Snowy frosty day. At the very edge of the village, near a house slightly rickety from age, two children were making a snowman. Suddenly they noticed that some nimble animal was jumping from tree to tree, waving its fluffy tail and as if wanting to say something. The funny animal turned out to be a squirrel. She persistently beckoned the children into the depths of the forest... “Don’t take a step into the forest!” - Vasilisa suddenly remembered her mother’s order. But it was already too late.
Zimushka spread such a magnificent blanket on the ground, decorated the branches of spreading spruce and pine trees with such downy scarves that it would be impossible to describe in a fairy tale or with a pen. And our heroes stood rooted to the spot, enchanted by the beauty, hitherto unknown.
Petya, the forest really is magical! - Vasilisa exclaimed. - Father said that miracles happen in it.
Yeah, “there the forest and the valley are full of visions...” Petya laughed at his sister. “Don’t tell this fairy tale to anyone else.” Father scared you, but you believed.
Vasilisa was offended by her brother, hung her head and even cried with frustration.
But then the squirrel turned up. She wiped away the tears from the girl’s face with her tail and again beckoned her to follow her somewhere.
For a long time or a short time, the children made their way through deep snowdrifts, first through a dark forest, then through an open field, and then a tower appeared before them. The doors, apparently, were thrown open by the wind, and Petya and Vasilisa were easily able to get inside.
How frightened the poor children were when they saw that there were huge bowls everywhere, and some kind of potion was boiling and seething in them, emitting a sharp unpleasant odor. Instantly the guys realized that this tower belonged to the witch.
“You were right, Vasilisa,” Petya whispered quietly, “I take my words back.” Evil spirits live here.
Unclean... - the girl repeated in fear.
But the witch was not at home. But suddenly Vasilisa and Petya heard someone’s barely audible sobbing next to the door to which the squirrel was pointing them to.
The children pushed the oak door - and gasped! Three bear cubs, seven hares and twelve wolf cubs appeared before them. They cried bitterly, hugging each other. The squirrel jumped around Vasilisa and Petya, waving its paws as if it was trying to tell a story: it pointed at the kids, at the animals, and also at the bunches of wild berries that were hung on all the walls.
How much or how much time has passed since then, but the children guessed what the witch had done: she lured little children who went into the forest secretly from their parents to her mansion and treated them to berries. Well, how could the kids not try the bright, delicious berries?! They instantly turned into animals and remained with the witch. Grief-stricken mothers and fathers wandered through the forest for a long time, but could not find their dear children.
What was to be done? There is no time to sit back - we must act! But no one knew where to find a way to turn the animals into children again.
We decided to wait for the witch. An hour passed, two, the third was almost over, when suddenly the centuries-old trees rustled with their bare branches, snow fell from the spruces and pines, and a blizzard rose. This evil force was returning home!
Frightened children and animals hid under benches and tables, but did not lose their vigilance.
The witch put the broom in the corner and carefully approached the cabinet that hung in the far corner. Opening the door a crack, she carefully counted something and closed it tightly again. She drank some cabbage soup and went to bed.
Meanwhile, the children realized what was going on, and as soon as the witch began snoring, they tiptoed to the cabinet, opened the door slightly and took out the berries from there. No, not poisonous, but the most magical berries that turned rabbits, bear cubs and wolf cubs into children again.
They then rushed home as fast as they could, first through an open field, and then through a dark forest.
Soon the fairy tale is told, but not soon the deed is done. Tired, cold, they ran out to the edge of the forest, which was near the village, and did not believe their luck. They hugged Petya and Vasilisa and quickly hurried home and arrived just in time for the festive table. After all New Year on the nose: the clock showed five minutes to twelve. The parents' joy knew no bounds, and Vasilisa and Petya all bowed to the ground. They bowed, but next time they were strictly forbidden to go into the forest alone.
This is the end of the fairy tale, be reasonable, well done!
