WHO SHOULD GO FOR FIREWOOD?
On the edge of the village lived a widow with three sons. The two sons are already grown-up boys, tall, stately, nice, and handsome. And the third - teenager Yura - small, thin, like a reed. It was winter. Deep snow fell, the north wind blew, and the frost crackled. The mother says, as if to herself, but so that the children can hear: “It’s cold, children.” But there is no firewood... Who should go for firewood?
The eldest sons are silent, their heads bent, they look at the ground and are hacking away at the stove. “I’ll go get firewood, mom,” said the youngest son. – Aren’t you afraid of frost? - the mother asks and glances at her older sons. “No, I’m not afraid,” the son answers and gets dressed. “Well, go, Yura,” said the mother, tightly belted him and kissed her son. Yura went. And immediately it became so quiet in the house, as if every living thing in the world was listening and thinking: what will happen? And the wind in the yard died down. The two eldest sons raised their heads, looked at their mother and said: “We will also go into the forest, mother.” “Go, sons,” the mother whispered and cried with joy.
V. Sukhomlinsky
Welcome
Everything here was made from matchboxes: houses, bridges, trees. But much more surprising seemed to be the creatures striding along the paths, driving around in matchbox cars, looking out of the windows of matchbox houses. These were all ordinary matches - thin, with arms and legs; old and young, mother matches and baby matches, dog matches and even sparrow matches.
Tanya and Vanya walked along the paths with their mouths wide open and constantly turning their heads, now in one direction, then in the other. Suddenly Vanya said to his sister: “Listen, where is the fairy?”
The guys stopped. And in fact, the fairy disappeared somewhere. Meanwhile, the matchstick men looked at the guys with strange irritation and even anger. They lined up on both sides of the road and whispered.
What a delicious soup
In one multi-colored city there lived a small, or rather, already quite large boy. He was more than four, but less than seven years old, and his name was very simple. How is still a secret. This boy was very good - cheerful, inquisitive, smart, and of course, always obeyed his mother. For example, now, when his mother told him: “Son, eat the soup!” He shook his head and turned away from the spoon. How? He always obeyed his mother! But sometimes he obeyed “the other way around.” The soup was so ordinary, but I wanted something unusual - sweets, cookies, a sausage sandwich. But my mother stubbornly brought the spoon with the soup to her mouth. - Let's go for mom, for dad! Open your mouth! You're already a big boy, eat some soup! The boy stubbornly shook his head and clenched his teeth more and more tightly so that not a drop of soup would get into his mouth. - Dad will come home from work and eat soup! Everyone should eat soup! And if you don’t eat it, I’ll actually give it to the neighbor boy. Then mom decided to use a trick. - Look, a hippopotamus is flying outside the window! The boy opened his mouth in surprise and turned to the window. True, he had never seen hippos, but suddenly he was really flying there. Mom brought the spoon with soup to her mouth faster than lightning, but the boy, not seeing the hippopotamus, managed to close his mouth in front of the spoon. And success was very close! Then mom got a call from work, and she went out into the hallway. The boy saw that the cat came into the kitchen and began to eat his food with appetite. On the street, pigeons were pecking at bread crumbs, and the girl was biting off a fragrant loaf, for which she was sent to the store. In fact, he really wanted to eat and he looked into the plate. The potatoes and carrots were cut into even cubes, the noodles were thin and well-cooked, and there wasn’t a single black peppercorn in the plate, which the boy couldn’t stand. He sighed and picked up the spoon. It was actually very tasty! The soup just melted in your mouth and was just right. And here is a crust of white bread to go with it. Mom returned three minutes later, with a sigh she picked up the spoon again, but there was no more soup in the plate. -Where is the soup? - she was surprised. “I don’t know, the neighbor’s boy probably ate it,” the boy winked at her. So what was the boy's name? And his name was (insert your child’s name). And in general, a fairy tale can be about a girl. Just replace a few words.
V. Garshin. "The Tale of Proud Haggai"
V. Garshin
The tale is based on a legend known in ancient India, Persia, and Palestine. The story of the tsar, who became proud and was punished, “Russified” under the pen of Vsevolod Garshin. In his tale, the arrogant King Haggai comes to church for a service and is outraged by the words of the Holy Scriptures “the rich will become poor, and the poor will become rich.” He is confident that he, the all-powerful and rich king, will never lose his greatness.
