Dragunsky V.Yu. - famous writer and theater figure, author of novels, short stories, songs, sideshows, clownery, skits. The most popular in the list of works for children is his cycle “Deniska’s Stories”, which has become a classic of Soviet literature; they are recommended for students in grades 2-3-4. Dragunsky describes situations typical for each time, brilliantly reveals the psychology of the child, a simple and vivid style ensures the dynamism of the presentation.

Deniska's stories

The series of works “Deniska's Stories” tells about the funny adventures of the boy Denis Korablev. The collective image of the main character intertwines the features of his prototype - the son of Dragunsky, his peers, and the author himself. Denis's life is filled with funny incidents; he actively perceives the world and reacts vividly to what is happening. The boy has a close friend Mishka, with whom he plays pranks, has fun, and overcomes difficulties. The author does not idealize the guys, does not teach or moralize - he denotes strong and weak sides the younger generation.

Englishman Paul

The work tells about Pavlik, who came to visit Deniska. He reports that he hasn’t come for a long time because he’s been studying all summer English language. Denis and his parents are trying to find out from the boy what new words he knows. It turned out that during this time Pavlya only learned the name Petya in English - Pete.

Watermelon Lane

The story tells about Denis, who does not want to eat milk noodles. Mom is upset, but dad comes and tells the boy a story from his childhood. Deniska learns how a hungry child during the war saw a truck filled to the brim with watermelons, which people were unloading. Dad stood and watched them work. Suddenly one of the watermelons broke, and the kind loader gave it to the boy. Dad still remembers how he and his friend ate that day and for a long time every day they went to the “watermelon” alley and waited for a new truck. But he never arrived... After his father’s story, Denis ate noodles.

Would

The work tells the story of Denis’s reasoning if everything were arranged the other way around. The boy imagines how he raises his own parents: he forces his mother to eat, his father to wash his hands and cut his nails, and he scolds his grandmother for being lightly dressed and bringing a dirty stick from the street. After lunch, Denis sits his relatives down to do homework, and he’s going to the cinema.

Where has this been seen, where has this been heard...

The work tells the story of Denisk and Misha, who were invited to sing satirical songs at a concert. Friends are nervous before the performance. During the concert, Misha gets confused and sings the same song several times. Counselor Lucy quietly asks Denis to speak alone. The boy gathers his courage, gets ready and again sings the same lines as Misha.

Goose throat

The work tells about Deniska’s preparations for her best friend’s birthday. The boy prepared him a gift: a washed and peeled goose throat, which Vera Sergeevna gave. Denis plans to dry it, put peas inside and fix the narrow neck in the wide one. However, dad advises them to buy candy and gives Misha his badge. Denis is happy that he will give his friend 3 gifts instead of one.

Twenty years under the bed

The work tells the story of the guys who played hide and seek in Misha’s apartment. Denis slipped into the room where the old woman lived and hid under the bed. He expected that it would be funny when the guys found him, and Efrosinya Petrovna would also be happy. But the grandmother unexpectedly locks the door, turns off the light and goes to bed. The boy becomes terrified and hits the trough lying under the bed with his fist. There is a crash and the old woman gets scared. The situation is saved by the guys and Denis’s dad, who came for him. The boy gets out of hiding, but does not answer questions; it seems to him that he has spent 20 years under the bed.

Girl on the Ball

The story tells about Deniska's trip to the circus with her class. The guys watch performances by jugglers, clowns, and lions. But Denis is impressed by the little girl on the ball. She shows extraordinary acrobatic performances, the boy cannot look away. At the end of the performance, the girl looks at Denis and waves her hand. The boy wants to go to the circus again in a week, but dad has work to do, and they only get to the show in 2 weeks. Denis is really looking forward to the girl’s performance at the ball, but she never appears. It turned out that the gymnast went with her parents to Vladivostok. Sad Denis and his dad leave the circus.

childhood friend

The work tells the story of Denis's desire to become a boxer. But he needs a pear, and dad refuses to buy it. Then the mother takes out an old teddy bear that the boy once played with and offers to train on it. Denis agrees and is about to practice his blows, but suddenly he remembers how he never parted with the bear for a minute, nursed him, took him to dinner, told him fairy tales and loved him with all his soul, was ready to give his life for his childhood friend. Denis tells his mother that he has changed his mind and will never be a boxer.

Pets' corner

The story tells about the opening of a living corner at Denis’s school. The boy wanted to bring a bison, a hippopotamus or an elk, but the teacher asks him to get small animals in order to look after and care for them. Denis goes shopping for a living corner of white mice, but does not have time, they have already been sold. Then the boy and his mother hurried to get the fish, but when they learned their price, they changed their minds. So Denis didn’t decide which animal to bring to school.

Enchanted letter

The work tells the story of Denisk, Misha and Alenka, who watched a large Christmas tree being unloaded from a car. The guys looked at her and smiled. Alena wanted to tell her friends that there were pine cones hanging on the tree, but she couldn’t pronounce the first letter and she came up with: “Syski.” The guys laugh at the girl and reproach her. Misha shows Alena how to pronounce the word correctly: “Hykhki!” They argue, swear, and both roar. And only Denis is sure that the word “bumps” is simple, and he knows how to say correctly: “Fyfki!”

Healthy thought

The story tells how Denis and Misha launched a boat from a matchbox on the way from school. He gets caught in a whirlpool and disappears into a drain. The guys are getting ready to go home, but it turns out that the boys are confusing the entrances, since they are the same. Misha is lucky - he meets a neighbor, and she takes him to his apartment. Denis mistakenly enters someone else's house and ends up with strangers, for whom he is already the sixth lost boy that day. They help Denis find his apartment. The boy invites his parents to hang his mother’s portrait on the house so that he won’t get lost again.

Green leopards

The work tells about a dispute between guys about which disease is better. Kostya suffered from measles and told his friends that they gave him decals. Mishka told how he ate a jar of raspberry jam when he was sick with the flu. Denis liked chicken pox because he walked with spots like a leopard. The guys remember the operation on the tonsils, after which they give ice cream. In their opinion, the more severe the illness, the better - then the parents will buy everything they want.

