Can He Do It?

Prasiwi Bestari
Vannia Rizky Santoso
Dugo is always together with Mom.
Every day, they wander the seagrass
meadows. With Mom around, Dugo is not
afraid. 

1
One day, Mom has a talk with Dugo.
She tells him how grown he is. She believes
he is ready to explore the meadows on his
own.  

2
Dugo is worried. He has never wandered out
alone. Can he do it?
Mom convinces him that he can.  

3
Dugo starts his day without Mom. 
Oh no! Something is approaching. 
Dugo is shortsighted. He can’t see what it is. 

4
Dugo panics. 
 There’s danger ahead! What must he do? He
swims around not knowing where to go. 

5
Oh, I am going to hide! 
Dugo finds a spot and stays still. 
He must not be found.  

6
The shadow moves closer. 
Dugo can see it clearly now. 
It is a turtle. 
A turtle is not a threat to Dugo.  

7
Dugo comes out of his hiding place. 
But he is still worried. 
What else will he meet? 

8
What if he meets a shark? 
Killer sharks are terrifying! 
Can Dugo tackle them? 
Dugo’s mind runs wild.  

9
Suddenly ….

10
Oh, No! 
A killer shark is on its way. 
Swim away, quick! 

11
Dugo must hide. 
But there is no place safe enough. 
What is he going to do? 

12
Swoosh … Dugo glides, dives and makes a
turn. 
He hopes the shark loses his trail.   

13
Dugo’s maneuvers do not succeed. 
 He has to think fast. 
What will get the shark off his trail?  

14
Aha! He thinks of something clever. 
This way, the shark does not see him. 

15
It works! 
The shark is off Dugo’s trail.   

16
Ow … Dugo’s stomach hurts. 
He has not eaten all day. 
He moves around and spots delicious
seagrass.  

17
As Dugo feasts on the seagrass, a shudder
passes through the water. 
It’s coming from the surface. 
Dugo can guess what it is.
Is he right? 

18
Yes, he is right! 
It’s a fishing boat. 
Oh no, another threat! 

19
Dugo does not want to be caught in their net. 
Squeak … squeak … squeak! 
Dugo’s shriek sends an alarm to all his
friends.  

20
Hurry! Hurry! 
Dugo and his friends dive down to a safe
distance. The fishermen’s net can’t reach
them there.   

21
 Whew! What an exhausting day! 
Dugo is tired but relieved.
Mom was right. Dugo can explore the
seagrass meadow all on his own.  

22
Dugo is a dugong. A dugong is a marine
mammal. Its body weight can reach up
to 400kg. Dugong calves swim with their
mothers until they are 9 years old.
They feed on seagrasses - flowering plants
that grow in shallow waters. Seagrass
meadows provide food and habitat for
many marine animals. They also protect the
coastline from erosion and tidal waves. It is
important that we keep our coastal waters

23
clean to help preserve seagrass meadows. 

24
 Brought to you by

Let’s Read is an initiative of The Asia Foundation’s Books for Asia

program that fosters young readers in Asia and the Pacific.
booksforasia.org
To read more books like this and get further information about
this book, visit letsreadasia.org

Original Story
Can He Do It?. Author: Prasiwi Bestari. Illustrator: Vannia Rizky
Santoso. Editor: Dian Kristiani, Fanny Santoso.

Published by The Asia Foundation - Let’s Read, © The Asia

Foundation - Let’s Read. Released under CC-BY-NC-4.0.

This work is a modified version of the original story. @ The Asia

Foundation, 2023. Some rights reserved. Released under
CC-BY-NC-4.0.

For full terms of use and attribution,

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

Contributing translators: Jody Roy