Russian Short Stories

Ukhu, a baby owl, is afraid of the dark. His father takes him on a night flight to hear crickets and frogs, smell night flowers and see the stars. Finding no monsters, Ukhu flies a little on his own and discovers the night is full of wonders.

A hungry dog finds a bone and, crossing a bridge, sees his reflection holding another bone. Greedy for both, he barks and drops his own bone into the river. He goes home hungry, having learned that greed leads to loss.

Katya’s grandfather gives her a seed. She’s frustrated when nothing appears, but he explains seeds need water, sun and time. She cares for it every day until it grows into a sunflower taller than her. Good things take time.

Borya the robot can do every chore but can’t laugh. Liza and Vanya try jokes, funny faces and tickles with no luck. Then their puppy slips on a banana peel and tumbles into a box, the kids burst out laughing, and Borya laughs for the first time.

Kapelka the raindrop falls from a cloud onto a mountain, flows down a stream and a river, reaches the sea, and rises again as vapor when the sun warms the water. A gentle introduction to the water cycle.

Misha the bear cub is so busy picking raspberries that he forgets to hibernate. He wakes to a snowy world, spends a magical day with a fox sledding and making snow angels, then understands why bears sleep all winter and curls up until spring.

On a rainy day, Lena shares her rainbow umbrella with a wet kitten, an elderly woman and her friend Sasha. Her teacher says the umbrella must be magic, but Lena knows the magic is in sharing.

Petya can’t resist Grandma’s apple pirozhki (little pies) and eats five before the guests arrive. Tempted to blame Vaska the cat, he confesses instead. Grandma thanks him for his honesty, and they bake a fresh batch together.

After thousands of years of lighting the night, the tired Moon wishes for a night off. The stars offer to cover the sky and shine so brightly that children see the constellations like never before. Now the Moon rests once a month — the new moon.

Tikhonya the snail is always late because her steps are small, and her friends laugh. When she misses the cake at a picnic, a ladybug helps the others understand. The next picnic is held right by her house, and the friends learn to wait for each other.