=Berry Tale=SEA BUCKTHORN
The berry is rich in its taste and healing content, pleasing to the eye with a bright yellow-red dense scattering along hard spiky branches, densely dotted with green-silver narrow leaves, not allowing anyone passage in places of its abundant growth. So the girl came out with fiery hair and the same by no means gentle disposition - lively, with a caustic tongue, with her nose always turned up. Those who have ever collected sea buckthorn remember the painful pricks of its thorns and the burning tingling sensation from the juice that got into the wounds. That’s why we had to adapt and take care of our hands when collecting. Many people use special wire hooks for this. The gray shrike, a small bird the size of a thrush, but a very warlike bird that deftly hunts grasshoppers and even larger game - rodents, birds and lizards, likes to plant its prey on the thorns of thorny bushes. And between the sea buckthorn thickets themselves, roe deer often hide, and their rut occurs in late summer and early autumn. Alarmed either by the presence of a person or by an approaching thunderstorm, males with neat horns make anxious barking sounds and follow their friends to other secluded places.
BLACK CURRANT
Black currant is seen in a completely opposite way to its red sister. And she loves damper places, and her clusters are shorter, and they hang on the bush for a long time, even after frost. And what an unforgettable, special taste of its berries! And who doesn’t know this amazing invigorating spirit emanating from its leaf, with which they love to season a real forest drink! I decided to give the image itself a sad, slightly gloomy and witchcraft look. It is emphasized by the deaf riverine spruce forests, and the thick fog over the beaver pond, whose hardworking owners are busy storing branches for the winter, and the tiger-footed owl who caught a gaping vole, also personifying witchcraft and darkness. And yet, the general oppressive ugliness of this forest wilderness is diluted by the gold of crumbling birch leaves and the black pearls of poured currant berries, which will still have time to please forest inhabitants or humans with their taste.
RASPBERRIES
Raspberries grow most abundantly in burnt areas and clearings, where it is convenient to collect them. Those who did this remember the clouds running overhead, and the wind swaying the pink waves of fireweed inflorescences, and the trunks and small snags insidiously lurking in the tall grass, trying to trip up the raspberries, and the stench of elegant stink bugs examining the raspberries, and the snare large spiders, sometimes falling on the hand, causing ancient fear and disgust, and small crimson thorns piercing the palms or thighs, and, of course, the eternal desire to put the fragrant berry itself more often in the mouth than in a basket, jar or other container. And someone came across the “furry berry picker” himself - a terribly hungry bear for raspberries, who in most cases ran away at his heels, scared no less than a two-legged berry picker. And at the time of flowering, the bees take a good bribe from the raspberries. Among the Slavs, perhaps, this is the most revered berry, giving sweetness to the lips, and heat and strength to the sick body. Its color is songfully called sunrise and sunset, the shade of elegant fabric or the beauty of a girl’s lips. And who doesn't know stable expression"raspberry girl"? Bright, catchy, healthy, desirable, vigorous beauty is emphasized by comparison with this berry.
RED CURRANT
This is a very cheerful berry. In clear weather, its clusters are like precious stones, and in the translucent pulp, so that all the seeds and veins are visible, the sun plays, as if hiding its warmth in each of the berries. Picking red currants is a real pleasure. There is no need to squat or bend your back. You can stand up to your full height and quickly fill a container hanging at your belt with berries that easily come off from the bunch you pass through your fingers. And all around, the sun penetrates through the spreading foliage of the linden trees growing in the clearing, the air is full of the smells of herbs and flowers, the admirers of currants - white-browed thrushes - are chattering, flashing their red underwings with each flap. The girl who personifies red currants is fiery blonde, with a kind wide smile. 
CLOUDBERRY
Cloudberry is an amazing berry. It has an amazing taste, its yellowish-orange color dispels any sad thoughts, and the ripe berry itself is so tender that it begins to collapse in the collection container under its own weight, which is why, for example, the second half of the bucket of this northern berry is collected much slower than the first one. I see Cloudberry as a very cheerful and mischievous girl. The image itself was based on my beloved wife Olga, so I somewhat modernized the cut of the clothes. Evening falls over the moss swamp, turning the clouds the color of cloudberries. The boxes are filled, and all that remains for her and her friend is to lick the red juice from their fingers, throw the burden over their shoulders and get out onto the sandy mane covered with pine trees. The badger dug a hole in the roots of one of the pine trees. A frightened black grouse flies deep into the swamp. Every high bog is an overgrown ancient lake, and where there is a thin layer of peat or where there is a water outlet, a trap lurks for a carelessly treading guest. In addition to swampy places and hollows, you should also beware of snakes, because vipers love to bask on hummocks, often covered by wild rosemary or rosemary bushes. And it is unknown what ancient secrets the thickness of the swamp itself hides. 
