For children, a fairy tale is an amazing but fictitious story about magical objects, monsters and heroes. However, if you look deeper, it becomes clear that a fairy tale is a unique encyclopedia that reflects the life and moral principles of any people.

Over the course of several hundred years, people have come up with a huge number of fairy tales. Our ancestors passed them on from mouth to mouth. They changed, disappeared and came back again. Moreover, there can be completely different characters. Most often, the heroes of Russian folk tales are animals, and in European literature the main characters are often princesses and children.

Fairy tale and its meaning for the people

A fairy tale is a narrative story about fictional events that did not occur in reality with the participation of fictional heroes and magical characters. Fairy tales, composed by the people and being the creation of folklore traditions, exist in every country. Residents of Russia are closer to Russian folk tales about animals, kings and Ivan the Fool, residents of England are closer to leprechauns, gnomes, cats, etc.

Fairy tales have a powerful educational power. A child from the cradle listens to fairy tales, associates himself with the characters, puts himself in their place. Thanks to this, he develops a certain model of behavior. Folk tales about animals teach respect for our smaller brothers.

It is also worth noting that Russian fairy tales of an everyday nature include words such as “master”, “man”. This awakens curiosity in the child. With the help of fairy tales, you can interest your child in history.

Everything that is invested in a child in childhood remains with him forever. A child properly raised on fairy tales will grow up to be a decent and sympathetic person.

Composition

Most fairy tales are written according to one system. It represents the following diagram:

1) Initiation. This describes the place where the events will take place. If it’s about animals, then the description will begin with the forest. Here the reader or listener gets acquainted with the main characters.

2) The beginning. At this stage of the tale, the main intrigue occurs, which turns into the beginning of the plot. Let's say the hero has a problem and he must solve it.

3) Climax. It is also called the pinnacle of a fairy tale. Most often this is the middle of the work. The situation is heating up, the most responsible actions are taking place.

4) Denouement. At this point, the main character solves his problem. All characters live happily ever after (as a rule, folk tales have a good, kind ending).

Most fairy tales are built according to this scheme. It can also be found in original works, only with significant additions.

Russian folk tales

They represent a huge block of folklore works. Russian fairy tales are varied. Their plots, actions and characters are somewhat similar, but, nevertheless, each is unique in its own way. Sometimes you come across the same folk tales about animals, but their names are different.

All Russian folk tales can be classified as follows:

1) Folk tales about animals, plants and inanimate nature (“Terem-Teremok”, “Rock-hen”, etc.)

2) Magical (“Self-assembled tablecloth”, “Flying ship”).

3) "Vanya rode on a horse...")

4) (“About the white bull”, “The priest had a dog”).

5) Household (“The Master and the Dog”, “Good Priest”, “Good and Bad”, “Pot”).

There are quite a lot of classifications, but we looked at the one proposed by V. Ya. Propp, one of the outstanding researchers of Russian fairy tales.

Animal images

Every person who grew up in Russia can list the main animals that are characters in Russian fairy tales. Bear, wolf, fox, hare - these are the heroes of Russian fairy tales. Animals live in the forest. Each of them has its own image, which in literary criticism is called an allegory. For example, the wolf we meet in Russian fairy tales is always hungry and angry. It is always because of his anger or greed that he often gets into trouble.

The bear is the owner of the forest, the king. He is usually portrayed in fairy tales as a fair and wise ruler.

The fox is an allegory of cunning. If this animal is present in a fairy tale, then one of the other heroes will definitely be deceived. The hare is an image of cowardice. He is usually the eternal victim of the fox and wolf who intend to eat him.

So, these are the heroes that Russian folk tales about animals present to us. Let's see how they behave.

Examples

Let's look at some folk tales about animals. The list is huge, we will try to analyze only a few. For example, let's take the fairy tale "The Fox and the Crane". It tells the story of the Fox, who called the Crane to her place for dinner. She prepared some porridge and spread it on a plate. But Crane is uncomfortable eating, so he didn’t get any porridge. Such was the cunning of the thrifty Fox. The Crane invited the Fox to lunch, made okroshka and offered to eat from a high-necked jug. But Lisa never got to the okroshka. Moral of the story: whatever comes around, unfortunately, comes around.

An interesting tale about Kotofey Ivanovich. One man brought a cat to the forest and left it there. A fox found him and married him. She began to tell all the animals how strong and angry he was. The wolf and the bear decided to come and look at him. The fox warned them that it was better for them to hide. They climbed a tree, and laid the bull's meat under it. A cat and a fox came, the cat pounced on the meat and began saying: “Meow, meow...”. And the wolf and the bear think: “Not enough! Not enough!” They marveled and wanted to take a closer look at Kotofey Ivanovich. The leaves rustled, and the cat thought it was a mouse and grabbed their faces with its claws. The wolf and fox ran away.

These are Russian folk tales about animals. As you can see, the fox is fooling everyone.

Animals in English fairy tales

Positive characters in English fairy tales are a hen and a rooster, a cat and a cat, and a bear. The fox and the wolf are always negative characters. It is noteworthy that, according to research by philologists, the cat in English fairy tales has never been a negative character.

Like Russian, English folk tales about animals divide characters into good and evil. Good always triumphs over evil. Also, the works have a didactic purpose, that is, at the end there are always moral conclusions for readers.

Examples of English fairy tales about animals

The work "The Cat King" is interesting. It tells the story of two brothers who lived in the forest with a dog and a black cat. One brother was once delayed while hunting. Upon his return, he began to tell miracles. He says he saw the funeral. Many cats carried a coffin with a depicted crown and scepter. Suddenly the black cat lying at his feet raised his head and screamed: “Old Peter is dead! I am the cat king!” After that he jumped into the fireplace. Nobody saw him again.

Let's take the comical fairy tale "Willy and the Little Pig" as an example. One owner entrusted his stupid servant to take a pig to his friend. However, Willie's friends persuaded him to go to the tavern, and while he was drinking, they jokingly replaced the pig with a dog. Willie thought it was the devil's joke.

