Code of men's and women's fairy tales audio. The secret code of women's fairy tales

Tatyana Zinkevich-Evstigneeva, Ph.D., Dmitry Kudzilov

St. Petersburg Institute of Fairytale Therapy

Fairy tales for boys and girls

(part one - “men's fairy tales”)

Often parents, who intuitively understand that upbringing must be correlated with the gender of the child, ask us which fairy tales should be read to girls and which to boys.
Of course, both girls and boys need to read a wide variety of fairy tales. It would be strange to declare certain fairy tales “for men” and not read them to girls, and vice versa.
Each of us contains both masculine and feminine, yang and yin. Our strength lies in their mutual influence. However, it is still possible to conditionally divide the fairy-tale and mythological heritage into “female” and “male”. At the same time, let us remember that thanks to reading “male” fairy tales, a girl gets to know the male world and her masculinity. A similar logic applies to the boy.
In terms of gender (sexuality), all fairy tales, myths, legends, parables can be divided into three groups (in this case, whether the hero belongs to an anthropomorphic group does not matter):

• “masculine”: the main character is a male character. “Male” fairy tales include all myths and legends about heroes, as well as fairy tales whose main characters are male.
• “feminine”: the main character (or heroines) is a female character
• "mixed": there are two main characters of both genders.

The plot of “male” and “female” fairy tales is structured in such a way that the hero (or heroine) independently deals with the difficulties that arise and learns a certain lesson for himself. The plot of “mixed” fairy tales, in which anthropomorphic heroes act, necessarily ends with the reunion of the hero and heroine, and a wedding.
That is, “male” fairy tales reflect male strategies of behavior, attitudes to life, lessons, and “female” ones reflect female ones. “Mixed” fairy tales tell about the relationships and mutual influence of masculinity and femininity and their harmonization.
Therefore, all three groups of fairy tales are important for us. Awareness of oneself as a man or woman is the precursor to a harmonious union.
The most popular fairy tales for boys are “The Three Little Pigs” and “Kolobok”. They display the most important archetype of Struggle for a man. Moreover, if “The Three Little Pigs” shows a successful scenario of a winner of a superior enemy, then “Kolobok” (where the Road archetype is additionally updated) contains an important warning about the conditions under which one can suffer defeat. In fact, these simple stories can be used to explain to a boy the typology of the enemy, the preferred scenarios for fighting him and winning. With one opponent you need strength, with another - bluff, with a third - caution and forethought, with a fourth - cunning, with a fifth - a reliable team, and so on. Using the example of various “male” fairy tales, one can explain to a young man the strategies of struggle, their combinatorial nature, and highlight the factors leading to success.
The tale of the pig brothers, despite its apparent simplicity, contains three important ideas for the boy:

• First, the relationship between the principles of pleasure and reality. Nif-Nif and Nuf-Nuf know how to enjoy life, enjoy the moment, and find joy in little things. Naf-Naf has a healthy pragmatism. For a boy or a man, it is important to find within himself the optimal balance between the principles of pleasure and reality, to flexibly determine the Measure in accordance with the current moment.
• Secondly, the idea of ​​the enemy and security. Historically, a man has the function of a protector. The ability to gather information about an enemy and strategize to fight or defend against it is extremely important for the formation of masculinity. The source of Nif-Nif and Nuf-Nuf’s carelessness is not in the desire to walk and have fun, but in the wrong approach to collecting information about the enemy. And do they even have information about the Wolf, other than from Naf-Naf?! Careless piglets receive information about the strength of the enemy directly in a situation of open conflict with him. And this circumstance characterizes them as bad strategists. But here’s the question: how did you collect information about the Wolf Naf-Naf? Did he take the words of his elders on faith, or did he conduct his own investigation? In any case, knowing the enemy, he ensured his own safety. So, the fairy tale contains important information for a man - before relaxing, ensure safety.
• Thirdly, the strategy to combat the enemy. There is an opinion that the pig brothers, under the leadership of the far-sighted Naf-Naf, treated the Wolf too cruelly, boiling him in boiling water. Although, when it comes to life and death, it is not so easy to think about generosity. What strategies did the piglets use to fight the Wolf? First of all, avoidance and flight. Did this lead to success? No, it only provoked the Wolf. The conclusion suggests itself: avoiding and running away from the enemy is ineffective in cases where the enemy is the Wolf. This type of enemy is unlikely to make a deal; he will not rest until he is defeated or sees that he is opposed by a more powerful force. What does this give to our piglets? They have options: either kill the Wolf, or seek help from a stronger one (for example, the Bear). They choose the first path and come up with a cunning plan, despite the limited time resources. It turns out that the fairy tale symbolically conveys to the boy the knowledge of strategy and tactics for successfully fighting the enemy. A strong shelter, a unification of forces, the factor of luck, using your own advantages and the enemy’s weaknesses - these are the components of success. Of course, you can discuss with the boy whether the piglets had another way out, and give a creative task to come up with an alternative plan for defeating the Wolf - all this can be done by a fairytale therapist and parents.