STRAWBERRY
Perhaps the most memorable acquaintance with wild berries in childhood begins with strawberries. Everyone remembers the hot air, filled with the chirping of grasshoppers and the buzz of many flying insects, a sunlit clearing and the lights of this most delicious of berries peeking out from the grass, remembers how he strung strawberry “beads” on a blade of grass and happily ate them, or picked up a handful of berries, and then he put them in his mouth en masse. And the strawberry itself seems to me like a maiden lying down and basking in the sun. A young shepherd is secretly watching her. Arthropods are moving in the grass, grasshoppers are jumping from blade to blade of grass, and a young, bluish-black, agile falcon is hunting for them. On the high bank, dotted with burrows of shorebirds, the walls of the settlement rise, and in the sky, rays piercing the clouds illuminated the sign of the Sun, which gives light and warmth to all living things. 
BLACKBERRY
Prickly, entwining other trees, clinging to clothes, scratching, forcing one to bypass it, a bush with burgundy, dark blue or almost black berries - this is the blackberry. For the first time I saw blackberries along the banks of the channels in the floodplain of the upper Ob. Accordingly, the image was formed quickly - a strong, vigorous, dark-haired girl, probably lively in songs, conversations and sharp with words. She had just swam in a small river overgrown with alder trees. The leisurely water weakly sways the stems of buttercups, arrowheads and floating leaves of pondweed, and over its surface along the shore, the carrier waders, integral to any body of water, sweep, whistling. 
STONE BERRY
Probably everyone knows this berry, and many are familiar with the light gelatinous pulp of red, without general order berries stuck together on the sides with a seed inside, which, in fact, gave the plant its name. Children will never miss an opportunity to put a stone fruit, or “drupe” as they like to call it, into their mouths. They also collect it along the way, in the absence of more noble berries. Known and medicinal properties the green part of the plant itself - for healing wounds, for hair care and other purposes. For me, the name “bone man” imposed the image of a slender, thin girl, a “sterlet,” as they say in some areas. For the same reason, I provided her with bone amulets. The girl was tired, thinking about something of her own, sitting down on a trunk broken by a long-ago windfall. I once died under this trunk wild bull tour, who accidentally wandered from the river floodplain into a place not quite typical for him coniferous forest. His horned skull had long been bleached by the sun, and more than one generation of grass had broken through the cracks and eye sockets. However, life goes on. A quiet chatter was raised by alarmed red-tailed jocks, and a marten poked its curious muzzle out of a rotten hollow log, fixing its beady eyes on the girl. But she indulged in her dreams and hopes. 
PRINCE
Which berry is first brought to the nose before being put into the mouth? To the prince - modest in appearance, unfamiliar to the average and southern resident berry This northern woman has a surprisingly pleasant smell and an even more wonderful taste. To know it, the princess should be given all honors: first bow down, because, despite its other name - northern raspberry, the princess grows as a separate low plant, often at a distance from its other fellow tribesmen, then pick the plant itself, because it is difficult to separate the burgundy-colored one with your fingers. red beads of berries from the receptacle, you can only bite them. This explains its complex and almost impossible preparation. However, in places where it grows abundantly, knyazhenika was previously collected to make a liqueur that tastes amazing. Both the name and the characteristics of this berry directly gave birth in my imagination to the image of something princely and honorable. The princess with a small retinue and nanny is leaving, or maybe heading to another city. The weather is clear, clouds slowly pile up over the lake, and in the air, grass, forest - everywhere the eternal game of life and death continues. The red-backed vole was also flattered by the prince, but a kite hovering over the clearing might spot her for dinner. Here is one of our most brightly colored nightingales, a blue-breasted male bluethroat, carelessly busy cleaning his wing, and a small hobby falcon is already making a lunge at him. It is unknown what awaits these people along the way, what the impenetrable forest hides. Therefore, the princess is given a sign that it is time to move on. 