How I visited Uncle Misha

The story tells about Denis's trip to Uncle Misha in Leningrad. The boy meets his cousin Dima, who shows him the city. They look at the legendary Aurora and visit the Hermitage. Denis meets his brother's classmates, he likes Ira Rodina, to whom the boy decides to write a letter upon returning home.

Puss in Boots

The work tells about a school carnival, for which you need to prepare a costume. But Denis’s mother is leaving, and he misses him so much that he forgets about the event. Misha dresses up as a gnome and helps his friend with the costume. They portray Deniska as a cat in boots. The boy receives the main prize for his costume - 2 books, one of which he gives to Misha.

Chicken bouillon

The story tells how Denis and his dad cook chicken broth. They believe that this is a very simple and easy to prepare dish. However, the cooks almost burn the chicken when they want to singe the feathers, then they try to wash the bird of soot with soap, but it slips out of Denis’s hands and ends up under the cabinet. The situation is saved by the mother, who returns home and helps the unfortunate cooks.

My friend the bear

The work tells about Denis's campaign in Sokolniki on christmas tree. A boy is frightened by a huge bear that suddenly attacks him from behind a Christmas tree. Denis remembers that he needs to pretend to be dead and falls to the floor. Opening his eyes slightly, he sees the beast bending over him. Then the boy decides to scare the animal and screams loudly. The bear moves to the side, and Denis throws an ice cube at him. Subsequently, it turns out that under the beast’s costume there is an actor who has decided to play a trick on the boy.

Motorcycle racing on a vertical wall

The story tells about Denis, who was the champion of the yard in cycling. He demonstrates various tricks to the kids like a circus performer. One day a relative came to Misha on a bicycle with a motor. While the guest was drinking tea, the guys decide to try out the transport without asking. Denis rides around the yard for a long time, but then cannot stop because the guys do not know where the brake is. The situation is saved by relative Fedya, who stopped the bicycle in time.

You must have a sense of humor

The work tells how Misha and Denis did their homework. While copying the text, they talked, which is why they made many mistakes and had to redo the task. Then Denis gives Misha a fun problem that he cannot solve. In response, the father gives his son a task, which he takes offense at. Father tells Denis that he must have a sense of humor.

Independent hump

The story tells how a famous writer came to Denis's class. The guys spent a long time preparing for the guest’s visit, and he was touched by this. It turned out that the writer stuttered, but the children politely did not draw attention to this. At the end of the meeting, Denis’s classmate asks for an autograph from the celebrity. But the fact is that Gorbushkin also stutters, and the writer is offended, thinking that he is being teased. Denis had to intervene and resolve the awkward situation.

One drop kills a horse

The work tells about Denis's dad, whom the doctor advises to quit smoking. The boy is worried about his father; he doesn’t want a drop of poison to kill him. On the weekend, guests come, Aunt Tamara gives dad a cigarette case, for which Denis is angry with her. The father asks his son to cut the cigarettes so that they fit into the box. The boy deliberately spoils cigarettes by cutting off tobacco.

It's alive and glowing

The story tells about Denis, who is waiting for his mother in the yard. At this time Mishka arrives. He likes Denis's new dump truck and offers to exchange the car for a firefly. The bug fascinates the boy, he agrees and admires the acquisition for a long time. Mom comes and wonders why her son exchanged a new toy for a small insect. To which Denis replies that the beetle is better, because it is alive and glows.

Spyglass

The work tells about Denis, who tears and ruins his clothes. Mom doesn’t know what to do with the tomboy, and dad advises her to make a spyglass. Denis's parents inform him that he is now under constant control, and they can see their son whenever they wish. Difficult days are coming for the boy, all his previous activities become forbidden. One day Denis comes into the hands of his mother’s spyglass, and he sees that it is empty. The boy realizes that his parents deceived him, but he is happy and returns to his old life.

A fire in an outbuilding, or a feat in the ice

The story tells about Denis and Misha, who were playing hockey and were late for school. To avoid being scolded, the friends decided to come up with a good reason and argued for a long time about what exactly to choose. When the boys arrived at school, the cloakroom attendant sent Denis to class, and Misha helped sew back the torn buttons. Korablev had to tell the teacher alone that they had saved a girl from the fire. However, Misha soon returned and told the class how they pulled out the boy who had fallen through the ice.

The wheels sing - tra-ta-ta

The story tells about Denisk, who went with his dad to Yasnogorsk by train. Early in the morning the boy could not sleep, and he went to the vestibule. Denis saw a man running after the train and helped him get on. He treated the boy to raspberries and told about his son Seryozha, who was far away in the city with his mother. In the village of Krasnoye, the man jumped off the train, and Denis drove on.

Adventure

The work tells about Denisk, who was visiting his uncle in Leningrad and flew home alone. However, the airport in Moscow was closed due to unfavorable weather conditions, and the plane returned. Denis called his mother and reported the delay. He spent the night on the floor at the airport, and in the morning the departure of the plane was announced 2 hours earlier. The boy woke up the military so that they would not be late. Since the plane arrived in Moscow earlier, dad did not meet Denis, but the officers helped him and took him home.

Workers crushing stone

The story tells about friends who go swimming at a water station. One day Kostya asks Denis if he can jump into the water from the highest tower. The boy replies that it’s easy. Friends do not believe Denis, believing that he is weak. The boy climbs onto the tower, but he becomes scared, Misha and Kostya laugh. Then Denis tries again, but again descends from the tower. The guys are making fun of their friend. Then Denis decides to climb the tower for the 3rd time and still jumps.

Exactly 25 kilos

The work tells about the campaign of Mishka and Denis to children's party. They participate in a competition in which the prize will be given to the one who weighs exactly 25 kilograms. Denis is 500 grams short of victory. Friends come up with an idea to drink 0.5 liters of water. Denis wins the competition.

Knights

The story tells about Denis, who decided to become a knight and give his mother a box of chocolates on March 8th. But the boy has no money, so he and Mishka came up with the idea of ​​pouring the wine from the cupboard into a jar and handing over the bottles. Denis gives his mother candy, and his father discovers that the collection wine has been diluted with beer.

From top to bottom, diagonally!

The work tells about the guys who decided to help the painters with painting when they went to lunch. Denis and Misha are painting the wall, the laundry that is drying in the yard, their friend Alena, the door, the house manager. The kids had a blast, and the painters invited them to work for them when the children grew up.