This is how you can build a conversation with a boy by telling him the story about the three little pigs and the Wolf. For a future man, it is very important to know how to fight the enemy, what will lead him to success and what will lead to failure.

The most popular “women's” fairy tales are “Little Red Riding Hood”, “Masha and the Bear”, “Little Khavroshechka”, “Cinderella” and others. If “male” fairy tales do not always have female characters, then all “female” fairy tales always have a male character (zoomorphic or anthropomorphic). The heroine either has to build a relationship with him, entering into a fight (“Little Red Riding Hood”, “Masha and the Bear”), or she prepares herself for a happy marriage (“Kroshechka-Khavroshechka”, “Morozko”, “Cinderella”). The dreams and actions of female heroines are necessarily addressed to a man (with the possible exception of mythological Amazons). No wonder. The principles of Love and procreation, fundamental for a woman, cannot be realized without the participation of a man. In fact, all “women's fairy tales” help a girl understand the meaning of femininity and the mystery, variations of relationships with a man.
Let's return to “men's fairy tales”. If we talk about the basic principle of masculinity, then Fight and Victory. Therefore, when we talk about what first of all needs to be taught to a boy, we are talking about strategies, models for fighting and achieving success. When a young person graduates from school, in addition to the set of knowledge established by the state standard of secondary education, he must know HOW TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS and feel his own strength. Of course, the most diverse facets of the content of the concept of “success” should also be discussed throughout the learning process. Success in the personal aspect, social, spiritual; success as a harmonious transformation of the world; success as agreement with oneself; success as the realization of natural abilities. Unfortunately, it is rare that a school graduate understands the multifaceted content of success and has the tools to achieve it.
In our world, the traditions of educating boys have been forgotten. Of course, in archaic times they were raised separately from girls and the best men were mentors. It was the boys who were told fairy tales, thus passing on the most important knowledge about struggle and victory. Today, some teachers talk about “separate education.” But who will teach the boys now? The same women teachers who do not possess the secrets of “male teaching”, which, in fact, they have no need for. Of course, “male institutions” have been preserved, but they have either a military or spiritual orientation, and are not continuers of the tradition of nurturing masculinity.
But not everything is so fatal, and we can try to restore the tradition of raising a boy, thanks to “men's fairy tales.” Fairy tales and myths are especially important for a boy at the stage of accumulating knowledge about the world. This stage lasts until approximately adolescence, the boy acquires knowledge of how the world works and forms his own self-concept.
This period is the most important for the future man. It is no coincidence that all modern “masculine” theories of personality emphasize the role of early childhood experience in the life scenario.
It is important for a boy to understand what is “right” and what is “wrong”; what is “effective” and what is “ineffective”; what leads to success, what leads to failure. “The little son came to his father, and the little one asked what is good and what is bad,” said V. Mayakovsky. Indeed, giving a clear definition and classifying phenomena is extremely important for a boy. There should be no uncertainty, there should be utmost clarity. Why? Maybe because the principle of masculinity is ACTIVITY, which involves the expenditure of energy. To spend wisely, you need to know where and how. Therefore, uncertainty is destructive for masculinity - energy is wasted.
Everything that a boy remembers in childhood leaves an imprint on his adult life. All early knowledge about life is “packed” into certain models with the help of which the world can be explained. And first of all, the boy identifies those behavior patterns with which one can achieve success.
If he sees that the strongest wins, and the weak are made fun of, he will try to “pump up his muscles.” If he sees that the cunning ones win, he will improve his art of deception. If he sees that a smart person is in a leading position, he will strive to develop his own intellectual potential. The desire to prove to everyone and to oneself one’s masculinity, the right to exist, is due to the archaic nature of masculinity.