KALINA
Many poems and songs have been written about this wonderful berry; its fiery image has always excited the eyes and imagination of people. Even having shed its large palmate leaves, a tall viburnum bush glows for a long time with scarlet beads of fruit against the background of a gray pre-winter or already snow-covered forest, until they are pecked by restless flocks of thrushes or single hazel grouse. Here, in the picture, autumn is in full swing. The oak grove sheds its lush crown, and the foliage of the viburnum acquires a great variety of shades of yellow, green, red and ocher. At this time, the mating season of the mighty bison continues; the bulls rage at each other, tear off their horns and break young trees. Filled with bitterish juice, but prettier with each frost, large grains of berries bend the branches with scarlet robes, as if exalting the glory of fiery undying beauty before the next extinction of Nature. Even a flat viburnum seed with its outline resembles a heart in which love is born. It is not for nothing that among the people, viburnum has always been a symbol of girlish beauty. That is why the image of a stately, proud and noble Slav woman in bright, rich clothes, on a faithful, playful companion, carrying her rider through the autumn forest, appeared. 
HONEYSUCKLE
Of our berries, it ripens earlier than all of us. And although it gives a bitter taste, children willingly eat it, attracted by its bluish-light fruits, and when the harvest of other berries is weak, it is also used for home preparation. The drink made from it is especially good, perfectly quenching thirst. And the honeysuckle bush itself looks ingenuously welcoming - without thorns, with rounded smooth leaves and branches, densely strewn with berries, which have received a not very printed name among the people for their shape. Honeysuckle prefers mostly shaded areas along the edges of forest edges. Here, in the thick grass and bushes, you can unexpectedly stumble upon a sluka - a large forest sandpiper, long ago, at the suggestion of the nobles, called in Rus' German word"woodcock". Sluka can have a second brood just during the period of honeysuckle ripening. Flightless puffy sandpipers move independently, hiding or running away from possible enemies, but some hunters claim that in case of obvious danger, the female puffbird can carry her child away from harm through the air, holding the chick between her paws. This moment is captured in the painting. The girl is a little frightened by her mother's noisy take-off, but she will quickly pull herself together, and her natural primary fear will quickly be replaced by surprise and curiosity. I wanted to give the image itself restrained, calm features and smooth movements. 
CRANBERRY
This berry is so familiar to everyone that just the mental imagination of it makes one’s mouth set sour, not to mention the very taste of cranberries, which softens and becomes sweeter only when the berry lies under the snow until spring. For many peoples, cranberry was one of the healing agents that helped them survive the winter and all the diseases associated with it. On some Slavic languages it is called crane berry, crane berry, and its names are translated from Germanic languages in the same way. Apparently, this is connected with the very place where cranberries grow - swamps, favored by cranes, or with its flowers, reminiscent of bird heads with long beaks. In the picture it is already time for the first frost, and the cranes have flown away. But black grouse and wood grouse come to the swamps to feast on berries, sometimes leaving their feathers on the hummocks. The moose race continues, their groans resounding through the forests and outskirts of the swamps, challenging a worthy opponent to a duel and looking for females. In the heat of rivalry and love excitement, eagles lose caution and even become dangerous to humans. But the thoughts of the girl who went to pick the berries are occupied with something else. She is filled with ignorance and anxiety caused by possible heartache. Only for a short moment are they distracted by the sourness of the bitten berry, which cramps the cheekbones. Or maybe, on the contrary, it only intensifies the surging gloomy feelings. Meanwhile, cranberry is a berry filled with healing powers. So the girl’s cheeks are covered with a healthy blush, and she will be able to experience a lot more in life. 
BEARBERRY
Many who have had to pick lingonberries have made mistakes when the berries that fell into their mouth suddenly turned out to be tasteless, mealy, and even with seeds. Bearberry can indeed be confused with lingonberries at first. Its berries never had much value, although they probably helped out in times of famine. The main attention was paid to its leaves, which have medicinal value. This is how the image of a young green-eyed herbalist, busy collecting them, arose. Here a gray-haired woodpecker examines trees and anthills, heading with its diving flight to the next place. And since another name for bearberry is bearberry, a bear with babies, who, as you know, love to frolic in the water, turned out to be appropriate down by the stream. 