But fate turns out in such a way that Haggai, having chased a beautiful deer while swimming while hunting, leaves his clothes and horse on the shore, and the angel, taking his guise, goes to the city in royal clothes and rules in Haggai’s place. The people consider him an impostor, mock him, beat him and persecute him. Then Haggai thinks about all the injustices and cruelties that he committed against his people, cries, repents and now strives with all his might to help the disadvantaged.
Do you think that then both power and wealth will be returned to him? No, he refuses to return to the throne when the angel offers it to him. He stayed with the blind men for whom he was a guide, “and worked all his life for them and for other poor, weak and oppressed people, and lived like this for many years until his death.” A touching story, sad and bright. And instructive: it seems to the proud man that he is above everyone else, but in fact he stands on his “low platform.”
5.
ABOUT GREED
Once upon a time there lived a boy, Sasha Luzhaikin. Sasha was a good boy, but greedy. He never shared treats with his friends and didn’t let them play with his toys. “Here’s another idea - to give someone a treat!” – Sasha was angry to himself. – And why is this necessary? They treat each other, smile and laugh at the same time. What kind of joy? It’s much nicer: you took it yourself and ate it yourself. You'll get more for yourself. But then one day something incredible happened. Mom and dad went to a concert. Grandmother sat down in a chair and began to knit, but quickly dozed off. And at this time it began to rain heavily. And suddenly Sasha saw some small strange creature outside the window, getting wet from the rain. Sasha's curiosity awoke and he opened the window. The creature ended up in the boy's room. - Who are you? – asked Sasha. - I am Veselinka, and who are you? - And I'm Sasha. - Do you have a friend? – the guest asked. “No,” said Sasha. “Everyone says that I’m greedy, and that’s why I don’t have a friend.” “You’re not greedy at all,” said Veselinka. “Such a nice boy can’t be greedy.” I know that the greedy are the wolf and the fox. They will never share their prey with anyone. Sasha thought about it. He was interested in Veselinka. She was bright and cheerful. She could become a good friend. In the evening, Sasha put a handful of sweets in his trouser pocket. He decided to treat the guys tomorrow. It’s not his time to be greedy!
The treat was accepted with joy. The children thanked Sasha, and only one boy, Dima Kopeikin, asked:
- What happened to you? Why did you suddenly become so generous? - First of all, I made a friend. And secondly, I'm tired of being greedy. Dima said: “We want to meet your new friend.” In the evening, a noisy company ended up visiting Sasha. Everyone liked Veselinka, because she had a kind, cheerful disposition. - She will teach you a lot of good things! - the guys exclaimed. – Because she looks at the world from a kind, sunny side!
Questions and tasks for the fairy tale
How did Sasha's greed manifest itself? Did Sasha have a friend? How did Vasilinka end up in Sasha’s house? For what reason did the guys come to Sasha’s house? Draw how you see Veselinka. What proverbs fit the fairy tale? Whoever you hang out with, that's how you'll gain. Greed is the beginning of all vices. The main meaning of the fairy tale is that next to a good, cheerful person, another person becomes better. Next to a cheerful person you feel like the sun. And as for greed... How to prevent a child from becoming greedy? From early childhood, accustom him to reasonable generosity, organize everything so that he has the opportunity to share with someone.
THEY DON'T SCRUTTEN FOR THE TRUTH
It was New Year's Eve. The tree had been decorated for a long time and now sparkled cheerfully with lights, as if winking. Masha and Vitya played next to her and dreamed out loud about what Grandfather Frost would give them. They really expected that he would give them exactly what they wanted: Masha - a doll, Vitya - a car, well, not a real one, of course, but one that could be used to carry toys and sand in the summer at the dacha. Masha asked Vitya: “What do you think, maybe Santa Claus has already put gifts under the Christmas tree for us, but we haven’t noticed? What is he going to wait for tonight? Vitya shrugged his shoulders, saying, I don’t know. Then they decided to look under the tree, suddenly, however, a doll and a car were already waiting for them. They tried so hard, pushing apart the branches of the Christmas tree, that they did not notice how the toy fell to the floor and broke. Dad was in the next room and didn't hear anything. “Well, what should we do now? – Vitya asked. “It was your idea to climb under the tree, and you will be responsible for the broken toy.” “Well, no, they broke it together, we will answer together, and you, as the eldest, will generally get it from your parents,” his sister stuck her tongue out at him. “Let’s throw away the toy as if nothing had happened,” Vitya suggested. His sister supported his idea. They carefully collected all the pieces and threw them in the trash.