The boy sees how people around him behave, notes whether they are successful or not, analyzes, and strives to explain the reasons for failures and successes. It’s great if there are experienced mentors next to him who will tell him (using stories, myths, legends and fairy tales) about strategies for achieving success, about the types of opponents and the specifics of fighting them, about how to find a measure in pleasures and obligations. Then the boy will have a “library” of models of successful behavior.
Therefore, in the process of developing and raising a boy, it is so important to show him as many “male” models as possible. The boys themselves greedily absorb them. They watch action films (modern “male” fairy tales), play sports, and are drawn to learning about “male” forms of leisure. They strive to try their hand and create situations that threaten their own lives. Masculinity purposefully requires risk, testing one’s own strengths, areas of application of activity, and Adventure.
It is important for a boy to have all the attributes of social success: acceptance by peers, it is advisable to occupy, if not a leading, then a noticeable position; to be successful with girls; have money and their own territory.
The task of the psychologist, educator, teacher and parents is to tell him about constructive means of achieving these benefits. This is where a discussion of “men’s” fairy tales comes to the rescue. Moreover, for a boy, the value of a fairy tale story becomes obvious when he sees its practical significance. Therefore, a psychologist, teacher, or teacher often has to interpret fairy tales, myths and legends from a pragmatic point of view when working with boys, highlighting strategies for success and relating them to reality. As an example, we can recall the discussion of the fairy tale “The Three Little Pigs” given above.
Working with a boy, the fairy tale therapist selects “male” fairy tales and places the main emphasis on the hero’s behavior, what leads him to success, how he overcomes difficulties, and deals with failures. Knowledge obtained from fairy tales, legends and myths is used in discussing the boy’s problematic situation and developing a strategy for successful behavior in it.
It is not necessary to tell a story from beginning to end, and only then proceed to discuss it. It is enough to select an episode (or episodes) from the metaphorical material that are consonant with the boy’s current problem and discuss them, relate them to the real situation, and outline solutions.
As an example, here is a transcript of an individual consultation. A young man of eleven years old was placed in a special institution for minors for vagrancy and petty theft. He escaped from there several times, but was returned back. What is happening is very reminiscent of the scenario of the fairy tale about Kolobok. Since the young man does not intend to make a revelation with a psychologist, the fairytale therapist takes the initiative into his own hands. So, there are two characters: an adult (Sk) and a teenager (Kl).
Sk: Tell me, do you know the story of Kolobok?
Kl: What kind of Kolobok?
Sk: There is a fairy tale about Kolobok, who left his grandparents, a hare, a wolf, a bear... Do you remember?
KL: I don’t know one (this is not surprising, many children from disadvantaged families do not know even the most famous fairy tales and begin to study only in special institutions for minors)
Sk: Let me tell it to you then (tells a fairy tale). Now you know her. Don't you find anything in common with what is happening to you?
Kl (grins): I left both my grandmother and my grandfather, right?
Sk: Exactly. Looks like you're cunning!
Kl (grins contentedly): There is a little.
Sk: Listen, why do you think such a cunning, resourceful Kolobok still fell for the Fox’s bait?
KL: Because you’re a fool, you shouldn’t have come close.
Sk: What does it mean: “to come close”?
KL: There was no need to go into her mouth.
Sk: What should he have done when he met the Fox?
Kl: Scroll to hell.
Sk: You know that the Fox turned out to be even more dangerous than the Bear. And with Kolobok everything worked out great before with the song. How could he know about the Fox's treachery?
KL: I could have guessed.