BLUEBERRY
It is indisputable that with the introduction of a foreign faith, the native faith of the Slavs did not disappear at once, but was preserved, thanks to its spiritual strength and applied natural knowledge, many centuries later. So our ancestors, discovering and settling new lands, transferred the fires of this faith to new spaces. In this case, the action takes place in Eastern Siberia, where larch-white moss is common with dwarf cedar in the undergrowth and extensive thickets of blueberries. Its elongated blue-gray berries were always a welcome addition to the table, and a handful of them brightened up the rest of a traveler sitting near a blueberry tree. Due to age and other changes, blueberry leaves, in addition to the usual green, can have many shades of red, yellow and brown, which creates a fancy bright carpet, especially in the autumn forest. Wood grouse love to eat blueberries, one of which paid for his carelessness by being spotted and barked at by the girl’s faithful taiga companion, the husky. While her devoted assistant, sticking out his tongue, cheerfully examined the larch tree, the girl sat down to rest. Of course, she is blue-eyed and dreamy - I simply cannot see a blueberry in any other way - but at the right time her eye is sharp and her hand is firm. A crossbow is a weapon that can be wielded with girl power. 
COWBERRY
Lingonberries are as good as their own appearance, as well as a sweet, slightly spicy taste, as well as the sensations experienced when collecting it - strong, tight clusters, mosses strewn with bright beads, lichens at the base of trees or old stumps, shiny and smooth leathery leaves, which are also good for forest tea. To make it easier for ourselves to collect this useful, but small berry, our ancestors long ago invented special wooden scoop-rakes with a jagged edge, which in our time have been replaced by metal “improved” structures. Contrary to the popular belief that this method harms the lingonberry bushes themselves, tears out leaves and twigs, a diligent and experienced picker, without exerting any force, easily moving and shaking the rake, helping with his free palm covering the scoop on top, separated the berries from the stems. Filled with natural faith, our ancestor accepted the gifts of Mother Nature with respect, observing the rules, not written by anyone, but refined over centuries, which, unfortunately and shame, are forgotten by today’s descendants. The image of lingonberry is a rosy-cheeked and cheerful girl. Her perky mood is also supported by a pair of agile, curious chipmunks, preoccupied with stuffing their cheeks. And the edges of the forest, old burnt areas and clearings are examined by the bear for the presence of anthills and chipmunk pantries. And of course, having come across a lingonberry curtain, the brown giant will not leave this tasty berry without attention. 
BLUEBERRY
Raven-colored hair, sable eyebrows and a playful, languid gaze of sharp blue eyes– this is what blueberries look like, long known for their beneficial effects on vision. I depicted the girl in a mosquito net, since it is known that annoying bloodsuckers like to lurk in blueberry bushes. But now it’s hot, and the breeze is blowing through the pine forest, driving away the annoying mosquitoes, and you can throw the net away from your face. A hazel grouse perched on a pine branch - a big fan of blueberries, equally willing to fill its crop with the berries themselves, as well as with its leaves and green shoots. And the girl’s fingers and soles will be decorated with crimson-violet spots of crushed blueberry for a long time.
NIKOLAI FOMIN - A little about the artist
"The range of professional interests of Nikolai Fomin from the city of Kirov is unusually wide. Game biologist, landscape designer, wood carver, taxidermist, sculptor, animal painter and just a person passionate about his work. Ural, Far East, Western Siberia- these are the places that left their mark on him creative biography. Participant of many exhibitions, including charity ones, illustrator. Nikolai's bright and original works are known far beyond Russia. He learned to draw himself, because he was and remains a diligent student at the school of wise nature."
Summer is the favorite time of year for many forest dwellers. In summer, flowers bloom, trees rustle with green leaves, fruits and berries ripen. There are so many berries, and so different, that it seems as if no one can know them all by name and taste. It’s also good to walk in the forest with friends in the summer. Especially if you take a walk with benefit.