Sofia Prokofieva. "Snow White and Prince Theodore"
"Snow White and Prince Theodore" is based on the fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. From that classic version, it contains the circumstances of the birth of Snow White, the marriage of her father to the evil and envious King Morganda, a magic mirror and a poisonous apple, a handsome prince and the seven dwarfs. But new characters appeared: King Unger, bewitched by the potion of his new witch wife, nanny Ursula, who became a nun, the insidious bat Matilda, Morganda’s assistant. And also unexpected plot twists, dark secrets, mortal dangers. And that’s why reading turns into an exciting, bewitching adventure.
And also Sofia Prokofieva’s fairy tales about Snow White, both this and others (there are 16 of them in total, a large cycle), differ from the German original source in their pronounced Christian origin. In moments of fear, anxiety, and despair, Snow White prays. Not only for yourself, but also for your loved ones. For my father: “God, have mercy, save my father!” (and her daily prayer breaks the evil spell of witchcraft). And the people who love her are praying for her. “Pray, Snow White, your soul is so pure and bright, the Lord God will not leave you in trouble!” - says her nanny, faithful Ursula. And indeed, the fairy tale ends, as expected, with a family reunion (the king returns to the castle), a cheerful wedding and the escape of the evil witch.
But the ending of every Snow White tale contains the seed of the next story. Here it is: Morganda retreats to her ominous castle Mortiger on the shores of the North Sea, but is determined to deal with Snow White. Will she succeed? Read the following fairy tales by Sofia Prokofieva.
6.
A true friend
It was spring. The sun was shining very brightly, the snow had almost melted. And Misha was really looking forward to summer. In June he turned twelve years old, and his parents promised to give him a new bicycle for his birthday, which he had long dreamed of. He already had one, but Misha, as he himself liked to say, “grew out of it a long time ago.” He did well in school, and his mom and dad, and sometimes his grandparents, would give him money as praise for his excellent behavior or good grades. Misha did not spend this money, he saved it. He had a big piggy bank where he put all the money that was given to him. Since the beginning of the school year, he had accumulated a significant amount, and the boy wanted to offer his parents this money so that they could buy him a bicycle before his birthday, he really wanted to ride. Misha had a best friend. His name was Pashka. They sat with him at the same desk and were, as the teachers said, “in the water.” Pashka was the headman in their class. For the May holidays, their class teacher, Natalya Grigorievna, suggested that the whole class go to the circus, and entrusted the head boy with collecting the money for tickets. Pasha was a diligent boy: he not only wrote down who gave money for tickets, but also carefully put all the money in a bag, and then hid it in his backpack so as not to lose it.
And so, when there was nothing left before the holidays, Pashka lost this package. He remembered very well how he put it in his backpack, and then ran with the boys to play football at the school stadium, and the backpack remained in the locker room. He shook out the entire contents of his backpack onto the floor and went through every piece of paper in every notebook, hoping to see a bag of money there, but there was no sign of any bag. - They probably stole it! - said Pashka. “No, most likely you just dropped it somewhere,” Misha suggested. - I’ll get a kick out of both the guys and the class! Well, what to do now? Maybe we’ll put out an advertisement, like, well, a package of money is lost... After all, what a sum...