Sk: Where? After all, he already considered himself the coolest - he beat everyone, ran away from everyone. He was sure that he was invincible. And in this state, not only koloboks, but also many people lose caution; it seems to them that they are the smartest and most cunning.
KL: Starting to wonder, right?
Sk: Yes! And that’s all Lisa needs. She listened to his song and realized that in front of her was a tough guy who considered himself the coolest, the smartest. And such a cunning person can easily get around. But the question is, did Kolobok have the opportunity to somehow get out?
KL: Probably it was...
Sk: What was it? What could he do, at least when the fox invited him to sit on her nose?
Kl: Roll away quickly.
Sk: So, don’t sit on her toe?
Kl: Yes.
Sk: What could he say to her in response to such a proposal?
KL: What can I say, I had to get away quickly.
Sk: Listen, we know how cunning the Fox is. Wouldn't she really have found a way to catch up with Kolobok?
KL: Exactly, I would catch up.
Sk: You see, running away is not always the best option. They will definitely catch up.
KL: So what should we do?
Sk: That’s exactly what I’m asking you about.
KL: I don't know.
Sk: But you and I have heads on our shoulders. So?
KL: Yes.
Sk: Let's think about what he could do. Actually, fairy tales exist so that real men can learn from the mistakes of heroes and think about how to avoid them in their lives.
Kl: I could shout loudly in her ear so that she goes deaf!
Sk: And he himself, taking advantage of her confusion, drove away? Wonderful! Would it be possible to outsmart her?
KL: I don't know.
Sk: Let's reason with you. What did Lisa want? Eat Kolobok. So she was hungry. Consequently, in order to save himself and avert the threat of persecution, Kolobok had to show her another object to hunt, another food, and more interesting for the Fox.
Kl: He should have told her that the horse across the road died, run there quickly!
Sk: Very interesting idea! Are there any other options?
KL: You could say that I am stale, but at the bakery everything is fresh.
Sk: Really, Fox, with your exquisite taste, will you eat stale bread?! Yes, this is disrespecting yourself! Go to the mill, it’s the miller’s birthday today, so he feeds everyone for free who congratulates him.
Kl: Exactly!
Sk: You see, it turns out that Kolobok has the opportunity to deflect the blow from himself and satisfy the enemy. Well, okay, what does this give us? After all, we learn from fairy tales. What can you and I learn?
Kl: To deceive the fox!
Sk: There are many people like Lisa among people. Many fairy tales say that if you are weaker than your opponent, you need to use cunning. The main thing is not to lose caution, like Kolobok. Have you ever met people like Lisa in your life?
Kl: I don’t know...
Sk: You don't have to answer that question now, just think about it. Running away is not always the best option. And in order to outwit the enemy in this case, you and I, firstly, asked ourselves the question of what he wants. Secondly, we figured out how he could get it, but without harming us. But this is not the only way to win. There are many more of them in fairy tales. You want to know?
KL: That would be nice.
Sk: Everything in due time. Yes, you yourself can now reflect on fairy tales, on what they wanted to teach us. But you and I still have one more important question: where did Kolobok go?
Kl: How to where?
Sk: Exactly, where was he going, what did he want to see, who to meet, what to buy?
KL: Nothing, just...
Sk: He just liked to roll, the road was calling him?
KL: Well, yes.
Sk: So it turns out that another lesson of the fairy tale is that those who do not know where and why they are going, where they are going, sooner or later find themselves eaten.
KL: How is that?
Sk: Yes. The fox ate Kolobok. Maybe also because he didn’t know where he was going. It was important for him to always leave someone. Remember his song: I left my grandmother, I left my grandfather, I left the hare...” He always needs to get away from someone, to run away. But why he leaves, runs away, he doesn’t know. That is, as they say, he has no goal. And in our life too. Those who do not have a goal are sooner or later “eaten”, that is, they are deprived of freedom, their own opinion and even desires... That’s it! Listen, I want to ask you, in your spare time, maybe you can think about where Kolobok could have rolled. And next time we will talk about this.
Cl. OK.
**
Fairy tales contain descriptions of various ways to overcome obstacles, a typology of enemies and strategies for dealing with them. All this should be included in the “men's library” of models for achieving success.