One day Bunny and Squirrel went deep into the forest to pick berries. Badger joined them. His friends didn’t want to take him with them, but it was somehow impolite to refuse. At first they walked along well-trodden paths, and did not come across any berries. And how could they be here, if all the animals have already passed through here more than once?
“Let’s go deeper into the forest, where no one walks,” suggested Bunny.
- Do you know any berry places? – Badger immediately asked.
- No, there’s just a better chance of finding something there.
- Maybe you know where strawberries grow? – Squirrel asked Badger.
- No no no. I do not know anything. – He answered evasively.
- Then let's go deeper into the forest, but not too far, so as not to get lost.
They turned off the path and went deeper into the forest. The trees there were taller and denser. They covered the ground with a huge green umbrella of leaves, and it was not so hot below. The stream flowing between the roots of the trees gave the travelers the coolness of the forest.
- It’s so good here! - Squirrel admired.
- Yes, but there are no berries here. - Badger grumbled.
And then the trees parted, and the friends came out into a small clearing, flooded with sunlight. It was both light and humid from the flowing stream: everything you need for strawberries.
The badger immediately ran to look for the berries and soon found them. He quickly began to pick strawberries and put them in his basket. Bunny and Squirrel, admiring the beauty of the forest, also came up.
-Where are you going? These are my berries! I found them first! - Badger shouted.
- What do you mean, first? – Bunny was surprised. We went into the forest together to pick strawberries. We are looking for it together and we will also collect it together.
- But no! – Badger protested. - It’s not fair, I was the first to find it!
“Get rid of him,” said Squirrel, who came up. - What to take from him? He's a greedy guy. Let's move on.
The Bunny stood for another minute, watching Badger quickly collect berries in a basket, turned away and walked on without saying a word.
Soon he and Belka also found a clearing with berries and began to collect them together. Things went faster for them than for Badger. While one was collecting, the other looked around and found another clearing. The baskets began to fill up quickly. But Badger’s basket remained half empty, and no one helped him. Then he began to run after Bunny and Squirrel, and when they found berries, Badger ran ahead and picked strawberries from under their noses.
“Listen,” Squirrel became indignant, “this is no good at all.” Why are you running after us? If you don’t want to gather together, don’t follow us.
- Why did you conspire against me? - Badger screamed again. - Do you want to collect everything?
“Leave him alone,” Bunny waved his paw, “let’s go home.” We'd better go tomorrow, without him...
And then Bunny suddenly fell silent, as he saw a large red berry growing under a birch tree. The berry was unusual and beautiful. It grew on a thick stem and was the size of a small apple. She stood like a small lantern, bright and noticeable in the shadow of the forest thicket.
“Look,” said the Bunny to the Squirrel, “what a miracle I found!”
- No, I! – Badger shouted and rushed to the berry.
“Wait,” said Squirrel, “don’t tear it down.” Suddenly she is poisonous.
“It’s probably poisonous,” agreed Bunny, “otherwise she, so big and beautiful, would have been eaten long ago.”
The badger stopped at the last moment and cautiously pulled his paw away.
“Or maybe it’s not poisonous,” he suggested, “it grows here in the wilderness, so it wasn’t found.”
“I’ve never seen such berries,” said Bunny.
“Yes, it’s better not to eat it,” Squirrel confirmed. – If you’re not sure that the berry is good, it’s better not to eat it.
“Okay,” Badger reluctantly agreed, “perhaps it’s better not to eat it.”
He turned away and walked further. But then Bunny leaned over and tried to pick a berry.
Badger noticed this:
“Aha,” he shouted, “they wanted to deceive me, but they decided to eat it themselves!”
“How could you think such a thing,” Bunny was indignant, “I just wanted to tear it off to show the Hedgehog!” He knows all the berries.
But Badger was no longer listening. He rushed forward, grabbed the berry and quickly swallowed it.
- What have you done? - Squirrel gasped. - You'll get poisoned!
- And nothing like that. I know you, they wanted to deceive me...
But he didn’t have time to finish. His stomach growled loudly, and Badger sat down on the ground.
“Oh,” he said, “my stomach hurts.”
- Hurry up to the Hedgehog! He may know how to treat it.