- Who will believe you, if they found him, then they probably took him for themselves. Misha thought for a minute, then loudly slapped himself on the forehead: “How could I not have guessed it right away!” “Wait for me here, I’ll be there soon,” he shouted to Pashka already at the door. Half an hour later, Misha returned with his piggy bank, poured its contents onto the bench: “How much do you need?” Pasha counted out the required amount and returned the rest to Misha. “Mish, you know...I always knew that you were a true friend...I have nothing more to say,” Pashka gave Misha a smile. “What did you save for?” - he added. “It doesn’t matter anymore,” the friend answered with slight sadness. In the evening, my mother noticed that the piggy bank was almost empty. She called Misha into the room. — I couldn’t resist, I spent it, right? - Spent it. - And for what? - Yes, you see, mom, Pashka, as our headman, was supposed to collect money for the circus, he collected it, and then lost it, so I gave it to him. - Are you sure you lost it? - Exactly! Pashka would never deceive me, I know that for sure. - Well, okay, I gave it, so I gave it. In general, you know, Mish, you acted like a true friend. “That’s what Pashka said.” - Well, that means it is so! The next morning Misha woke up from some strange sound. He opened his eyes and saw his dad leaning on the handlebars of his shiny new bicycle and ringing the bell. - Dad, did you buy me a bike?! But my birthday is still more than a month away. And I didn’t deserve it, I took the money and gave it away. - Just deserved it! Why wait until summer, the snow has almost melted. Run to Pashka and call him to ride quickly.
Let's hit the road
Just outside the city the forest began. Here the matchbox trees stood so close together that the sun's rays barely penetrated their dark branches. The guys walked holding hands, and they were a little scared. Every now and then some rustling noises were heard from all sides. They were clearly being watched.
Broken matches
Suddenly the trees parted and a little man stepped out onto the road. It was a match without a brown cap on its head. - Good afternoon! – Vanya turned to the stranger. “Nothing good,” the little man responded dully. “No one is allowed to walk in this forest without my knowledge.” - And who are you? – Tanya asked. - I? Who am I? – the little man was clearly not happy with the question. - Come on, brothers, tell these fools who I am! Other similar people began to emerge from behind the trees. There were also no brown caps on their heads.
The guys were seriously excited. - I am the leader of the spoiled matches. We are not allowed to live in the city with others. “With the normal ones,” a thin voice squeaked from the crowd. “Look around,” the little man began his story, “here you will find examples of all kinds of cruelty and injustice.” Some of us were born ugly. Sometimes there is a manufacturing defect, and matches are born without a cap from the incendiary mixture. They are doomed to drag out a miserable, worthless existence. But some, born normal matches, fall into the hands of notorious scoundrels. They burn them as a joke. And then they throw him to the ground. At this moment, their life does not end, but they can no longer return back to their own. Then we receive them here - in the Forest of the Forsaken.
- How sad! – Tanya sobbed. - Sad?! She's sad! Just listen! – the little man seemed to still be angry. – If it weren’t for you people, we would live happily ever after! - But who would have made you then? – Vanya tried to interject. - Take them! – the little man squealed, greatly offended by such a comment.
Matchstick men flew at the guys from all sides. And everything, of course, would have ended badly if the fairy had not appeared. Her presence alone had a strangely calming effect on the little men. They parted in different directions. The fairy turned to the leader of the outcasts: “You shouldn’t get so excited.” After all, these are just children. Plus, you can ask them a question, and if they answer it, you let them go. The leader of the outcasts liked this idea, and he turned to the guys again, softening a little: “Okay.” Answer now - what is a match head made of? You will pay for your mistake with your lives. Tanya and Vanya looked at each other, and the fairy tilted her head to the side. I had to remember. Vanya even got a headache from thoughts and tension, but in the end, he remembered: “From sulfur!” Exactly - from sulfur. “Hmm,” the little man winced. – And this is your final answer? - Well, yes. The fairy intervened again: “Keep in mind that the boys are only seven years old.” - OK. The answer is counted. But, of course, this is far from what I would like to hear. The composition of the match includes Bertol salt, manganese dioxide and sulfur. Sulfur is the main flammable substance in a match. Berthol's salt releases oxygen when burning, and the match does not go out as quickly. To prevent the fire temperature from being too high, manganese dioxide is used. - Wow, so many things in a small match! – the guys said in unison, but remembering who was in front of them, they immediately fell silent. - What did you think? – the little man grinned. The fairy disappeared somewhere again, as suddenly as it had appeared, and the guys safely continued on their way.