Animals in other genres of literature (fables)

It is worth noting that Russian literature includes not only Russian folk tales about animals. It is also rich in fables. Animals in these works have such human qualities as cowardice, kindness, stupidity, and envy. I. A. Krylov especially liked to use animals as characters. His fables “The Crow and the Fox” and “The Monkey and the Glasses” are known to everyone.

Thus, we can conclude that the use of animals in fairy tales and fables gives literature a special charm and style. Moreover, in English and Russian literature the heroes are the same animals. Only their stories and characteristics are completely different.

Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy. Fairy tale "Three Bears"

One girl left home for the forest. She got lost in the forest and began to look for the way home, but didn’t find it, but came to a house in the forest.

The door was open: she looked at the door, saw that there was no one in the house, and entered. Three bears lived in this house. One bear had a father, his name was Mikhailo Ivanovich. He was big and shaggy. The other was a bear. She was smaller, and her name was Nastasya Petrovna. The third was a little bear cub, and his name was Mishutka. The bears were not at home, they went for a walk in the forest.

There were two rooms in the house: one was a dining room, the other was a bedroom. The girl entered the dining room and saw three cups of stew on the table. The first cup, a very large one, was Mikhaily Ivanychev’s. The second cup, smaller, was Nastasya Petrovnina’s; the third, blue cup, was Mishutkina. Next to each cup lay a spoon: large, medium and small.

The girl took the largest spoon and sipped from the largest cup; then she took the middle spoon and sipped from the middle cup; then she took a small spoon and sipped from a blue cup, and Mishutka’s stew seemed to her the best.

The girl wanted to sit down and saw three chairs at the table: one large - Mikhaila Ivanovich, another smaller - Nastasya Petrovnin, and the third, small, with a blue cushion - Mishutkin. She climbed onto a large chair and fell; then she sat down on the middle chair - it was awkward; then she sat down on a small chair and laughed - it was so good. She took the blue cup onto her lap and began to eat. She ate all the stew and began to rock on her chair.

The chair broke and she fell to the floor. She stood up, picked up the chair and went to another room. There were three beds there: one large - Mikhaily Ivanychev's, the other medium - Nastasya Petrovnina's, and the third small - Mishenkina's. The girl lay down in the big one - it was too spacious for her; I lay down in the middle - it was too high; She lay down in the small bed - the bed was just right for her, and she fell asleep.

And the bears came home hungry and wanted to have dinner. The big bear took his cup, looked and roared in a terrible voice:

- WHO WAS THE BREAD IN MY CUP?

Nastasya Petrovna looked into her cup and growled not so loudly:

- WHO WAS THE BREAD IN MY CUP?

And Mishutka saw his empty cup and squeaked in a thin voice:

- WHO WAS BREAD IN MY CUP AND SLAUGHT IT ALL OUT?

Mikhailo Ivanovich looked at his chair and growled in a terrible voice:

Nastasya Petrovna looked at her chair and growled not so loudly:

- WHO WAS SITTING ON MY CHAIR AND MOVE IT OUT OF PLACE?

Mishutka looked at his broken chair and squeaked:

WHO SAT ON MY CHAIR AND BROKE IT?

The bears came to another room. - WHO WENT INTO MY BED AND CRUSHED IT? - Mikhailo Ivanovich roared in a terrible voice.

- WHO WENT INTO MY BED AND CRUSHED IT? - Nastasya Petrovna growled not so loudly.

And Mishenka put up a little bench, climbed into his crib and squeaked in a thin voice:

- WHO WENT IN MY BED?..

And suddenly he saw the girl and screamed as if he was being cut:

- Here she is! Hold it, hold it! Here she is! Here she is! Ay-yay! Hold it!

He wanted to bite her. The girl opened her eyes, saw the bears and rushed to the window. The window was open, she jumped out the window and ran away. And the bears did not catch up with her.

Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy. Fairy tale "The Squirrel and the Wolf"

The squirrel jumped from branch to branch and fell straight onto the sleepy wolf. The wolf jumped up and wanted to eat her. The squirrel began to ask: “Let me go.” The wolf said: “Okay, I’ll let you in, just tell me why you squirrels are so cheerful. I’m always bored, but I look at you, you’re up there playing and jumping.” The squirrel said: “Let me go to the tree first, and from there I’ll tell you, otherwise I’m afraid of you.” The wolf let go, and the squirrel went up a tree and from there said: “You’re bored because you’re angry. Anger burns your heart. And we are cheerful because we are kind and do no harm to anyone.”

V. M. Garshin “Frog Traveler”

Once upon a time there lived a frog-croak. She sat in the swamp, caught mosquitoes and midges, and in the spring croaked loudly with her friends. And she would have lived the whole century happily - of course, if the stork had not eaten her. But one incident happened. One day she was sitting on a branch of a driftwood sticking out of the water and enjoying the warm, fine rain.

“Oh, what beautiful wet weather today! - she thought. “What a pleasure it is to live in the world!”

The rain drizzled down her motley lacquered back; drops of it flowed under her belly and behind her legs, and it was delightfully pleasant, so pleasant that she almost croaked, but, fortunately, she remembered that it was already autumn and that frogs don’t croak in autumn - that’s what spring is for , - and that, having croaked, she could lose her frog dignity. So she remained silent and continued to bask.

Suddenly, a thin, whistling, intermittent sound rang out in the air. There is such a breed of ducks: when they fly, their wings, cutting through the air, seem to sing, or, better said, whistle. Pew-pew-pew-pew - sounds in the air when a flock of such ducks flies high above you, and you can’t even see them themselves: they fly so high. This time the ducks, having described a huge semicircle, descended and sat down in the very swamp where the frog lived.

- Quack quack! - said one of them. - It’s still a long way to fly, we need to eat.

And the frog immediately hid. Although she knew that the ducks would not eat her, a large and fat frog, she still dived under the snag, just in case. However, after thinking, she decided to stick her big-eyed head out of the water: she was very interested in finding out where the ducks were flying.