The animals hurried into Return trip. The badger kept sighing, complaining and saying:
- It's all your fault.
Soon he got worse, and Bunny and Squirrel had to carry Badger. The baskets of berries had to be left behind, although Badger never abandoned his basket.
We reached the Hedgehog's house quickly. Fortunately, he was at home. The berry turned out to be not very poisonous, and Badger was simply given healing chamomile tea. At first he lay on the bed and sighed, but after an hour he joined his friends who were drinking tea at the table.
- Thank you for helping me. - He said.
“Oh, you’re welcome,” said Bunny, “you needed help.”
“We couldn’t do otherwise,” added Squirrel.
The badger thought.
- If you want, take my berries, your baskets are left in the forest.
- Well, no, no way! - Bunny objected.
- Otherwise it will turn out as if we saved you because of the berries.
- And because of what? – Badger was wary.
- No reason! Just to help you out. How stupid you are.
The badger thought again.
“We’ll find your baskets tomorrow,” he said.
- So you want to go with us tomorrow too? - Squirrel was scared.
“I want,” said Badger, looking down, “I want to go with you, together.”
“But only then will we pick berries together,” said Bunny and laughed.
Others echoed his laughter. And Badger laughed loudest and most cheerfully.
A fairy tale about a mouse and magic berries A fairy tale about a mouse for children who take other people's things. One hot summer day, a little mouse was bored near his house. - Let's play tag! - the dragonfly chirped. - Don't want! Tired of it! - the mouse squeaked capriciously. - Let's play hide and seek! - suggested the firefly. - It’s not interesting with you! - the mouse waved his paw. - You spin around and don’t know how to hide. - Boring? - asked the cunning fox in an insinuating voice. “It’s boring,” the mouse agreed. - Did you hear that the bear grew magic berries in his garden! Eat one berry and all your wishes will come true! Only he doesn’t let anyone near those berries. I wish you would dig an underground passage and bring us some berries! - the fox whispered and tickled the mouse with her red tail. - Wow! I want my wishes to come true! - the mouse jumped. - Okay, I’ll show you the way, and you bring me magic berries. Agreed? - Lisa even closed her eyes with pleasure. - Of course, we agreed! - The mouse laughed joyfully. “Will you take it without asking?” the cockchafer buzzed, sitting on a blade of grass? - Just think! - the mouse shrugged his shoulders. - Since he doesn’t treat anyone, I’ll take it without asking. - You can’t do it without asking! - the mosquito buzzed, sitting next to the beetle. - Can! - The fox brushed them off with her tail, put the mouse on her back and rushed to the bear’s house. They ran to the bear's hut, the mouse dug a hole, crawled out right under the bush and picked magic berries into a basket. There was no doubt that the berries were actually magical: while the mouse was carrying them along underground passage, they glowed in the dark in different colors and smelled amazing, real miracles. Unable to resist, he ate one. Then another one. Then again... And he fell asleep. The mouse dreamed of all sorts of incredible things: a bear flew in the sky, cats grew on a tree, mushrooms ran in the grass, and the sun turned into a pancake and fell. The mouse woke up: he looked, but there were no berries in the basket! “Ay-ay-ay,” he got scared. - What will I tell the fox? He ran back to the garden along the underground passage, got out and couldn’t believe his eyes! As everything was in his dream - so it is: a bear in the sky, cats hanging on the Christmas tree like pine cones, and a fox sitting in the meadow eating the sun! - Can't be! - the mouse was scared. - Maybe! - the bear growled from the clouds. - Why did you eat my berries without asking? Now look what you've done! - Now we are ripe, we will jump to the ground and show you how to take magic berries without asking! - the cats meowed from the Christmas tree. - Guard! - the mouse squeaked. - How can I fix everything? - No way! - the fox sang in a satisfied voice. - Now I’m eating up the sun - that’s all! “It’s not true,” someone whispered nearby. - The fox always deceives! - Who is there? - the mouse looked back. - It's me, firefly! I'll teach you what to do! Ask the bear for permission to eat one berry and wish that everything will return to the way it was! - Uncle Bear! - the mouse shouted. - Can I eat one berry to make my last wish? Please! - Eat! - the bear waved his paw. - Thank you! - the mouse was delighted, picked another berry, ate it, closed his eyes and squeaked. - I want everything to be the way it was again! He opened his eyes and looked: a bear was sitting on a bench near the house, there were cones on the Christmas tree instead of cats, mushrooms were standing quietly and the sun was still in place - rolling across the sky and smiling. And everyone is happy, only the fox gets angry, jumps around the meadow, waves his red tail and clicks his sharp teeth. - Hooray! - the mouse was happy. - I will never take someone else’s property without asking again! He said goodbye to the bear and ran to the firefly to play hide and seek. Author Irina Gurina
A fairy tale about a mouse for children who take other people's things.