Marina Vladimova, St. Petersburg

Mouse tightrope walker

(a fairy tale to help in the fight against childhood fears)

Once upon a time there lived a little mouse named Petya with his wonderful family - his wife Anechka and seventeen little mice. He carefully raised his family, and the little mice responded to him with love and devotion. One day, Petya’s youngest son, the Seventeenth Mouse, came to Petya and said that he dreamed of becoming a tightrope walker. Our Petya praised his son for such a beautiful dream: not a single mouse in the entire history of mouse science has become a circus performer in such a role.

Then the Seventeenth asked the pope for advice. He was worried about one thing - how to stop being afraid of falling, because this is the most important thing in the profession of a tightrope walker. For a dexterous, nimble, light mouse does not have much difficulty in slipping quickly along the rope. It’s much more difficult not to look down into the gaping emptiness of the auditorium, where the excited audience sits, and not to ask yourself: “Can I cope?”

Petya the mouse said to his son: “Walk boldly along the tightrope and remember - you are the best tightrope walker in the world, you will succeed. Don't stop, don't look down, don't wonder how far you've come, how much is left to go, or whether the rope is too high. In one book, son, I read: “the one who walks can master the road.” Because the one who doubts is afraid and gets stuck on the road, does not move on. Fear paralyzes, deprives you of strength, and does not give you the joy of the thought that you can achieve everything you set your mind to.”

The seventeenth mouse listened to his dad and began regular rope training. He was willingly accepted into the circus troupe, because such a performance had never been shown in any circus in the world. The day of the premiere has arrived. In the first row, in the best seats, sat the mouse Petya, his wife Anechka and all their offspring with the exception of Seventeen the tightrope walker. Finally, the solemn march began to play, the curtains opened and the audience saw a rope stretched under the circus dome, and then gasped at the sight of a tiny speck fearlessly running across it. Then the speck from the rope jumped onto the curtains going down to the floor and jumped out onto the platform in front of the orchestra.

With a sinking heart, the mouse Petya and Anechka recognized their son, dressed for the premiere in a velvet, multi-colored suit. The seventeenth mouse deftly bowed and waved his paw with an enthusiastic roar of “Bravo!” spectators and disappeared backstage, where joyful circus performers were already waiting for him. So the Seventeenth Mouse found his calling and became a tightrope walker.

Time has passed. The seventeenth traveled with his native circus almost the whole world. He was almost never at home, and the mouse Petya and Anechka mostly learned about his life from newspapers. Once Seventeen came to visit his parents and they were unpleasantly surprised by the change that had happened to him. He began to talk down to his parents, sometimes even lectured them, began to shout at his brothers and sisters, showing with all his appearance what a gulf there was between them - where they were and where he was - a world celebrity.

The mouse Petya told him: “Son, an infection has entered your heart, pride, arrogance are not the best friends of courage and fearlessness. You became too arrogant and decided that since you can do everything, you can do anything. But that's not true! Be careful, my boy! But Seventeen only shrugged his shoulders in annoyance at his father’s lecture.

Somehow, while performing a trick, a crazy thought flew into his head: “Can I do it? Will I be able to reach the end? He immediately staggered and fell. Fortunately, he didn’t die, he got caught in the curtain, but broke two legs and was very scared. He was very ashamed and did not want to see anyone. The seventeenth hid in his parents' house, where his kind mother, the mouse Anechka, nursed him. And his brothers and sisters did not mock him or tease him, although at one time he offended them with his arrogance.

When he recovered, he came to his father, the mouse Petya, and asked him for forgiveness for his behavior and said that he would no longer perform in the circus as a tightrope walker - fear settled in his heart forever. And the mouse Petya told him: “You have been punished enough and I am sure that someday you will return to the circus again. Fear will go away with love and the desire to help someone.” Seventeen looked at him blankly, but his father did not add anything to his words.

A few months later, the room in the house where the mice lived caught fire. Petya the mouse managed to wake up Anechka and almost all of his children and take them out into the yard. Seventeen and one of the youngest mice remained in the house - the weakest one, who managed to swallow smoke and could not move quickly. In addition, the floor was completely clogged with pieces of falling furniture and burning wallpaper. The closet that stood by the open window remained untouched. Without thinking twice, Seventeen grabbed his brother in his teeth and climbed onto the cabinet. From there he fearlessly jumped out the window and jumped into the garden. Although he jumped from a considerable height, he didn’t even think about being scared. It was only in the garden that he realized that his fear of heights had passed. Petya the mouse went exactly as his father told him.