At the factory
Soon the forest ended. Endless expanses stretched out. After walking a little more, the guys saw a huge building with its top rising into the sky. Some indistinct sounds could be heard from its open windows. After listening, they realized that it was a child's cry. At that very moment, a matchstick man in a white robe appeared from the door and shouted at the top of his lungs: “Help is urgently needed!” Help! Everyone who has their hands free, respond!
Since Tanya and Vanya had their hands free at that very moment, they hurried to the match in a white robe. He looked at them doubtfully, and then, waving his hand, hastily invited them to follow him: “Just keep in mind, this is a very delicate matter!” - What's the matter? – Tanya asked with interest. “We have a maternity hospital here, young lady,” the match in a white robe frowned, “of course we’re talking about the birth of a new life!” The guys looked at each other in surprise.
There were long rows of cradles in the wards. Each of them contained a tiny match. Only they didn’t have to stay in this infantile state for long. After just ten to fifteen seconds, the little matches quickly jumped to their feet and went to their parents. Adoptive parents, because, as you know, matches are produced on special machines. Every day, one match machine can produce more than ten million matches. That's why Match in a white robe - Doctor Match - was in such a hurry.
Tanya and Vanya were placed in a row, behind the other matchstick men. Their task was simple: to convey newborn matches by conveyor from the maternity ward to the wards. Although this activity was interesting at first, the children soon got tired of it. Their hands hurt. They wanted to ask the Chief for time off, but they were forbidden to move. The matches came in a continuous conveyor belt.
Tanya began to whine, and Vanya became flushed from work and puffed like a locomotive. Suddenly the match fairy appeared. “Guys,” she said, “come on, quickly remember what matches are made of.” - Made of oak! – Vanya blurted out. “The answer is wrong,” said the fairy. “From a birch tree,” Tanya shouted, handing over another matchstick baby. - Past again. — From aspen? – Vanya suggested. - Absolutely right. Aspen is the best material for making matches. It holds the flammable mixture perfectly, does not split when cut and does not produce soot when burning.
At that same second, someone loudly shouted “BREAK!”, and the conveyor immediately stopped. The fairy disappeared again, and the guys left the maternity hospital and continued on their way along the road of His Majesty King Match XI.
Palace of His Majesty King Match XI
Some more time passed, and a long brown fence blocked their way. It stretched left and right as far as the eye could see. There was a door in the fence, locked with a large padlock. On both sides of the door stood matches in iron armor with spears. They looked sternly at the guys who approached. “Hello,” Tanya spoke. - Let us pass. Please, we really need it. “You will be able to pass if you answer the question correctly,” said one of the guards.
The guys nodded. - Why does the match burn? – asked the guard. - Well, it's easy! - Tanya waved her hand, - sulfur at its end is a flammable substance. We were already told about this today! “The answer is wrong,” the guard muttered. - How unfaithful?! – Vanya was indignant. - Very true! We strike a match on the box and lo and behold, the match is lit. But the guards did not answer anything to this. And they didn’t let the guys through.
The children sat down by the road and rested their heads on their hands. Will they never be able to complete their journey because of such a stupid and easy question? They were no longer surprised when the match fairy appeared a few minutes later.
On this difficult journey, she was their faithful assistant. And without her, they would hardly have been able to get further than the Forest of the Forsaken. “Guys,” the fairy addressed them, “when you rub a match against a box, it is not the match itself that lights up, but the mixture that is applied to the wall of the box.” It consists of red phosphorus and glue. The combustion reaction moves from the box to the match and it seems to you that you set fire to it. Although in reality they caused a fire on the surface of a matchbox. - Wow! – Tanya and Vanya were very surprised by this. And the guards stepped aside and allowed the guys to pass through the fence. Only now did they notice that it consisted entirely of the brown walls of matchboxes, impregnated with phosphorus and glue.
Behind the fence was a large palace, built of course from matchboxes, like everything else in this country. The guys walked along long, curved corridors and found themselves in a huge hall. In front of them, King Matchstick XI sat on the throne.
As was expected in such cases, the children bowed. The king answered them with a slight nod of his head. “Dear king,” Vanya began, “we walked along your path and overcame all difficulties.” Won't you let us go home? “Well,” the king spoke benevolently, “if that’s the case, then I see no obstacles.”