- Quack quack! - said the other duck. - It's getting cold! Hurry to the south! Hurry to the south!

And all the ducks began to quack loudly as a sign of approval.

“Lady duck,” the frog dared to say, “what is the south to which you are flying?” I apologize for the concern.

And the ducks surrounded the frog. At first they had a desire to eat it, but each of them thought that the frog was too big and would not fit into the throat. Then they all started shouting, flapping their wings:

- It's good in the south! Now it's warm there! There are such nice, warm swamps there! What worms there are! Good in the south!

They screamed so much that they almost deafened the frog. She barely convinced them to shut up and asked one of them, who seemed to her to be fatter and smarter than everyone else, to explain to her what the south was. And when she told her about the south, the frog was delighted, but in the end she still asked, because she was careful:

— Are there a lot of midges and mosquitoes there?

- ABOUT! Whole clouds! - answered the duck.

- Kwa! - said the frog and immediately turned around to see if there were any friends here who could hear her and condemn her for croaking in the fall. She just couldn’t resist croaking at least once: “Take me with you!”

- This is amazing to me! - exclaimed the duck. - How will we take you? You don't have wings.

— When are you flying? - asked the frog.

- Soon soon! - all the ducks shouted. - Quack quack! Quack quack! It is cold here! South! South!

“Let me think for just five minutes,” said the frog. “I’ll be right back, I’ll probably come up with something good.”

And she plopped off the branch she had climbed onto again, into the water, dived into the mud and completely buried herself in it so that foreign objects would not interfere with her thinking. Five minutes passed, the ducks were just about to fly, when suddenly, from the water, near the branch on which the frog was sitting, its muzzle appeared, and the expression of this muzzle was the most radiant that only a frog is capable of.

- I came up with an idea! I found! - she said. “Let two of you take the twig in your beaks, and I will cling to it in the middle.” You will fly, and I will drive. It is only necessary that you do not quack, and I do not croak, and everything will be excellent.

Although being silent and dragging even a light frog for three thousand miles is not God knows what pleasure, but her mind delighted the ducks so much that they unanimously agreed to carry her. They decided to change every two hours, and since there were, as the riddle says, so many ducks, and even so many, and half as many, and a quarter as many, and there was only one frog, it was not necessary to carry it particularly often.

They found a good, strong twig, two ducks took it in their beaks, the frog clung its mouth to the middle, and the whole flock rose into the air. The frog was breathless from the terrible height to which it was raised; in addition, the ducks flew unevenly and tugged at the twig; The poor wah dangled in the air like a paper clown, and clenched its jaws with all its might so as not to break away and plop down on the ground. However, she soon got used to her position and even began to look around. Fields, meadows, rivers and mountains quickly flashed under her, which, however, was very difficult for her to see, because, hanging on a twig, she looked back and a little up, but she still saw something and was happy and proud.

“That’s a great idea,” she thought to herself.

And the ducks flew after the front pair carrying her, shouting and praising her.

“Our frog has an amazingly smart head,” they said. “Even among ducks there are few of these.”

She could hardly resist thanking them, but, remembering that if she opened her mouth, she would fall from a terrible height, she clenched her jaw even tighter and decided to endure. She hung around like this all day; the ducks carrying it changed on the fly, deftly picking up the twig; it was very scary: more than once the frog almost croaked in fear, but you had to have presence of mind, and she had it. In the evening the whole company stopped in some swamp; At dawn, the ducks and the frog set off again, but this time the traveler, in order to better see what was happening on the way, clung to her back and head forward, and her belly back. Ducks flew over compressed fields, over yellowed forests and over villages full of grain in stacks; From there came the sound of people talking and the sound of flails being used to thresh rye. People looked at a flock of ducks and, noticing something strange in it, pointed at it with their hands. And the frog really wanted to fly closer to the ground, show himself and listen to what they were saying about him. On her next vacation she said:

“Can’t we fly not so high?” I feel dizzy from the heights, and I'm afraid of falling if I suddenly feel sick.

And the good ducks promised her to fly lower. The next day they flew so low that they heard voices:

“Look, look,” children shouted in one village, “the ducks are carrying a frog!”

The frog heard this and her heart jumped.

“Look, look,” adults shouted in another village, “what a miracle!”

“Do they know that I came up with this and not the ducks?” - thought the frog.

Look, look, they shouted in the third village, what a miracle! And who came up with such a clever thing?

At this point the frog could not stand it and, forgetting all caution, screamed with all her might:

- It's me! I!

And with that scream she flew upside down to the ground. The ducks squawked loudly; one of them wanted to pick up the poor companion on the fly, but missed. The frog, shaking all four legs, quickly fell to the ground; but since the ducks flew very quickly, she fell not directly on the place where she screamed and where there was a hard road, but much further, which was great happiness for her, because she splashed into a dirty pond at the edge of the village.

She soon emerged from the water and immediately again vehemently screamed at the top of her lungs:

- It's me! I came up with this!

But there was no one around her. Frightened by the unexpected splash, the local frogs all hid in the water. When they began to emerge from it, they looked with surprise at the new one.

And she told them a wonderful story about how she had been thinking all her life and finally invented a new, extraordinary way of traveling on ducks; how she had her own ducks that carried her wherever she pleased; how she visited the beautiful south, where it’s so nice, where there are such beautiful warm swamps and so many midges and all sorts of other edible insects.

“I stopped by to see how you live,” she said. “I will stay with you until spring, until my ducks, which I released, return.”

But the ducks never returned. They thought that the frog had crashed to the ground and were very sorry for it.

A. Fedorov-Davydov “Lapti-bast shoes”

Once a fox spent the night with a man. In the morning I got ready to go and secretly took with me a couple of old bast shoes. “Maybe,” he thinks, “they’ll be useful for something.”

He walks through the forest, waves his bast shoes from side to side, and hums a song under his breath.

A stray dog ​​with a peeling nose runs towards her and drags a rooster.

- Hello, godfox!

- Hello, kumanek!

-What do you have?