Wonderful rain of Love

In one distant country there once lived very happy people. Why were they so happy? They did not have much wealth, their houses were very modest; they sometimes had a slight runny nose or suffered from a mild headache. But at the same time they were happy and contented, regardless of age, day of the week, weather or season. From what?

The fact is that the main wealth of this country was a huge feeling of Love. All residents of the country experienced it; a feeling of love literally overwhelmed their hearts - both for their own and for other people’s children, and for each other. And how much the birds, the fish, the flowers and the trees loved each other!

No, the people of the country were not ideal - sometimes they quarreled almost seriously, sometimes they pissed off at each other over some trifle - for as long as half an hour. But they couldn’t stand it for long - they started laughing and winking at each other, and then they hugged and kissed joyfully and became friends again and did some things together.

They had wonderful holidays: firstly, weddings were celebrated almost all the time - everyone was invited to each wedding, everyone who was free on that day. But I must tell you that in this country everyone loved each other so much that couples got together very often and weddings were celebrated almost every day!

Secondly, in the Land of Happiness it was customary to celebrate the birthdays of all children who were born, because the residents rightly believed that every born baby was a gift from God not only for their parents, but for everyone.

Thirdly, the Day of Friendship and Harmony, the Day of Rainbow and the Day of the Sun, the Day of Laughter and Cool Jokes, the Day of Turtles, Bears, as well as the Day of Dogs, Cows and Penguins were also celebrated.

In a word, every day someone's holiday was celebrated. Moreover, the gift could simply be a good word spoken to the birthday person, or a dance or song performed in his honor, or some kind of handmade craft.

You may ask, has life always been so fun in this country? No, absolutely not. There were times when residents constantly quarreled, cursed, and did not want not only to work together, but even to live together under the same roof.

Many couples divorced for this reason, and some - it’s scary to even say - did not love their children! Some residents seemed to like each other, but could not understand how they treated each other, because they did not know then what Love was!

It was quite boring in this country, cloudy and cold all the time, because nature always senses the state of the people and animals around it. Haven’t you noticed that as soon as we smile, the sun immediately appears through the cloud? Try it and see for yourself!

The coldest of all was a little girl named Miranda. She had a kind heart, of course, she did not quarrel with anyone, but she was often lonely, it seemed that no one loved her, no one wanted to be friends with her. Sometimes she wanted to cry, to feel sorry for herself.

One day Miranda was sadly walking through the forest and saw a little old woman in a neat headscarf. Miranda saw that the old woman was collecting brushwood, but she was already tired, couldn’t see well, and brushwood kept falling out of her hands. Without hesitation, Miranda rushed to her aid. She collected all the brushwood and escorted the old woman home. She invited the girl to come in for tea.

In the old lady's house, Miranda noticed one thing that struck her - it was warm and cozy. The tea was brought by a well-groomed cat, who came up to her owner and lovingly rubbed herself against her lap; a shaggy dog ​​brought pies with raspberries, joyfully wagging his tail, and received his portion of the owner’s tenderness; in the cage, a yellow canary sang heartily, also wanting to please her mistress.

After drinking tea, Miranda thanked the old woman and got ready to go home. But she stopped her and asked: “Why are you so sad, my child? Why don’t you ask me for anything for your help?” Miranda sighed sadly:

I need nothing. It’s just sad when you see how everyone in your house loves each other so much. But you won’t see this here. If only in our country everyone loved each other as much as in your house.

The old lady smiled, but I must tell you that this was not an easy old lady, and the good Fairy said:

You are a good girl and deserve a reward. Here's a jug for you, but open it only when you get home. And your wish will come true.

Miranda did just that. And when she opened the jug, a warm, wonderful Rain burst out. A wonderful rain washed the earth. Where its droplets fell, magical flowers grew, inside of which droplets of Love shimmered.

And everything in the country magically changed: all the inhabitants of the country felt how a feeling of love literally overwhelmed their hearts - both for their own and for other people’s children, and for each other. And how much the birds, the fish, the flowers and the trees loved each other!