My sister Ksenia

The story tells about Denis's mother, who introduces her son to his newborn sister. In the evening, the parents want to bathe the baby, but the boy sees that the girl is afraid and has an unhappy face. Then the brother extends his hand to his sister, and she firmly grabs his finger, as if she trusts him alone with her life. Denis understood how difficult and scary it was for Ksenia and fell in love with her with all his soul.

Glory to Ivan Kozlovsky

The work tells the story of Denis, who received a C in a singing lesson. He laughed at Mishka, who sang very quietly, but they gave him an A. When the teacher calls Denis, he sings the song as loud as he can. However, the teacher rated his performance only 3. The boy believes that the fact is that he did not sing loudly enough.

Elephant and radio

The story tells about Denis's trip to the zoo. The boy took a radio with him, and the elephant became interested in the object. He snatched it from Denis’s hands and put it in his mouth. Now a program about physical exercises was coming from the animal, and the children surrounding the cage happily began to perform the exercises. The zookeeper distracted the elephant, and he gave up the radio.

Battle of the Clean River

The work tells about a trip to the cinema in Denis Korablev’s class. The guys watched a film about the attack of white officers on the Red Army. To help their own, the boys in the cinema shoot pistols at enemies and use scarecrows. The children are reprimanded by the school principal for violating public order, and the children's weapons are taken away. But Denis and Misha believe that they helped the army hold out until the arrival of the red cavalrymen.

The secret becomes clear

The story tells about Denis, to whom his mother promised to go to the Kremlin if he ate semolina porridge. The boy put salt and sugar in the dish, added boiling water and horseradish, but could not swallow even a spoon and threw the breakfast out the window. Mom was glad that her son ate everything, and they began to get ready for a walk. However, a policeman unexpectedly comes and brings the victim, whose hat and clothes are stained with porridge. Denis understands the meaning of the phrase that the secret always becomes clear.

Third place in butterfly style

The work talks about good mood Denis, who is in a hurry to tell his dad that he took 3rd place in swimming. The father is proud and wonders who owns the first two and who follows his son. As it turned out, no one took 4th place, since 3rd place was distributed to all athletes. Dad turns his attention to the newspaper, and Denis loses his good mood.

Tricky way

The story tells about Denis's mother, who is tired of washing dishes and asks to invent some way to make life easier, otherwise she refuses to feed Denis and his dad. The boy comes up with a clever way - he offers to eat from one device in turn. However, dad has a better option - he advises his son to help his mother and wash the dishes themselves.

Chicky kick

The work tells the story of Denis’s family, which is about to go out into nature. The boy takes Misha with him. The guys lean out of the train window and Denis’s dad shows various tricks to distract them. The father makes fun of Misha and rips his hat off his head. The boy is upset, thinking that it was blown off by the wind, but the great magician returns the item of clothing.

What I like and what I don't like

The story tells about what Deniska likes and doesn’t like. He loves to win at checkers, chess and dominoes, on a day off in the morning to climb into dad's bed, breathe through his nose into his mother's ear, watch TV, make phone calls, plan, saw and much more. Denis doesn’t like it when his parents go to the theater, get their teeth treated, lose, put on a new suit, eat soft-boiled eggs, and so on.

Other stories from the series “Deniska’s Stories”

• White finches
• Main rivers
• Dymka and Anton
• Uncle Pavel the stoker
• The smell of heaven and shag
• And we!
• Red ball in the blue sky
• There is a lot of traffic on Sadovaya
• No bang, no bang!
• No worse than you circus people
• Nothing can be changed
• Dog Thief
• Professor of sour cabbage soup
• Tell me about Singapore
• Blue Dagger
• Death of the spy Gadyukin
• The Ancient Mariner
• Quiet Ukrainian night
• Amazing day
• Fantômas
• Man with blue face
• What does Mishka like?
• Grandmaster hat

He fell on the grass

The story “He Fell on the Grass” tells about a nineteen-year-old young man Mitya Korolev, who, due to a childhood leg injury, was not drafted into the army, but joined the militia. He digs anti-tank ditches near Moscow together with his comrades: Leshka, Stepan Mikhalych, Seryozha Lyubomirov, Kazakh Baiseitov and others. At the end of the work, when the militias are waiting for the arrival Soviet army, unexpectedly they are attacked German tanks. The survivors Mitya and Baiseitov reach their troops. The young man returns to Moscow and enlists in a partisan detachment.

Today and daily

The story “Today and Everyday” tells the story of the clown Nikolai Vetrov, who is able to make even the weakest circus program great. But in real life It’s not easy and uncomfortable for an artist. His beloved woman is dating another man, and the clown realizes that a breakup is ahead. Having gathered with friends in a restaurant, the circus performer expresses the idea of ​​his own destiny - to bring joy and laughter to children despite life's failures. He meets the aerial acrobat Irina, who is performing complex numbers. However, while performing the trick, the girl crashes and dies. Nikolai goes to the circus in Vladivostok.

Read Dragunsky's stories

Deniskin's stories by Dragunsky with a slight movement of the author's thoughts lift the veil Everyday life children, their joys and worries. Communication with peers, relationships with parents, various incidents in life - this is what Victor Dragunsky describes in his works. Funny stories with a sensitive vision of important details, characteristic of the author, occupy a special place in world literature. The writer is known for his ability to see the good in everything and wonderfully explain to children what is really good and what is bad. In Dragunsky’s stories, every child will find traits similar to themselves, receive answers to their troubling questions, and laugh heartily at funny incidents from the children’s lives.

Victor Dragunsky. Interesting biography details

Readers are usually surprised to learn that Victor was born in New York. It so happened that his parents moved there in search of better life, but they failed to settle down in the new place. Just a year later, the boy and his parents returned to their homeland - the city of Gomel (Belarus).

Victor Dragunsky spent his childhood on the road. His stepfather took him on tour, where the child learned to do a good job of imitating people and generally playing to an audience. At that moment, his creative future was already predetermined, however, like most children's writers, he did not immediately come to this occupation.

Great Patriotic War left its mark on his fate. Thoughts, aspirations, pictures of what he saw during the war changed Victor forever. After the war, Dragunsky set out to create his own theater, where every talented young actor could prove himself. He succeeded. Blue Bird - this was the name of Victor's parody theater, which gained recognition and fame in a matter of moments. This happened with everything that Dragunsky took on. When you start reading Deniska’s stories, you will definitely notice notes of the author’s subtle humor, which he used to attract children to the theater and circus. The kids were crazy about him!