Candies
Lisa really enjoyed studying in 1st grade. She liked her classmates and teacher. Still, she had one reason why she was reluctant to go to school. This reason was her desk neighbor Kolya Solntsev. Every time Lisa came home from school, she found a whole mountain of candy wrappers in her briefcase. She knew for sure that Kolya was putting candy wrappers in her backpack, because she once caught him doing this. Lisa reprimanded him, but he just laughed, and the next day she again found candy wrappers in her backpack. Lisa shared her troubles with her mother. Mom smiled, hugged her daughter, and whispered something in her ear.
Alexander Sharov. "Smart Eel"
(from the collection of fairy tales “Baby Arrow - Conqueror of the Oceans”)
A fairy tale-parable with an educational element. The mainland blocked the way for the school of fish. Each fish, to the best of its mental and moral capabilities, solves the problem of how to overcome an obstacle. The cautious Flying Fish does not try to do this and turns back. A ferocious shark decides to swallow the mainland - and bursts. The magnanimous “fish Whale, who is not a fish at all,” pitying the people and animals living on the mainland, simply tries to push him aside, but it doesn’t work. The cunning fish Sword begins to cut the land, but gets stuck in it.
And only the sober-minded fish Eel remembers his mother’s behest, an aphorism invented by the writer and easily remembered by child listeners: “Where the strong will undoubtedly not swim, the smart will certainly swim!” The quick-witted Eel finds a witty (and poetically described by Sharov) way to overcome the land. The fish uses an “aerial suit”, “woven sometimes from dew drops, sometimes from raindrops,” and safely moves across the entire continent, “to the other ocean, where its mother was waiting for it.”
In this fairy-tale story, the young reader sees a whole gallery of different human types (conformist, aggressor, simple-minded big man, cunning) and learns to analyze the behavior of others. And along the way he receives useful information about the natural world.
Grandfather and boy
Today Misha's second lesson is Russian. This is his favorite subject at school. Therefore, he is already sitting at his desk, without waiting for the call. During the lesson, we were asked to write an essay on the topic: “What do I want to become when I grow up?” Misha thought quite a bit; just yesterday in a bookstore he saw a book about astronauts. Now it was his dream to fly into space. He wrote the essay the fastest and received an “A”. He flew home as if on wings. “Why are you so cheerful?” - Mom asked. “I got an A for my essay! Mom, I decided to become an astronaut!” “What kind of astronaut are you if you are constantly sick? No, don’t even dream!” - Mom snapped sternly. Misha had tears in his eyes, but he didn’t answer; he was used to trusting his mother’s authority. Then he approached his dad: “Dad, do you think I can become an astronaut?” “Mish, go ask your mom, I’m working, I don’t have time. And in general, to become an astronaut, you need to study well, but you’re bad at math,” Dad didn’t add optimism. He was always busy, and Misha didn’t even really count on the fact that his dad would help him decide on his future profession.
Having nothing better to do, Misha went out into the yard. Grandfather was sitting on the bench. He lived in the next entrance. Misha often saw him on the street, always said hello, but never talked to him. Misha sat down on a bench next to his grandfather and began to draw something in the sand with a stick. "What are you drawing?" — the old man asked. “Yes, nothing…” the boy sighed sadly. "Why are you sad?" - the grandfather did not let up. “Yes, today at school they wrote an essay about what I would like to be when I grow up, I wrote that I want to fly into space, but my mother is against it, but I think you still have to fight for your dream, try, study well, don’t be lazy , toughen up, and then I will definitely become an astronaut. What do you think, grandfather, what will I be when I become as big as dad?” – Misha asked his grandfather. "I think you'll be Human!" - Grandfather said, getting up. “Strange,” thought Misha. “Am I not a man?”
good
Yurik woke up in the morning. I looked out the window. The sun is shining. It's a good day. And the boy wanted to do something good himself. So he sits and thinks: “What if my little sister was drowning, and I would save her!” And my little sister was right there: “Walk with me, Yura!” - Go away, don’t bother me thinking! My little sister was offended and walked away. And Yura thinks: “If only wolves attacked the nanny, and I would shoot them!” And the nanny is right there: “Put away the dishes, Yurochka.” - Clean it yourself - I have no time! The nanny shook her head. And Yura thinks again: “If only Trezorka fell into the well, and I would pull him out!” And Trezorka is right there. His tail wags: “Give me a drink, Yura!” - Go away! Don't bother thinking! Trezorka closed his mouth and climbed into the bushes. And Yura went to his mother: “What could I do that’s so good?” Mom stroked Yura’s head: “Go for a walk with your little sister, help the nanny put away the dishes, give Trezor some water.”