Many couples immediately appeared who wanted to live together and soon, of course, many children were born with joyful and cheerful faces! Their laughter literally transformed the whole country - more and more flowers bloomed around them with drops of love and the sun was constantly shining. How foggy or cold it is! Everyone even forgot that this happens. The Real Country of Happiness.

This is what happened thanks to the little girl Miranda, who wanted everyone to know what Love is, wanted to make others happy.

So that Love would not end in the country, a warm magical rain would sometimes fly there, which the Good Fairy would send to her favorite. When he washed all the inhabitants of the country with droplets, they felt a new surge of love for each other.

Vladimova Marina, St. Petersburg

Magic pipe

Once upon a time there lived in a certain country a girl named Ulya. Her parents died when she was very young and she was raised by her old grandmother Dusya. The tricolor cat Taya and the one-eared dog Trifon lived with them. Ulechka also had a beloved godmother, who often visited the girl and gave her wonderful gifts, because she - we’ll tell you a little secret - was a good Fairy.

Unfortunately, the godmother had a lot to do, and sometimes she was separated from her goddaughter for a long time, and Ulya missed her very much then.

Ulya lived together with her grandmother Dusya - her grandmother taught Ulya to bake rhubarb pies, embroider with satin stitch and cross stitch, iron bed linen, darn socks, and most importantly, rush to help other people, especially if help was needed by elderly people or small children. Ulya’s grandmother was a good one, and Ulya also loved her very much.

But time passed, Ulechka grew up, and her grandmother slowly became decrepit: soon she stopped going outside, only sat on the porch and admired her granddaughter when the girl, having finished weeding in the garden, began to dance. The fact is that blond Ulechka loved to dance, and since she was very light and spontaneous, she danced wonderfully - like a little white fluff that easily flies out of the pillow with any movement. The neighbors rejoiced at Ulechka’s dancing - somehow everyone felt lighter in their souls when they looked at her.

One day Ulechka ran into her grandmother’s bedroom in the morning and saw that her grandmother was so weak that she could not get out of bed and lay with her eyes closed.

Grandma, dear, what’s wrong with you? – the girl screamed in fright.

Don't be afraid, my dear, I'll just leave you soon. It's time for me - I really miss my daughter, your mother.

Grandma, dear, don’t die, I don’t want to!!!

Don’t cry, my little swallow, this is normal - elderly and old people always go to another world, but this is how nature intended - our whole life from birth to departure resembles the seasons: first we are born and grow, bloom like apple trees in the spring.

Then, like summer, we blossom, fall in love, form couples and give birth to children, just as an apple tree gives birth to plump apples. In the autumn of our lives, our children grow, learn and become adults, like ripe apples - this is our harvest. Well, then the time for winter comes - everything calms down, life slowly slows down, freezes - so we weaken, lose strength, calm down, leave, and life continues again in our children and grandchildren.

No, grandma, no, I don’t want that!

Grandmother Dusya kissed her granddaughter, closed her eyes and went to her daughter forever.

Unfortunately, the godmother was not with Ulya at that time. She was sheltered by distant relatives. They were not evil and fed and watered Ulya to her fullest, did not overload her with work, but they had their own children, and they were not very worried about how Ulya felt. But they didn’t have enough real love, like Grandma Dusya’s.

In addition, they did not keep the three-colored cat Taya and the one-eared dog Trifon and gave them to other people, and Ulya missed them very much.

And gradually an evil melancholy attacked Ulya, she began to lament, complain about life, even began to curse her fate - they say, why is everyone so happy, but she has no one and nothing left - no one loves her, she is very lonely and no one needs her . And now Ulechka’s eyes were always in a “wet place”, and a smile never appeared on her face. She became very bored with life, everything was falling out of her hands, she didn’t want to do anything.

Ulechka, dear, I just don’t recognize you,” she once heard the distressed voice of her godmother, who had left their country for several months and did not know that Ulechka had lost her grandmother and was living with relatives.

It’s not my fault, dear godmother, it’s just that no one needs me, I’m so lonely - so I’ve become bored, uninteresting, I don’t want to do anything - and there’s no one for me!