The fox looked around the stray dog, and then stood very close to him and sang:

And this is a bast shoe,

It was woven by a great master.

And you - come on, come on! -

Look what this thing is.

The bast shoe is good for everything:

If you want, try them on rye,

If you want, give them some cabbage soup,

If you want, rock the kids in it.

Do you want to wash yourself?

He's your trough!..

“Ah,” says the dog, “what a good thing!.. Give it to me, fox, I really liked your bast shoe.” You yourself understand how useful he can be to me in my wandering life...

The fox refused: “No, no, and I really need it.” Yes, the dog is not far behind. She agreed.

- So be it, for your sake I’ll give you one bast shoe, but you need the other one... Give me a rooster in exchange!

And a wolf comes towards her and carries a piglet.

- Hello, fox! How are you?

- Hello, wolf! I don’t live well, I’ve taken up trading: I sell bast shoes, I can’t get enough. I used to exchange it for roosters, but now I realized that it was more expensive for myself.

- What is this, godfather, bast shoe? - asks the wolf.

The fox looked at the wolf, was silent for a short time, and then sang:

A nice thing - bast shoes.

A skilled craftsman got along with him.

The bast shoe is good for everything:

If you want, try them on rye,

If you want, give them some cabbage soup,

If you want, rock the kids in it.

And I'll have to wash myself,

He's your trough!..

“Yes,” says the wolf, “it’s a good thing!.. It looks small, but the use is great.” Give it to me, fox!

- What are you, what are you, wolf! You'll say the same...

- Well then, take the pig for him.

- Piglet?.. Come on, I guess!

The wolf was delighted, took the bast shoe and was gone. And the fox stepped into the bushes by the road, rummaged through them, rummaged around, and found an abandoned bast shoe - how many of them are lying along the road? - and went further; drives a rooster and a pig in front of him...

A bear comes towards her with luggage - he’s carrying a whole calf.

- Hello, godfox!

- Hello, grandfather bear!

-Where are you going, where are you driving the living creatures?

- And to my home... So I exchanged it for bast shoes, but I made a mistake - I cheapened it.

- What kind of bast shoes are these, godfather?

“Nothing special,” the fox replies, “but they are of great use!”

And then she shot her eyes at the bear and sang affectionately:

My bast shoes

The cunning craftsman got along.

My bast shoes are good for everything:

If you want, try them on rye,

If you want, give them some cabbage soup,

If you want, rock the kids in it.

Are you thinking about taking a bath?

It's yours and yours!

Is it in vain, little bear, that they are torn off with my hands at the market?

“We know,” says the bear, “your bast shoe is a very interesting thing.” It looks unsightly, but look how well it’s worked... Give it to me, fox!

- I really need it!

- I’ll give you a calf for it.

“I wouldn’t even take a cow for it at the market!”

- Well, godfather, do at least a little for your own.

- So be it, little bear, take it... Well, what should I do with you!

The bear grabbed the bast shoe, like some kind of treasure, and ran with it to the village. And there is a temple festival and a market. A stray dog ​​and a wolf also came there with their bast shoes. They walk around the market and call out:

-Who needs bast shoes, who needs old ones?..

The last ones left, buy it, good people, you won’t regret it!

Then the people surrounded them and laughed so much that they did not know where to go out of shame.

They ran to look for the fox, and she was sitting in a clearing in a forest, grazing her flock.

The stray dog, the wolf and the bear began to reproach her, and she said:

“And what does it matter to me, good gentlemen?.. Why were you so eager to take something you don’t know?” My bast shoes were so useful to me, but I don’t know what you should do with them, my dears, and I don’t want to know!..

So the animals left her with nothing and for a long time after that they looked askance at the fox and sharpened their teeth.

K. Chukovsky “Confusion”

The kittens meowed:

“We're tired of meowing!

We want, like piglets,

Grunt!"

And behind them are the ducklings:

“We don’t want to quack anymore!

We want, like little frogs,

Croak!"

The pigs meowed:

The cats grunted:

Oink oink oink!

The ducks croaked:

Kwa, kwa, kwa!

The chickens quacked:

Quack, quack, quack!

Little Sparrow galloped

And the cow mooed:

A bear came running

And let's roar:

Ku-ka-re-ku!

And the cuckoo on the bitch:

“I don’t want to shout to the cuckoo,

I'll bark like a dog:

Woof woof woof!"

Just a little bunny

There was a good boy:

Didn't meow

And he didn’t grunt -

Lying under the cabbage

Babbled like a hare

And foolish animals

Persuaded:

"Who was told to tweet -

Don't purr!

Who is ordered to purr -

Don't tweet!

The crow should not be like a cow,

Don’t let the little frogs fly under the cloud!”

But funny animals -

Piglets, bear cubs -

They're playing more pranks than ever,

They don't want to listen to the hare.

Fishes are walking across the field,

Toads fly across the sky

The mice caught the cat

They put me in a mousetrap.

And the chanterelles

We took matches

Let's go to the blue sea,

The blue sea has been lit.

The sea is on fire,

A whale ran out of the sea:

“Hey firefighters, run!

Help, help!

Long, long time crocodile

The blue sea was extinguished

Pies and pancakes,

And dried mushrooms.

Two little chickens came running,

Watered from a barrel.

Two ruffs swam

Watered from a ladle.

The little frogs came running,

They watered from the tub.

They stew, they stew, they don’t put out,

They fill it up - they don’t fill it up.

Then a butterfly flew in,

She waved her wings,

The sea began to go out -

And it went out.

The animals were happy!

They laughed and sang,

Ears flapped

They stamped their feet.

The geese have started again

Shout like a goose:

The cats purred:

Mur-mur-mur!

The birds chirped:

Tick-tweet!

The horses neighed:

The flies buzzed:

The little frogs croak:

Kwa-kwa-kwa!

And the ducklings quack:

Quack-quack-quack!

The piglets grunt:

Oink oink oink!

Murochka is being lulled to sleep

My dear:

Baiushki bye!

