not only because of sadness, but also because of fear, loneliness or anger...

So they decided to come closer to each other whenever they saw a string hanging low and hold it together. No one was required to speak. The string could feel the care.