Tannin achievements
Every evening, dad took a notebook and pencil and sat down with Tanya and grandmother. - Well, what are your achievements? - he asked. Dad explained to Tanya that achievements are all the good and useful things a person has done in a day. Dad carefully wrote down Tanya's achievements in a notebook. One day he asked, holding a pencil at the ready as usual: “Well, what are your achievements?” “Tanya was washing the dishes and broke a cup,” said the grandmother. “Hm…” said the father. - Dad! - Tanya begged. - The cup was bad, it fell on its own! There is no need to write about it in our achievements! Just write: Tanya washed the dishes! - Fine! - Dad laughed. - Let's punish this cup so that next time, when washing dishes, the other one will be more careful!
Yes, there is such a medicine!
Baba Mani’s hut is a former bathhouse, the only building in the village that survived the war, with a vegetable garden the size of a volleyball court, and there are only one birch tree, and even that disabled World War II one, like stumps, raised a dry fork to the sky, chopped off by a shell . But the bird people love and adore Baba Manina’s estate. Loud bully sparrows thrive on it from morning to night, white-sided magpies swing on the birch as easily as on a swing, crows and pigeons celebrate their weddings. Whose first song in the spring is the beautiful starling? At Baba Mani's. On the disabled birch tree, to which she attached a simple, hastily knocked together birdhouse on the day when she and her fellow countrymen emerged from the partisan forests. The neighbors were amazed by this. They have starling houses - mansions carved on poles. And with all the comforts: here you have a little entrance with clever doors, here you have a shelf and a birch branch - sit wherever you want and sing your songs. But starlings do not rush into these towers. In the spring, all day long they fight for Manina’s ruined women, and only after the final division does some loser take up residence in the towers. “Baba Manya,” the neighbors asked, “tell us your bird word with which you lure the starlings to you.” - What is my bird word? I don't know any bird words. Sometimes, out of boredom, you go out and talk to them. That's all my bird's word. That spring, Grandma Manya decided to renovate her birdhouse a little, and what the hell, the birdhouses would get angry and fly away to the neighbors. Every creature of God loves to take care of itself. On a warm sunny day, she left the house, trod a path in the snow to the disabled birch tree, then brought a ladder and placed it against the tree trunk. Grandma Manya was old and decrepit. She somehow climbed up the first three crossbars, and then, feeling dizzy, she fell into the snow. For some time she lay unconscious in the snow, and then the sparrows flocked to the birch tree and let everyone shout in a crowd: “Get up, get up, Baba Manya!” Otherwise you'll catch a cold. Baba Manya stood up. She got up, made it home with difficulty, and fell ill: she developed bilateral pneumonia. Grandma Manya did not get out of bed for more than a month, and the doctors had no doubt: the old woman would die. There is no medicine in the world that can raise an old person from the dead. Yes, there is such a medicine! Starlings brought it to Baba Mana. One day, early in the morning, Grandma Manya came to her senses - and what was it? Who knocks on all the windows of her wretched shack? She lifted her old head from the pillow - and, my God: squawks! Her favorites. They knock, beat on the frames with their yellow beaks, beat on the glass with their blued wings: “Get up, get up, Baba Manya!” We brought you health. Baba Manya dropped her head on the pillow out of powerlessness and cried: “No, no, I can’t, guys.” I won’t be able to get up and meet you again. - Yes, how can you not meet me! Who said you don't have the strength? Baba Manya made an incredible effort and stood up. She could not die without looking at her beloved bird one last time. Grasping the walls and the doorposts with her hands, she crawled out into the warm sun, leaned on a light little batotok, white with age, like herself, and stood there for a long time with her eyes closed, listening with pleasure to the spring song of the starlings. From that day on, Baba Manya began to recover.