Russian folk tale "Teremok"

A mouse runs across the field. He sees that there is a tower:

No one answered. The mouse opened the door, entered and began to live.

The frog is jumping. He sees a teremok:

- Who lives in a little house, who lives in a low one?

- I, little mouse, and who are you?

- I'm a frog frog. Let me in.

And the two of them began to live together.

A bunny is running. He sees a teremok:

- Who lives in a little house, who lives in a low one?

- I, little mouse.

- I, frog-frog, and who are you?

“I’m a runaway bunny, my ears are long, my legs are short.” Let me go.

- OK Go!

The three of them began to live together.

A little fox runs and asks:

- Who lives in a little house, who lives in a low one?

- I, the mouse-norunzha.

- I, frog-frog.

- I, a running bunny, have long ears, short legs, and who are you?

- I am a fox-sister, Lizaveta-beautiful, fluffy tail. Let me go.

- Go, little fox.

The four of them began to live together.

A wolf is running across the field. He sees a teremok and asks:

- Who lives in a little house, who lives in a low one?

- I, little mouse.

- I, frog-frog.

- I, little fox-sister, Lizaveta-beauty, fluffy tail, and who are you?

- I am a wolf-wolf, a big mouth. Let me go.

- Okay, go, just live peacefully. The five of them began to live together.

A bear wanders, a clubfoot wanders. I saw the little mansion and roared:

- Who lives in a little house, who lives in a low one?

- I, little mouse.

- I, frog-frog.

- I, a running bunny, have long ears and short legs.

- I, little fox-sister, Lizaveta-beautiful, fluffy tail.

- I, a wolf-wolf, a big mouth, and who are you?

- I'm a bear, a little blooper!

And he didn’t ask to go into the mansion. He couldn’t get through the door, so he climbed up.

It swayed, crackled, and the tower fell apart. They barely had time to run out - a little mouse, a croaking frog, a running bunny, long ears, short legs, a little fox sister, Lizaveta the beauty, a fluffy tail, a wolf-wolf, a big mouth.

And the bear, the little frog, went into the forest.

Fairy tale "Ryaba Hen"

There lived a grandfather and a woman,

And they had a chicken, Ryaba.

The hen laid an egg:

The egg is not simple, Golden.

Grandfather beat and beat, but did not break;

The woman beat and beat, but did not break.

The mouse ran

She waved her tail:

The egg fell

And it crashed.

Grandfather and grandmother are crying!

The hen clucks:

- Don't cry, grandfather, don't cry, woman.

I'll lay another egg for you,

Not golden - simple.

Fairy tale "Turnip"

Grandfather planted a turnip and the turnip grew big and big.

The grandfather began to pull the turnip out of the ground.

He pulls and pulls, but he can’t pull it out.

The grandfather called the grandmother for help.

Grandma for grandfather, grandfather for turnip.

The grandmother called her granddaughter.

Granddaughter for grandmother, grandmother for grandfather, grandfather for turnip.

They pull and pull, but they can’t pull it out.

The granddaughter called to Zhuchka.

A bug for a granddaughter, a granddaughter for a grandmother, a grandmother for a grandfather, a grandfather for a turnip.

They pull and pull, but they can’t pull it out.

The bug called the cat Masha.

Masha for the bug, Zhuchka for the granddaughter, granddaughter for the grandmother, grandmother for the grandfather, grandfather for the turnip.

They pull and pull, but they can’t pull it out.

The cat Masha clicked the mouse.

A mouse for Masha, Masha for a Bug, a Bug for a granddaughter, a granddaughter for a grandmother, a grandmother for a grandfather, a grandfather for a turnip.

Pull and pull -

pulled out

Fairy tale "Kolobok"

Once upon a time there lived an old man and an old woman.

So the old man asks:

- Bake me a bun for me, old lady.

- What should I bake it from? There is no flour.

- Eh, old woman. Mark the barn, scratch the branches - and you'll get it.

The old woman did just that: she swept, scraped together two handfuls of flour, kneaded the dough with sour cream, rolled it into a bun, fried it in oil and laid it on the window to dry.

The little bun got tired of lying - he rolled from the window to the bench, from the bench to the floor - and to the door, jumping over the threshold, into the entryway, from the entryway to the porch, from the porch to the yard, and then beyond the gate, further and further.

The bun is rolling along the road, and a hare meets it:

- No, don’t eat me, scythe, but rather listen to what song I’ll sing for you.

The hare raised his ears, and the bun sang:

- I am a bun, a bun,

Swept across the barn,

Scraped by the bones,

Mixed with sour cream,

Put in the oven,

It's cold at the window.

I left my grandfather

I left my grandmother

From you, hare,

It's not smart to leave.

A bun rolls along a path in the forest, and a gray wolf meets him:

- Kolobok, Kolobok! I will eat you!

“Don’t eat me, gray wolf: I’ll sing you a song.” And the bun sang:

- I am a bun, a bun,

Swept across the barn,

Scraped by the bones,

Mixed with sour cream,

Put in the oven,

It's cold at the window.

I left my grandfather

I left my grandmother

I left the hare

From you, wolf,

It's not smart to leave.

The bun is rolling through the forest, and a bear comes towards it, breaking brushwood, bending bushes to the ground.

- Kolobok, Kolobok, I will eat you!

- Well, where can you, clubfoot, eat me! Better listen to my song.

The gingerbread man began to sing, and Misha’s ears went wild:

- I am a bun, a bun,

Swept across the barn,

Scraped by the bones,

Mixed with sour cream,

Put in the oven,

It's cold at the window.

I left my grandfather

I left my grandmother

I left the hare

I left the wolf

From you, bear,

Half-heartedly to leave.

And the bun rolled - the bear just looked after it.

The bun is rolling, and the fox meets it: “Hello, bun!” How handsome and rosy you are!

Kolobok is glad that he was praised, and began to sing his song, and the fox listens and creeps closer and closer:

- I am a bun, a bun,

Swept across the barn,

Scraped by the bones,

Mixed with sour cream,

Put in the oven,

It's cold at the window.