One hot summer day, a little mouse was bored near his house.
- Let's play tag! - the dragonfly chirped.
- Don't want! Tired of it! — the mouse squeaked capriciously.
Let's play hide and seek! - suggested the firefly.
- It’s not interesting with you! — the mouse waved his paw. “You spin around and don’t know how to hide.”
Boring? - asked the cunning fox in an insinuating voice.
“It’s boring,” the mouse agreed.
- Did you hear that the bear grew magic berries in his garden! Eat one berry and all your wishes will come true! Only he doesn’t let anyone near those berries. I wish you would dig an underground passage and bring us some berries! - the fox whispered and tickled the mouse with her red tail.
- Wow! I want my wishes to come true! — the mouse jumped.
- Okay, I’ll show you the way, and you bring me magic berries. Agreed? — Lisa even closed her eyes with pleasure.
- Of course, we agreed! — The mouse laughed joyfully.
“Will you take it without asking?” the cockchafer buzzed, sitting on a blade of grass?
- Just think! - The mouse shrugged his shoulders. - Since he doesn’t treat anyone, I’ll take it without asking.
- You can’t do it without asking! - the mosquito buzzed, sitting next to the beetle.
- Can! “The fox brushed them off with her tail, put the mouse on her back and rushed to the bear’s house.
They ran to the bear's hut, the mouse dug a hole, crawled out right under the bush and picked magic berries into a basket. There was no doubt that the berries were actually magical: while the mouse carried them along the underground passage, they glowed in the dark in different colors and smelled deliciously of real miracles.
Unable to resist, he ate one. Then another one. Then again... And he fell asleep.
The mouse dreamed of all sorts of incredible things: a bear flew in the sky, cats grew on a tree, mushrooms ran in the grass, and the sun turned into a pancake and fell.
The mouse woke up: he looked, but there were no berries in the basket!
“Ay-ay-ay,” he got scared. - What will I tell the fox?
He ran back to the garden along the underground passage, got out and couldn’t believe his eyes!
As everything was in his dream - so it is: a bear in the sky, cats hanging on the Christmas tree like pine cones, and a fox sitting in the meadow eating the sun!
- Can't be! — the mouse was scared.
- Maybe! - the bear growled from the clouds. - Why did you eat my berries without asking? Now look what you've done!
“Now we’re ready to ripen, we’ll jump to the ground and show you how to take magic berries without asking!” - the cats meowed from the tree.
- Guard! - the mouse squeaked. - How can I fix everything?
“It’s not true,” someone whispered nearby. — The fox always deceives!
- Who is there? — the mouse looked back.
- It's me, firefly! I'll teach you what to do! Ask the bear for permission to eat one berry and wish that everything will return to the way it was!
- Uncle Bear! - the mouse shouted. — Can I eat one berry to make my last wish? Please!
- Eat! — the bear waved his paw.
- Thank you! - the mouse was delighted, picked another berry, ate it, closed his eyes and squeaked. “I want everything to be the way it was again!”
He opened his eyes and looked: a bear was sitting on a bench near the house, there were cones on the Christmas tree instead of cats, mushrooms were standing quietly and the sun was still in place - rolling across the sky and smiling. And everyone is happy, only the fox gets angry, jumps around the meadow, waves his red tail and clicks his sharp teeth.
- Hooray! - the mouse was happy. “I will never take someone else’s property without asking again!”
He said goodbye to the bear and ran to the firefly to play hide and seek.