It was this theater that became the starting point of his path, which led to creative writing, which later left us Deniska’s stories as a gift. Victor Dragunsky began to notice that during his performances children had a particularly good reaction. Dragunsky was even lucky enough to work as a clown, winning the love of young spectators.

At the end of the 50s, according to the recollections of friends, Victor thought it was time to change something in his life. The feeling of approaching something new never left him. creative path. And then one day, while in his sad thoughts, Dragunsky wrote the first children's story, which became a real outlet for him. Deniskin's first stories by Dragunsky instantly became popular.

Deniska’s stories are so interesting to read because the author had a real talent for easily and vividly describing everyday situations, having fun laughing at them, and sometimes thinking about them. Viktor Dragunsky could not predict that his works would become classics of children's literature, but his knowledge of children and love for them did their job...

Dragunsky Viktor Yuzefovich(1913 - 1972) - Soviet children's writer, gained popularity and fame thanks to the series of works "Deniska's Stories", which became a classic of Soviet children's literature.

Childhood is the most important part of every person's life. The skills and experience acquired at this time help the child to form his own character. New knowledge can be passed on to a child through the works of Viktor Dragunsky, who wonderfully described the events happening to the boy Deniska. Short stories The Soviet author will immerse readers in the world of extraordinary incidents and adventures that befell an inquisitive restless person.

Together with the young hero, children will discover the laws of behavior in society, develop correct moral principles, and understand the importance of relationships with loved ones and friends. Having the opportunity to read online fascinating stories, boys and girls will get to know a child who grew up in the era of the birth of human space flight. They can compare the worries of today with the worries of schoolchildren in the 20th century.

Read Deniska's stories online

With the help of the work “Deniska’s Stories,” Dragunsky showed that childhood does not mean a simplified perception of the world by the child’s mind. Even at this youth he may develop a sensitive nature that allows him to subtly sense the world. The writer's light style helps readers to completely immerse themselves in his fascinating works. Together with the main character, they will experience many funny episodes that make up the daily existence of an active child.

Current page: 1 (book has 6 pages in total) [available reading passage: 2 pages]

Font:

100% +

Victor Dragunsky
Deniska's stories

Englishman Paul

“Tomorrow is the first of September,” said my mother, “and now autumn has come, and you will go to second grade.” Oh, how time flies!

“And on this occasion,” dad picked up, “we will now “slaughter a watermelon”!”

And he took a knife and cut the watermelon. When he cut, such a full, pleasant, green crack was heard that my back went cold with anticipation of how I was going to eat this watermelon. And I already opened my mouth to grab a pink slice of watermelon, but then the door swung open and Pavel entered the room. We were all terribly happy, because he had not been with us for a long time, and we missed him.

- Wow, who came! - said dad. - Pavel himself. Pavel the Wart himself!

“Sit down with us, Pavlik, there is watermelon,” said mom. - Deniska, move over.

I said:

- Hello! – and gave him a place next to him.

He said:

- Hello! - and sat down.

And we began to eat, and ate for a long time, and were silent. We didn't feel like talking. What is there to talk about when there is such deliciousness in your mouth!

And when Paul was given the third piece, he said:

- Oh, I love watermelon. Even more. My grandmother never gives me plenty of it to eat.

- And why? - Mom asked.

“She says that after drinking watermelon, I don’t end up sleeping, but just running around.”

“True,” said dad. “That’s why we eat watermelon early in the morning.” By evening, its effect wears off and you can sleep peacefully. Come on, eat, don't be afraid.

“I’m not afraid,” said Pavlya.

And we all got down to business again, and again were silent for a long time. And when mom began to remove the crusts, dad said:

- Why haven’t you been with us for so long, Pavel?

“Yes,” I said. - Where have you been? What did you do?

And then Pavel puffed up, blushed, looked around and suddenly casually dropped, as if reluctantly:

- What I did, what I did... I studied English, that’s what I did.

I was completely taken aback. I immediately realized that I had been wasting my time all summer in vain. He tinkered with hedgehogs, played rounders, and occupied himself with trifles. But Pavel, he didn’t waste time, no, you’re being naughty, he worked on himself, he raised his level of education. He studied English and now he will probably be able to correspond with English pioneers and read English books! I immediately felt that I was dying of envy, and then my mother added:

- Here, Deniska, study. This is not your bast!

“Well done,” said dad, “I respect you!”

Pavlya beamed:

– A student, Seva, came to visit us. So he works with me every day. It's been two whole months now. Just completely tortured me.

– What, difficult English? – I asked.

“It’s crazy,” Pavel sighed.

“It wouldn’t be difficult,” dad intervened. “The devil himself will break their leg there.” Very difficult spelling. It's spelled Liverpool and pronounced Manchester.

- Well, yes! - I said. - Is that right, Pavlya?

“It’s just a disaster,” said Pavlya, “I’m completely exhausted from these activities, I’ve lost two hundred grams.”

- So why don’t you use your knowledge, Pavlik? - Mom said. – Why didn’t you say “hello” to us in English when you came in?

“I haven’t said hello yet,” said Pavlya.

- Well, you ate watermelon, why didn’t you say “thank you”?

“I said it,” said Pavlya.

- Well, yes, you said it in Russian, but in English?

“We haven’t gotten to the “thank you” point yet,” said Pavlya. – Very difficult preaching.

Then I said:

- Pavel, teach me how to say “one, two, three” in English.

“I haven’t studied this yet,” said Pavlya.

-What did you study? - I shouted. – Have you still learned anything in two months?

“I learned how Petya speaks English,” said Pavlya.

- Well, how?

“That's right,” I said. - Well, what else do you know in English?

“That’s all for now,” said Pavlya.

Watermelon Lane

I came home from the yard after football, tired and dirty, like I don’t know who anyone is. I had fun because we beat house number five 44-37. Thank God there was no one in the bathroom. I quickly rinsed my hands, ran into the room and sat down at the table. I said:

- Mom, I can eat a bull now.

She smiled.

- A live bull? - she said.

“Yeah,” I said, “alive, with hooves and nostrils!”