I left my grandfather

I left my grandmother

I left the hare

I left the wolf

Left the bear

From you, fox,

It's not smart to leave.

- Nice song! - said the fox. “The trouble is, my dear, that I’ve become old—I can’t hear well.” Sit on my face and sing it one more time.

Kolobok was delighted that his song was praised, jumped on the fox’s face and sang:

- I am a bun, a bun...

And his fox is a racket! - and ate it.

Fairy tale "The Cockerel and the Bean Seed."

Once upon a time there lived a cockerel and a hen.

The cockerel was in a hurry, still in a hurry, and the hen kept saying to herself:

- Petya, don’t rush. Petya, take your time.

Once a cockerel was pecking bean grains, but in a hurry he choked. He's choked, can't breathe, can't hear, as if he's lying dead.

The chicken got scared, rushed to the owner, shouting:

- Oh, mistress! Let the butter quickly lubricate the cockerel's neck: the cockerel choked on a bean grain.

The hostess says:

- Run quickly to the cow, ask her for milk, and I’ll already harvest the butter.

The chicken rushed to the cow:

- Little cow, my dear, give me some milk quickly. The hostess will whip butter out of the milk and lubricate the cockerel's neck with butter: the cockerel choked on a bean grain.

“Go quickly to the owner, let him bring me some fresh grass.”

The chicken runs to its owner:

- Master, master! Quickly give the cow some fresh grass, the cow will give milk, the hostess will make butter from the milk, I will lubricate the cockerel’s neck with butter: the cockerel choked on a bean grain.

- Run quickly to the blacksmith for a scythe.

The chicken ran as fast as she could to the blacksmith:

- Blacksmith, blacksmith, quickly give the owner a good scythe. The owner will give the cow grass, the cow will give milk, the hostess will give me butter, I will lubricate the cockerel’s neck, the cockerel choked on a bean grain.

The blacksmith gave the owner a new scythe, the owner gave the cow fresh grass, the cow gave milk, the hostess churned butter, and gave butter to the chicken.

The chicken greased the neck of the cockerel. The bean seed slipped through. The cockerel jumped up and shouted at the top of his lungs: “Ku-ka-re-ku!”

Fairy tale “About a fox with a rolling pin”

Once a fox picked up a rolling pin on the road. She came with her to the village and knocked on the last hut:

- Here, here!

- Who's there?

- It's me, fox! Let me in for the night, good people!

- It’s already crowded here.

- Yes, I won’t take up any space. I’ll lie down on the bench, tail under the bench, rolling pin under the stove.

- Well, if so, come in.

The fox went to bed, and in the morning she got up earlier than everyone else, burned the rolling pin in the stove and woke up the owners:

- Where did my rolling pin go? Now give me the chicken for it!

What to do - the owner gave her a chicken.

Here comes a little fox along the road and sings:

The fox found a rolling pin,

I took her a chicken instead.

In the evening I came to another village and again to the first hut:

- Let me in, good people, to spend the night!

“We don’t have enough space ourselves.”

“But I don’t even need a place: I’ll lie down under the window, cover myself with my tail, and put the chicken in the corner.”

They let her in. And in the morning, before dawn, the fox got up, quickly ate the chicken and started screaming:

- Who ate my chicken? I won't take less than a duck for her.

They gave her the duck. And again she goes and sings:

The fox found a rolling pin,

I took her a chicken instead.

A fox came with a chicken,

The little fox and the duck left.

And in the third village there is a knock in the evening.

- Knock Knock! Let me spend the night!

— We already have seven shops.

- So I won’t embarrass you. She herself is near the wall, her tail under her head, her duck behind the stove.

- Okay, get settled.

The fox settled down. Again, in the morning, she jumped up, ate the duck, burned the feathers in the stove and cried out:

- Where is my favorite duck? Give me at least one girl for her.

And even though the man has many children, it’s a pity for him to give away a girl to a stray fox. Then he put the dog in the bag.

- Get the best girl, redhead!

The fox pulled the bag onto the road and said:

- Come on, girl, sing a song!

He hears someone grumbling in the bag. She was surprised and untied the bag. And as soon as the dog jumps out - well, wag it!

The cheat began to run, and the dog followed her. And she drove the redhead away from the village.

Fairy tale "Masha and the Bear"

Once upon a time there lived a grandfather and a woman, and they had a granddaughter, Masha. The friends have gathered to pick berries and invite Masha with them.

“Go,” said the grandfather and grandmother, “and look, don’t lag behind, where everyone is, there you will be.”

Masha went.

Suddenly, out of nowhere - a bear. Masha got scared and cried. The bear grabbed her and carried her away.

And the girlfriends came running to the village and said that they had lost Masha.

Grandfather and grandmother searched and searched for her, but they didn’t find her, they began to cry, they began to grieve.

And the bear brought Masha to his home and said:

- Don't cry, I won't eat you! I'm bored alone, stay with me.

Tears won’t help my grief, Masha began to think about how to get away from the bear. She lives with a bear. The bear brought her honey, berries, peas - everything. Masha is not happy.

- Why aren’t you happy about anything? - asks the bear.

- Why should I be happy? How can I not grieve! Grandpa and Grandma think you ate me. Bring them a gift from me - a box of pies. Let them know that I'm alive.

The bear brought flour, Masha baked pies - a large dish. The bear found a box to put the pies in.

Masha said to the bear:

- You'll carry it, dear, don't eat. I’ll look from the hill and I’ll see it.

While the bear was getting ready, Masha took the time, climbed into the back and covered herself with a dish of pies.

The bear took the body, put it on his back and carried it.

He walks along paths past fir trees and birches, where he descends into a ravine and rises up. Tired - he says: - What a heavy body!

I'll sit on a tree stump

I'll eat the pie.

Masha heard and screamed:

- See see!

Not far from grandfather's yard.

The bear growled:

- Look, how big-eyed she is!

Sits high

He looks far away.

He walks and walks and says again:

- I’ll sit on a tree stump,

I'll eat the pie.