Didn't do anything
After lessons, Andrei and Nikita remained on duty in the classroom. Having finished cleaning, they said goodbye to teacher Kristina Vitalievna and ran out of the classroom. It was unusually quiet in the corridor - all the children had gone home. Only the cleaning lady, Katerina Vasilievna, was washing the floor. The guys, trying not to slip, quietly walked towards the stairs. A girl from a parallel class was walking up the steps towards them. She was carrying a whole stack of books in her hands, and did not see the bucket of water that stood near the mathematics classroom. Having tripped over a bucket, she could not resist and fell. Books scattered on the wet floor. - Oh, what a disaster! — the cleaning lady clasped her hands. - Baby, are you hurt?
“No,” the girl answered, wiping her tears, “but it’s a pity for the books - they’re all wet...” “The main thing is that you’re safe!” - Katerina Vasilievna smiled. - Let's dry the books! All this time the guys stood on the landing, watching what was happening from afar, and giggling. The cleaning lady noticed them and shamed them: “Oh, you!” - What about us?! We didn't do anything! — the boys answered in unison, shrugging their shoulders. - That’s exactly what it is: NOTHING!!! - Katerina Vasilievna answered them with a sad sigh.
Matchstick residents
The further the children walked, the closer the little men came to them. Finally, where the road climbed steeply upward, they were surrounded.
A gray-haired matchstick old man came out of the crowd of matches: “You are not welcome here,” he said loudly. You are very naughty and nasty guys. You should have been sent to the quarries. But at the request of our respected fairy, we allow you to earn your forgiveness! - What did we do? – Tanya asked with a trembling voice.
The old man and everyone else frowned more than ever. “Is this because,” Vanya began, “we were playing around with matches?” - Were you playing around?! They were playing around! - some match-mother intervened in the conversation, - Do you know how many innocent matches are dying for nothing because of such stupid and irresponsible guys like you! Every day some boy or girl plays with matches, breaks them, sets fire to anything! And all for what!
“And this is not to mention their own safety,” said the matchstick guy in large round glasses delicately.
“No, no, all this is empty talk,” the old man spoke again. - The matter is clear. The two of you must take the road of His Majesty King Match XI. This is the only way you can understand for yourself what it means to handle matches properly. And this is the only way you can return home, to your world. - Fair! Fair! – the rest of the matches nodded. “But...” Tanya tried to object, “what if we get lost?” “It’s unlikely,” the bespectacled match stammered, “we have only one road in our country.” And that's exactly what you need.
“It turns out we have no other choice,” Vanya noted. He wanted to ask if they would encounter terrible dangers on the way, but there was no one around. All the matches somehow very quickly returned to their business.
The guys had to go along the only road in the country of Matchboxes, the road of His Majesty King Matchbox XI.
Real knights
Sashka and Maksimka have been best friends since childhood. They lived in neighboring houses and went to school together. And even in the same class. One day, friends were returning from school, and on the way they were talking about who the knights were. Sashka, gesturing with his hands, enthusiastically talked about knightly tournaments and armor. Maksimka, dreamily scratching behind his ear, said: “Eh!” Those were the times! And now? There is no place to even show knightly qualities: courage, courage! Save whom?! Should we take the cats out of the trees? - Oh, at least cats! — Sashka nodded, agreeing. So, talking enthusiastically, they reached the playground. Continuing to think about what feats could be accomplished in our time, they sat down on a bench. Suddenly, they saw classmate Katya. Both Maximka and Sashka liked Katya very much. She was polite, modest and a good student. Katya had long hair, which was always neatly braided. Out of nowhere, their classmate, poor student Petka, ran up to Katya. He pulled the girl's braid hard. Katya cried. It is clear that she was hurt and offended. Sashka jumped up from the bench and chased after Petka. And Maksimka ran up to Katya and handed her a clean handkerchief so that she could wipe away her tears. “Thank you,” the girl smiled and took the handkerchief. - Don't be afraid of anyone! Sasha and I will always protect you from now on! - Maksimka said seriously. - Thank you! - Katya nodded. -You are real knights! Maksimka squinted his eyes cheerfully and smiled.