Mom immediately left and returned a second later with a plate in her hands. The plate was smoking so nicely, and I immediately guessed that it contained pickle juice. Mom put the plate in front of me.

- Eat! - Mom said.

But it was noodles. Dairy. All covered in foam. It's almost the same as semolina porridge. There are always lumps in porridge, and foam in noodles. I just die as soon as I see foam, let alone eat it. I said:

– I won’t eat noodles!

Mom said:

- Without any talking!

- There are foams!

Mom said:

- You will drive me into a coffin! What foams? Who are you like? You look just like Koschey!

I said:

- Better kill me!

But mom blushed all over and slammed her hand on the table:

- You're the one killing me!

And then dad came in. He looked at us and asked:

-What is the dispute about? What is this heated debate about?

Mom said:

- Admire it! Doesn't want to eat. The guy is almost eleven years old, and he, like a girl, is capricious.

I'm almost nine. But my mother always says that I will soon be eleven. When I was eight years old, she said that I would soon be ten.

Dad said:

- Why doesn’t he want to? Is the soup burnt or too salty?

I said:

- These are noodles, and there is foam in them...

Dad shook his head:

- Oh, that's it! His Highness von Baron Kutkin-Putkin does not want to eat milk noodles! He should probably be served marzipan on a silver tray!

I laughed because I love it when dad jokes.

– What is this – marzipan?

“I don’t know,” said dad, “probably something sweet and smells like cologne.” Especially for von Baron Kutkin-Putkin!.. Come on, eat noodles!

- But it’s foam!

- You're stuck, brother, that's what! – Dad said and turned to Mom. “Take some noodles from him,” he said, “otherwise I’m just disgusted!” He doesn’t want porridge, he can’t have noodles!.. What whims! Hate!..

He sat down on a chair and began to look at me. His face looked as if I was a stranger to him. He didn’t say anything, but just looked like that – like someone else’s. And I immediately stopped smiling - I realized that the jokes were already over. And dad was silent for a long time, and we were all silent, and then he said, and as if not to me, and not to mom, but to someone who was his friend:

“No, I will probably never forget this terrible autumn,” said dad, “how sad and uncomfortable it was in Moscow then... War, the Nazis are rushing towards the city.” It’s cold, hungry, the adults all walk around frowning, they listen to the radio every hour... Well, everything is clear, isn’t it? I was eleven or twelve years old then, and, most importantly, I was growing very quickly then, reaching upward, and I was terribly hungry all the time. I didn't have enough food at all. I always asked my parents for bread, but they didn’t have any extra, so they gave me theirs, but I didn’t have enough of that either. And I went to bed hungry, and in my dream I saw bread. Why... It happened to everyone. The story is well known. Written, rewritten, read, reread...

And then one day I was walking along a small alley, not far from our house, and suddenly I saw a huge truck, piled to the top with watermelons. I don’t even know how they got to Moscow. Some lost watermelons. They were probably brought in to issue cards. And there’s a guy standing upstairs in the car, so thin, unshaven and toothless, or something – his mouth is very drawn in. And so he takes a watermelon and throws it to his friend, and that one to the saleswoman in white, and that one to someone else... And they cleverly do it in a chain: the watermelon rolls along the conveyor from the car to the store. And if you look from the outside, people are playing with green-striped balls, and it’s very interesting game. I stood there for a long time and looked at them, and the guy, who was very thin, also looked at me and kept smiling at me with his toothless mouth, a nice man. But then I got tired of standing and was about to go home, when suddenly someone in their chain made a mistake, looked too closely or something, or simply missed, and please - bang!.. A heavy watermelon suddenly fell on the pavement. Right next to me. It cracked somehow crookedly, at an angle, and a snow-white thin rind was visible, and behind it such a crimson, red pulp with sugar veins and obliquely set seeds, as if the sly eyes of the watermelon were looking at me and smiling from the heart. And here, when I saw this wonderful pulp and splashes of watermelon juice and when I smelled this smell, so fresh and strong, only then did I realize how hungry I was. But I turned away and went home. And before I had time to leave, I suddenly heard a call:

“Boy, boy!”

I looked around, and this toothless worker of mine was running towards me, and he had a broken watermelon in his hands. He says:

“Here, dear, take the watermelon and eat it at home!”

And before I had time to look back, he had already handed me a watermelon and was running to his place to continue unloading. And I hugged the watermelon and barely dragged it home, and called my friend Valka, and we both devoured this huge watermelon. Oh, what a delicious thing that was! It cannot be conveyed! Valka and I cut off huge slices, the entire width of the watermelon, and when we bit, the edges of the watermelon slices touched our ears, and our ears were wet, and pink watermelon juice was dripping from them. And Valka and I’s bellies swelled up and also began to look like watermelons. If you click on such a belly with your finger, you know what kind of ringing it will sound! Like a drum. And we only regretted one thing, that we didn’t have bread, otherwise we would have eaten even better. Yes…

Dad turned away and began to look out the window.

“And then it got even worse - autumn turned,” he said, “it became completely cold, winter, dry and fine snow fell from the sky, and it was immediately blown away by a dry and sharp wind.” And we had very little food, and the Nazis kept coming and going towards Moscow, and I was hungry all the time. And now I dreamed of more than just bread. I also dreamed about watermelons. And one morning I saw that I no longer had a stomach at all, it just seemed to be stuck to my spine, and I just couldn’t think about anything except food. And I called Valka and told him:

“Come on, Valka, let’s go to that watermelon alley, maybe the watermelons are being unloaded there again, and maybe one will fall again, and maybe they’ll give it to us again.”

And we wrapped ourselves in some grandmother’s scarves, because the cold was terrible, and we went to the watermelon alley. It was a gray day outside, there were few people, and Moscow was quiet, not like now. There was no one at all in the watermelon alley, and we stood in front of the store doors and waited for the truck with watermelons to come. And it was already getting completely dark, but he still didn’t come. I said:

“He’ll probably arrive tomorrow...”

“Yes,” said Valka, “probably tomorrow.”

And we went home with him. And the next day they went into the alley again, and again in vain. And we walked and waited like this every day, but the truck did not arrive...