And Masha screamed again:

- See see!

Don't sit on the tree stump, don't eat the pie -

Very close to grandfather's yard!

The bear did not sit on the tree stump, did not eat the pie, and moved on. I reached the village and found Mashin’s house. Knock-knock at the gate! The dog barked. And others came running from everywhere. There was such a barking!

As soon as grandfather and grandmother opened the gate, the bear threw the body off his back and ran away. And the dogs follow him, catch up, bite him. Barely escaped.

Grandfather and grandmother saw the body, came closer, and their granddaughter climbed out of it, alive and well. Grandfather and grandmother cannot believe their eyes. They hug her and kiss her. And what can I say about Masha! I was so glad!

Grandfather, grandmother and Masha began to live in the old way, gain good things and forget the bad.

Fairy tale "Goat-dereza"

Once upon a time there lived a grandfather, a woman and a granddaughter Masha. They had neither a cow, nor a pig, nor any cattle - just a goat. Goat, black eyes, crooked leg, sharp horns. Grandfather loved this goat very much. Once the grandfather sent the grandmother to graze the goat. She grazed and grazed and drove home. And the grandfather sat down at the gate and asked:

“I didn’t eat, I didn’t drink, my grandmother didn’t tend to me.” As I ran across the bridge, I grabbed a maple leaf - that’s all my food.

The grandfather got angry with the grandmother, shouted and sent his granddaughter to graze the goat. She grazed and grazed and drove her home. And the grandfather sat down at the gate and asked:

- My goat, goat, black eyes, crooked leg, sharp horns, what did you eat, what did you drink?

And the goat responded:

“I didn’t eat, I didn’t drink, my granddaughter didn’t tend to me.” As I ran across the bridge, I grabbed a maple leaf - that’s all my food.

The grandfather got angry with his granddaughter, shouted, and went to graze the goat himself. Passed, passed, fed him enough and drove him home. And he ran forward, sat down at the gate and asked:

- My goat, goat, black eyes, crooked leg, sharp horns, did she eat well, did she drink well?

And the goat says:

“I didn’t eat or drink, but as I ran across the bridge, I grabbed a maple leaf—that’s all my food!”

The grandfather got angry with the liar, grabbed the belt, and let’s hit her on the sides. The goat barely escaped and ran into the forest.

She ran into the forest and climbed into the bunny’s hut, locked the doors, and climbed onto the stove. And the bunny was eating cabbage in the garden. The bunny came home - the door was locked. The bunny knocked and said:

- Who, who is occupying my hut, who won’t let me into the house?

- I am a goat-dereza, black eyes, crooked leg, sharp horns! I will stomp and stomp my feet, I will stab you with my horns, I will sweep you with my tail!

The bunny got scared and started running. He sits under a bush, cries, wipes away his tears with his paw.

A gray wolf with a tattered side walks past.

- What are you crying about, little bunny, what are you shedding tears about?

- How can I, a little bunny, not cry, how can I, a gray one, not grieve: I built myself a hut on the edge of the forest, and a goat climbed into it and won’t let me go home.

The gray wolf approached the hut and shouted:

“Get off the stove, goat, and free the bunny’s hut!”

And the goat answered him:

- As soon as I jump out, as I jump out, as I kick with my feet, stab with my horns - the pieces will go down the back streets!

The wolf got scared and ran away!

A bunny is sitting under a bush, crying, wiping away her tears with her paw. A bear is coming, a thick leg.

- What are you crying about, little bunny, what are you shedding tears about, little gray one?

- How can I, a little bunny, not cry, how can I, a gray one, not grieve: I built myself a hut on the edge of the forest, but a dereza goat climbed in and won’t let me go home.

- Don’t worry, little bunny, I’ll kick her out.

The bear went to the hut and let’s roar:

“Get off the stove, goat, free the bunny’s hut!”

And the goat answered him:

- As soon as I jump out, as soon as I jump out, as I kick with my feet, stab with my horns - the pieces will go down the back streets!

The bear got scared and ran away!

A bunny is sitting under a bush, crying, wiping away her tears with her paw.

There's a cockerel walking, a red comb, spurs on his legs.

- Why are you crying, little bunny, why are you shedding tears?

- How can I not cry, how can I not grieve: I built a hut, but a dereza goat climbed into it and won’t let me go home.

- Don’t worry, little bunny, I’ll kick her out.

“I drove him but didn’t drive him out, the wolf chased him but didn’t drive him out, the bear chased him but didn’t drive him out, where should you drive him out, Petya?”

- Well, let's see!

Petya came to the hut and shouted:

“I’m coming, I’m coming quickly, I have spurs on my feet, I’m carrying a sharp scythe, I’ll cut off the goat’s head!” Ku-ka-re-ku!

The goat was scared and would fall off the stove! From the stove to the table, from the table to the floor, and out the door, and run into the forest! They only saw her.

And the bunny lives in his hut again, chews carrots, bows to you.

Russian folk tale "Sister Fox and the Wolf"

There lived a grandfather and a woman. Grandfather says to grandma:

“You, woman, bake the pies, and I’ll harness the sleigh and go after the fish.”

He caught fish and is taking a whole load home. So he drives and sees: a fox curled up and lying on the road. Grandfather got off the cart, went up to the fox, but she didn’t stir, she lay there as if dead.

- This will be a gift for my wife! - said the grandfather, took the fox and put it on the cart, and he himself walked ahead.

And the little fox took advantage of the time and began to lightly throw everything out of the cart, one fish after another, one fish after another. She threw out all the fish and left.

“Well, old woman,” says the grandfather, “what a collar I brought for your fur coat!”

“There, on the cart, is a fish and a collar.” A woman approached the cart: no collar, no fish, and began to scold her husband:

- Oh, you, so and so! You still decided to deceive!

Then the grandfather realized that the fox was not dead. I grieved and grieved, but there was nothing to do.

And the fox collected all the scattered fish into a pile, sat down on the road and eats for itself. The gray wolf comes:

- Hello, sister!

- Hello, brother!

- Give me the fish!