Dad fell silent. He looked out the window, and his eyes looked as if he was seeing something that neither I nor my mother could see. Mom approached him, but dad immediately got up and left the room. Mom went after him. And I was left alone. I sat and also looked out the window where dad was looking, and it seemed to me that I could see dad and his friend right there, how they trembled and waited. The wind beats on them, and the snow too, and they tremble and wait, and wait, and wait... And this just made me feel terrible, and I grabbed my plate and quickly, spoon by spoon, swallowed it all, and then tilted it to himself, and drank the rest, and wiped the bottom with bread, and licked the spoon.

Would…

One day I was sitting and sitting and out of the blue I suddenly thought of something that surprised even myself. I thought that it would be so good if everything around the world were arranged in reverse. Well, for example, so that children would be in charge in all matters, and adults would have to obey them in everything, in everything. In general, so that adults are like children, and children are like adults. That would be wonderful, it would be very interesting.

Firstly, I imagine how my mother would “like” such a story, that I walk around and command her as I want, and dad would probably “like” it too, but there’s nothing to say about grandma. Needless to say, I would remember everything to them! For example, my mother would be sitting at dinner, and I would tell her:

“Why did you start a fashion for eating without bread? Here's more news! Look at yourself in the mirror, who do you look like? Looks like Koschey! Eat now, they tell you! - And she would start eating with her head down, and I would just give the command: - Faster! Don't hold it by the cheek! Are you thinking again? Still solving the world's problems? Chew it properly! And don’t rock your chair!”

And then dad would come in after work, and before he even had time to undress, I would already shout:

“Yeah, he showed up! We must always wait for you! Wash your hands now! As it should be, as it should be, there is no need to smear the dirt. It's scary to look at the towel after you. Brush three times and don’t skimp on the soap. Come on, show me your nails! It's horror, not nails. It's just claws! Where are the scissors? Don't move! I don’t cut any meat, and I cut it very carefully. Don't sniffle, you're not a girl... That's it. Now sit down at the table.”

He would sit down and quietly say to his mother:

“How are you doing?!”

And she would also say quietly:

“Nothing, thank you!”

And I would immediately:

“Talkers at the table! When I eat, I am deaf and dumb! Remember this for the rest of your life. Golden Rule! Dad! Put down the newspaper now, your punishment is mine!”

And they would sit like silk, and when my grandmother came, I would squint, clasp my hands and shout:

"Dad! Mother! Admire our grandma! What a view! The chest is open, the hat is on the back of the head! The cheeks are red, the whole neck is wet! Good, nothing to say. Admit it, have you been playing hockey again? What kind of dirty stick is this? Why did you drag her into the house? What? Is this a putter? Get her out of my sight right now - out the back door!”

Here I would walk around the room and say to all three of them:

“After lunch, everyone sit down for your homework, and I’ll go to the cinema!” Of course, they would immediately whine and whine:

“And you and I! And we want to go to the cinema too!”

And I would tell them:

“Nothing, nothing! Yesterday we went to a birthday party, on Sunday I took you to the circus! Look! I liked having fun every day. Stay at home! Here you have thirty kopecks for ice cream, that’s all!”

Then the grandmother would pray:

“Take me at least! After all, every child can take one adult with them for free!”

But I would dodge, I would say:

“And people over seventy years old are not allowed to enter this picture. Stay at home, you fool!”

And I would walk past them, deliberately clicking my heels loudly, as if I didn’t notice that their eyes were all wet, and I would start getting dressed, and would twirl in front of the mirror for a long time, and would hum, and this would make them even worse they were tormented, and I would open the door to the stairs and say...

But I didn’t have time to think of what I would say, because at that time my mother came in, very real, alive, and said:

-Are you still sitting? Eat now, look who you look like? Looks like Koschey!

"Where has this been seen, where has this been heard..."

During recess, our October leader Lyusya ran up to me and said:

– Deniska, will you be able to perform in the concert? We decided to organize two kids to be satirists. Want?

I speak:

- I want it all! Just explain: what are satirists?

Lucy says:

– You see, we have various problems... Well, for example, poor students or lazy people, we need to catch them. Understood? We need to speak about them so that everyone laughs, this will have a sobering effect on them.

I speak:

“They’re not drunk, they’re just lazy.”

“That’s what they say: sobering,” Lucy laughed. – But in fact, these guys will just think about it, they will feel awkward, and they will correct themselves. Understood? Well, in general, don’t delay: if you want, agree, if you don’t want, refuse!

I said:

- Okay, come on!

Then Lucy asked:

– Do you have a partner?

Lucy was surprised.

- How do you live without a friend?

- I have a comrade, Mishka. But there is no partner.

Lucy smiled again:

- It's almost the same thing. Is he musical, your Mishka?

- No, ordinary.

– Can he sing?

– It’s very quiet... But I’ll teach him to sing louder, don’t worry.

Here Lucy was delighted:

– After lessons, drag him to the small hall, there will be a rehearsal there!

And I set off as fast as I could to look for Mishka. He stood in the buffet and ate a sausage.

- Bear, do you want to be a satirist?

And he said:

- Wait, let me eat.

I stood and watched him eat. He is small, and the sausage is thicker than his neck. He held this sausage with his hands and ate it straight whole, without cutting it, and the skin cracked and burst when he bit it, and hot, fragrant juice splashed out from there.

And I couldn’t stand it and said to Aunt Katya:

- Please give me some sausage too, quickly!

And Aunt Katya immediately handed me the bowl. And I was in a hurry so that Mishka wouldn’t have time to eat his sausage without me: it wouldn’t have been so tasty for me alone. And so I, too, took my sausage with my hands and, without cleaning it, began to gnaw on it, and hot, fragrant juice sprayed out of it. And Mishka and I chewed on the steam, and got burned, and looked at each other, and smiled.

And then I told him that we would be satirists, and he agreed, and we barely made it to the end of the lessons, and then we ran to the small hall for a rehearsal. Our counselor Lyusya was already sitting there, and with her was one boy, about 4 years old, very ugly, with small ears and big eyes.

Lucy said:

- Here they are! Meet us, this is ours school poet Andrey Shestakov.

We said:

- Great!

And they turned away so that he wouldn’t wonder.

And the poet said to Lucy:

– What are these, performers, or what?

He said:

– Wasn’t there anything bigger?

Lucy said:

– Just what is required!

But then our singing teacher Boris Sergeevich came. He immediately went to the piano.

- Come on, let's begin! Where are the poems?

Andryushka took a piece of paper out of his pocket and said:

- Here. I took the meter and chorus from Marshak, from a fairy tale about a donkey, grandfather and grandson: “Where has this been seen, where has this been heard...”

Boris Sergeevich nodded:

Dad studies for Vasya all year.

Dad decides, but Vasya gives in?!

Mishka and I burst into tears. Of course, children quite often ask their parents to solve a problem for them, and then show the teacher as if they were such heroes. And at the board, boom-boom - a deuce! The matter is well known. Wow, Andryushka, he nailed it!

The asphalt is drawn into squares with chalk,
Manechka and Tanya are jumping here,
Where has this been seen, where has this been heard -
They play “classes”, but don’t go to class?!

Great again. We really enjoyed! This Andryushka is just a real fellow, like Pushkin!

Boris Sergeevich said:

- Nothing, not bad! And the music will be very simple, something like that. - And he took Andryushka’s poems and, playing quietly, sang them all in a row.

It turned out very cleverly, we even clapped our hands.

And Boris Sergeevich said:

- Well, sir, who are our performers?

And Lyusya pointed at Mishka and me:

“Well,” said Boris Sergeevich, “Misha has a good ear... True, Deniska doesn’t sing very correctly.”

I said:

- But it’s loud.

And we began to repeat these verses to the music and repeated them probably fifty or a thousand times, and I screamed very loudly, and everyone calmed me down and made comments:

- Do not worry! You're quiet! Calm down! Don't be so loud!

Andryushka was especially excited. He completely slowed me down. But I only sang loudly, I didn’t want to sing more quietly, because real singing is when it’s loud!

...And then one day, when I came to school, I saw an announcement in the locker room:

ATTENTION!

Today is a big break

there will be a performance in the small hall

flying patrol

« Pioneer Satyricon»!

Performed by a duet of kids!

One day!

Come everyone!

And something immediately clicked in me. I ran to class. Mishka was sitting there and looking out the window.

I said:

- Well, we’re performing today!

And Mishka suddenly mumbled:

- I don’t feel like performing...

I was completely taken aback. How - reluctance? That's it! After all, we rehearsed? What about Lyusya and Boris Sergeevich? Andryushka? And all the guys, they read the poster and will come running as one? I said:

-Are you crazy, or what? Letting people down?

And Mishka is so pitiful:

- I think my stomach hurts.

I speak:

- It's out of fear. It hurts too, but I don’t refuse!

But Mishka was still somewhat thoughtful. At the big break, all the guys rushed into the small hall, and Mishka and I barely trailed behind, because I, too, had completely lost the mood to perform. But at that time Lucy ran out to meet us, she grabbed us tightly by the hands and dragged us along, but my legs were soft, like a doll’s, and they were tangled. I probably got the infection from Mishka.

In the hall there was a fenced-off area near the piano, and children from all classes, nannies, and teachers crowded around.

Mishka and I stood near the piano.

Boris Sergeevich was already in place, and Lyusya announced in an announcer’s voice:

– We begin the performance of the “Pioneer Satyricon” on topical topics. Text by Andrei Shestakov, performed by world famous satirists Misha and Denis! Let's ask!

And Mishka and I went a little ahead. The bear was as white as a wall. But I was fine, only my mouth felt dry and rough, as if there was sandpaper lying there.

Boris Sergeevich began to play. Mishka had to start, because he sang the first two lines, and I had to sing the second two lines. Boris Sergeevich started playing, and Mishka threw it aside left hand, as Lucy taught him, and he wanted to sing, but he was late, and while he was getting ready, it was my turn, so it turned out according to the music. But I didn’t sing since Mishka was late. Why on earth?

Mishka then lowered his hand into place. And Boris Sergeevich began loudly and separately again.

He struck the keys three times, as he should, and on the fourth Mishka again threw back his left hand and finally sang:

Vasya’s dad is good at mathematics,
Dad studies for Vasya all year.

I immediately picked it up and shouted:

Where has this been seen, where has this been heard -
Dad decides, but Vasya gives in?!

Everyone who was in the hall laughed, and this made my soul feel lighter. And Boris Sergeevich went further. He struck the keys three times again, and on the fourth, Mishka carefully threw his left hand to the side and, for no apparent reason, began to sing first:

Vasya’s dad is good at mathematics,
Dad studies for Vasya all year.

I immediately realized that he was lost! But since this is the case, I decided to finish singing to the end, and then we’ll see. I took it and finished it:

Where has this been seen, where has this been heard -
Dad decides, but Vasya gives in?!

Thank God, it was quiet in the hall - everyone, apparently, also realized that Mishka had lost his way, and thought: “Well, it happens, let him continue singing.”

And when the music reached its destination, he again waved his left hand and, like a record that has been “stuck,” wound it up for the third time:

Vasya’s dad is good at mathematics,
Dad studies for Vasya all year.

I really wanted to hit him on the back of the head with something heavy, and I screamed with terrible anger:

Where has this been seen, where has this been heard -
Dad decides, but Vasya gives in?!

“Mishka, you’re obviously completely crazy!” Are you dragging out the same thing for the third time? Let's talk about girls!

And Mishka is so impudent:

- I know without you! - And politely says to Boris Sergeevich: - Please, Boris Sergeevich, continue!

Boris Sergeevich began to play, and Mishka suddenly became bolder, again put out his left hand and on the fourth beat began to shout as if nothing had happened:

Vasya’s dad is good at mathematics,
Dad studies for Vasya all year.

Then everyone in the hall just screamed with laughter, and I saw in the crowd what an unhappy face Andryushka had, and I also saw that Lyusya, all red and disheveled, was making her way to us through the crowd. And Mishka stands with his mouth open, as if surprised at himself. Well, while the trial and the case are going on, I finish shouting:

Where has this been seen, where has this been heard -
Dad decides, but Vasya gives in?!

Then something terrible began. Everyone laughed like they were killed, and Mishka turned from green to purple. Our Lucy grabbed him by the hand and dragged him to her. She shouted:

- Deniska, sing alone! Don't let me down!.. Music! AND!..

And I stood at the piano and decided not to let him down. I felt that I didn’t care anymore, and when the music came, for some reason I suddenly also threw my left hand to the side and completely unexpectedly screamed:

Vasya’s dad is good at mathematics,
Dad studies for Vasya all year...