- Catch it yourself and eat it.

- I can't.

- Hey, I caught it! You, brother, go to the river, lower your tail into the hole, sit and say: “Catch, little fish, both small and great! Catch, little fish, both small and great! The fish will attach itself to your tail. Make sure you sit there longer, otherwise you won’t catch anything!

The wolf went to the river, lowered his tail into the hole and began to say:

Caught a fish,

both small and large!

Caught a fish,

both small and large!

Following him the fox appeared; walks around the wolf and laments:

Make it clear, make the stars in the sky clear,

Freeze, freeze,

wolf tail!

- What are you saying, little fox-sister?

- Then I’ll help you.

And the cheat herself keeps repeating:

Freeze, freeze,

wolf tail!

The wolf sat for a long, long time at the ice hole, did not move from his spot the whole night, and his tail froze; I tried to get up, but it didn’t work!

“Wow, so many fish have fallen in and you can’t get them out!” - he thinks.

He looks, and the women go for water and shout, seeing the gray one:

- Wolf, wolf! Hit him, hit him!

They came running and started beating the wolf - some with a yoke, some with a bucket, some with anything. The wolf jumped and jumped, tore off his tail and started running without looking back.

“Okay,” he thinks, “I’ll repay you, sister!”

Meanwhile, while the wolf was puffing away on his sides, the little fox-sister wanted to try: would it be possible to pull off something else? She climbed into one of the huts where women were baking pancakes, but her head fell into a tub of dough, she got dirty and ran.

And the wolf meets her:

- Is this how you teach? I was beaten all over!

- Oh, brother wolf! - says the little fox-sister. “At least you are bleeding, but I have a brain, I was beaten more painfully than you: I am dragging myself with force.”

“And that’s true,” says the wolf, “where should you go, sister, sit on me, I’ll take you.”

The little fox sat on his back, and he took her away.

Here the little fox-sister sits and quietly sings:

The beaten one brings the unbeaten one,

The beaten one brings the unbeaten!

- What are you saying, sister?

- I, brother, say: “The beaten one brings the beaten one.”

- Yes, sister, yes!

1 - About the little bus who was afraid of the dark

Donald Bisset


A fairy tale about how mother bus taught her little bus not to be afraid of the dark... About the little bus who was afraid of the dark read Once upon a time there was a little bus in the world. He was bright red and lived with his dad and mom in the garage. Every morning …

2 - Three kittens

Suteev V.G.

A short fairy tale for the little ones about three fidgety kittens and their funny adventures. Little children love short stories with pictures, which is why Suteev’s fairy tales are so popular and loved! Three kittens read Three kittens - black, gray and...

3 - Hedgehog in the fog

Kozlov S.G.


A fairy tale about a Hedgehog, how he was walking at night and got lost in the fog. He fell into the river, but someone carried him to the shore. It was a magical night! Hedgehog in the fog read Thirty mosquitoes ran out into the clearing and began to play...

4 - About the mouse from the book

Gianni Rodari


A short story about a mouse who lived in a book and decided to jump out of it into the big world. Only he did not know how to speak the language of mice, but knew only a strange book language... Read about a mouse from a book...

5 - Apple

Suteev V.G.


A fairy tale about a hedgehog, a hare and a crow who could not divide the last apple among themselves. Everyone wanted to take it for themselves. But the fair bear judged their dispute, and each got a piece of the treat... Apple read It was late...

6 - Black Pool

Kozlov S.G.


A fairy tale about a cowardly Hare who was afraid of everyone in the forest. And he was so tired of his fear that he decided to drown himself in the Black Pool. But he taught the Hare to live and not be afraid! Black Whirlpool read Once upon a time there was a Hare...

7 - About the Hippopotamus, who was afraid of vaccinations

Suteev V.G.

A fairy tale about a cowardly hippopotamus who ran away from the clinic because he was afraid of vaccinations. And he fell ill with jaundice. Luckily, he was taken to the hospital and treated. And the hippopotamus became very ashamed of his behavior... About the Hippopotamus, who was afraid...

8 - Mom for Baby Mammoth

Nepomnyashchaya D.


A fairy tale about a baby mammoth that melted out of the ice and went to look for its mother. But all the mammoths have long since died out, and the wise Uncle Walrus advised him to sail to Africa, where elephants live, which are very similar to mammoths. Mom for...

- this is one of the oldest forms of storytelling, which in the simplest and most playful form tells children not only about the world around them, but also about manifestations of both the best and the ugliest. General statistics tell us that Russian folk tales are of interest only to children up to school age, but it is these tales that we carry in our hearts and, even if in a slightly modified form, we pass them on to our children. After all, it is impossible to forget about Masha and the Bear, Ryaba the hen or the Gray Wolf; all these images help us learn and understand the reality around us. You can read Russian folk tales online and listen to audio tales for free on our website.

Types of Russian folk tales

Folk tales are basically divided into three categories. These are tales about animals, everyday life and fairy tales.

Russian folk tales about animals- these are one of the most ancient types of fairy tales that exist, their roots go back to the times of Ancient Rus'. These fairy tales contain vivid and very memorable images; we all remember Kolobok or Turnip from childhood, and thanks to such vivid images, the child learns to understand good and evil. Learns to distinguish character traits and lines of behavior: a fox is cunning, a bear is clumsy, a bunny is cowardly, and so on. Although the world of folk tales is fictional, it is so alive and vibrant that it fascinates and knows how to teach children only good deeds.

Russian everyday tales- these are fairy tales that are filled with the realism of our everyday life. And they are so close to life that when delving into these fairy tales, be careful, because this line is so thin that your growing child will want to embody and experience some of the actions on himself or carry them out in real life.

Russian fairy tales- this is a world in which magic and the evil associated with it takes on very terrible outlines and vital shades. Fairy tales are the search and rescue of a girl, a city or the world entrusted to the shoulders of one hero. But it is the help of many minor characters that teaches us, the readers of these fairy tales, about mutual assistance to each other. Read and listen to folk tales online with us.