I'm even surprised that I didn't die from this damn song. I probably would have died if the bell hadn’t rung at that time...

I won't be a satirist anymore!

Victor Yuzefovich Dragunsky

Deniska's stories

© Dragunsky V. Yu., heirs, 2014

© Dragunskaya K.V., preface, 2014

© Chizhikov V. A., afterword, 2014

© Losin V. N., illustrations, inheritance, 2014

© AST Publishing House LLC, 2015

About my dad

When I was little, I had a dad. Victor Dragunsky. Famous children's writer. But no one believed me that he was my dad. And I shouted: “This is my dad, dad, dad!!!” And she started to fight. Everyone thought he was my grandfather. Because he was no longer very young. I am a late child. Younger. I have two older brothers - Lenya and Denis. They are smart, learned and quite bald. But they know much more stories about dad than I do. But since it was not they who became children’s writers, but me, they usually ask me to write something about dad.

My dad was born a long time ago. In 2013, on the first of December, he would have turned one hundred years old. And he was born not just anywhere, but in New York. This is how it happened - his mother and father were very young, got married and left the Belarusian city of Gomel for America, for happiness and wealth. I don’t know about happiness, but things didn’t work out for them at all with wealth. They ate exclusively bananas, and in the house where they lived there were huge rats running around. And they returned back to Gomel, and after a while they moved to Moscow, to Pokrovka. There, my dad did poorly at school, but he loved to read books. Then he worked at a factory, studied to be an actor and worked at the Satire Theater, and also as a clown in a circus and wore a red wig. This is probably why my hair is red. And as a child, I also wanted to become a clown.

Dear readers!!! People often ask me how my dad is doing and ask me to ask him to write something else - bigger and funnier. I don’t want to upset you, but my dad died a long time ago, when I was only six years old, that is, more than thirty years ago. That's why I remember very few incidents about him.

One such case. My dad loved dogs very much. He always dreamed of having a dog, but his mother did not allow him, but finally, when I was five and a half years old, a spaniel puppy named Toto appeared in our house. So wonderful. Eared, spotted and with thick paws. He had to be fed six times a day, like infant, which made mom a little angry... And then one day my dad and I come from somewhere or we’re just sitting at home alone, and we want to eat something. We go to the kitchen and find a saucepan with semolina porridge, and it is so tasty (I generally hate semolina porridge) that we eat it right away. And then it turns out that this is Totosha’s porridge, which his mother specially cooked in advance to mix with some vitamins, as puppies should. Mom was offended, of course. A disgrace is a children's writer, an adult, and he ate puppy porridge.

They say that in his youth my dad was terribly cheerful, he was always inventing something, the coolest and wittiest people in Moscow were always around him, and at home it was always noisy, fun, laughter, celebration, feasting and solid celebrities. Unfortunately, I no longer remember this - when I was born and grew up a little, my dad was very sick with hypertension, high blood pressure, and it was impossible to make noise in the house. My friends, who are now quite grown-up aunties, still remember that I had to walk on tiptoe so as not to bother my dad. They didn’t even allow me to see him, so that I wouldn’t disturb him. But I still got to him, and we played - I was a frog, and dad was a respected and kind lion.

My dad and I also went to eat bagels on Chekhov Street, there was this bakery with bagels and a milkshake. We were also at the circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard, we were sitting very close, and when the clown Yuri Nikulin saw my dad (and they worked together in the circus before the war), he was very happy, took the microphone from the ringmaster and sang “The Song about Hares” especially for us. .

My dad also collected bells, we have a whole collection at home, and now I continue to add to it.

If you read “Deniska’s Stories” carefully, you understand how sad they are. Not all, of course, but some – just very much so. I won’t say which ones now. Read it for yourself and feel it. And then we’ll check. Some people are surprised, they say, how did an adult manage to penetrate into the soul of a child, speak on his behalf, as if it were told by the child himself?.. But it’s very simple - dad remained a little boy all his life. Exactly! A person does not have time to grow up at all - life is too short. A person only has time to learn to eat without getting dirty, to walk without falling, to do something, to smoke, to lie, to shoot from a machine gun, or vice versa - to heal, to teach... All people are children. Well in as a last resort- Almost all. Only they don't know about it.

Of course, I don’t remember much about my dad. But I can write all sorts of stories - funny, strange and sad. I got this from him.

And my son Tema is very similar to my dad. Well, he looks like a spitting image! In the house in Karetny Ryad, where we live in Moscow, there live elderly pop artists who remember my dad when he was young. And that’s what they call Tema – “Bred of Dragoons.” And Tema and I love dogs. Our dacha is full of dogs, and those that are not ours just come to us for dinner. One day some striped dog came, we treated him to cake, and he liked it so much that he ate it and barked with joy with his mouth full.

Ksenia Dragunskaya

“It’s alive and glowing...”

One evening I sat in the yard, near the sand, and waited for my mother. She probably stayed late at the institute, or at the store, or maybe stood at the bus stop for a long time. Don't know. Only all the parents in our yard had already arrived, and all the kids went home with them and were probably already drinking tea with bagels and cheese, but my mother was still not there...

And now the lights began to light up in the windows, and the radio started playing music, and dark clouds moved in the sky - they looked like bearded old men...

And I wanted to eat, but my mother was still not there, and I thought that if I knew that my mother was hungry and was waiting for me somewhere at the end of the world, I would immediately run to her, and would not be late and not made her sit on the sand and get bored.

And at that time Mishka came out into the yard. He said:

- Great!

And I said:

- Great!

Mishka sat down with me and picked up the dump truck.

- Wow! - said Mishka. - Where did you get it? Does he pick up sand himself? Not yourself? Does he leave on his own? Yes? What about the pen? What is it for? Can it be rotated? Yes? A? Wow! Will you give it to me at home?

I said:

- No I will not give. Present. Dad gave it to me before he left.

The bear pouted and moved away from me. It became even darker outside.

I looked at the gate so as not to miss when my mother came. But she still didn’t go. Apparently, I met Aunt Rosa, and they stand and talk and don’t even think about me. I lay down on the sand.

Here Mishka says:

- Can you give me a dump truck?

- Get off it, Mishka.