Poor girl, of course I understand how hard it is for you. But we need to shake ourselves up and slowly return to life. Only you can help yourself. Tears and complaints won't help you. Remember, dear, how you used to love to dance and sing - everyone started dancing as soon as they heard your cheerful songs.

And now - look, around you only frogs are croaking, gathering and echoing your sad groans with their croaking.

But what to do? How can I help myself? How to become happy again?

Take it, dear - here are two figures for you - one will tell you wonderful stories and distract you from sad thoughts. The other will protect in case of any danger. And here's a magic star for you. It has amazing properties - it makes the one who holds it invisible. And with its help, you can instantly be where you want.

Thank you, dear godmother,” the cheerful Ulya thanked her immediately. She perked up a little, her strength returned, she again began to slowly tidy up the house, weed the garden, wash and iron. And in her soul she began to hope that a miracle would soon happen and she would become happy again, as before.

One day Ulya went with her relatives to the market. They were asking the price of homespun carpets, colorful scarves, and fur coats, desperately bargaining for each new purchase, and Ulechka looked around and kept expecting that in some miraculous way her life would instantly change.

Suddenly she heard the sounds of a cheerful, very pleasant melody, which seemed to be calling her along. She ran out of the crowd and saw in the distance a boy in a clown suit, with a pipe in his hands. The boy sat on a chair and played the pipe. And a lot of people stood around him and listened to his play in fascination - everyone had enlightened faces, tears of tenderness appeared in their eyes.

The pipe was not simple, but magical. The melodies that the boy played reminded everyone of something good that had happened in his life. If someone was feeling bad in their soul, the pipe healed and drove away sadness, carried away vanity, anxiety and fear. But this is exactly how it sounded in the boy’s hands - he was already noticeably tired, but he played and played selflessly, not refusing anyone spiritual help.

People came up and warmly thanked him for playing, saying that thanks to his pipe they felt young and full of strength again, and how good it was that he appeared in their lives, there were more such people on earth.

Wow,” Ulya thought sadly, “but no one says such words to me.” I try, I try, I do everything around the house, I help my relatives, but they take everything for granted, even if someone said thank you to me...

But you expect praise for your efforts, don’t you? Tell me honestly, are you waiting? – Ulya suddenly heard the voice of her godmother, who, like all Fairies, had the amazing property of appearing out of nowhere.

Of course, but doesn’t everyone want this, they want to be praised for their good deeds, to be appreciated?

Maybe so, but that’s why they don’t thank you sincerely like this little boy. Because you try for yourself, do everything to be praised, but the boy doesn’t think about it at all. He doesn't think about how to earn praise and become happy. - he simply has no time to think about it, he is busy with business, doing good deeds for others and simply enjoying life every day... That’s it, my dear.

During their conversation, Ulya noticed a dog with a sore paw, who came running to the sounds of music. She stood next to the boy for a while, and then began to dance on her sore paw, after which she squealed joyfully and rushed off, forgetting that her paw had recently hurt. So the magic pipe could heal any disease, as Ulya was convinced of herself.

Ulya felt that for the first time in a long time her soul felt lighter - she approached the boy and met him.

What is your name?

Lenka. And you?

Ulya.

Let's be friends.

Let's.

She wanted to ask Lenka more about the pipe, but her relatives called her, and she reluctantly ran to them. At home, she always remembered the melodies of the magic pipe and the words of her godmother, said to her goodbye.

A week later, Ulya again asked to go to the fair with her relatives - she couldn’t wait to see Lenka. She rushed to the square where Lenka had played last time. But the clown boy with the pipe was nowhere to be seen.

Then Ulya learned from the market women that Lenka had been playing the pipe until late in the evening, and then tripped in the dark and badly hurt his leg. He did not attach any importance to this and the next day he again gathered in the square to play the pipe for everyone who needed his music.

But unfortunately the pipe disappeared - someone stole it. And now Lenka could not help either others or himself - his leg kept swelling and swelling, some kind of infection must have gotten into the wound and the doctors were already going to take the leg away so that the infection would not spread throughout the body.

Ulya was very upset - she so wanted to help the little clown with a magic pipe. She called her godmother and she instantly came to her call. Hearing about her request, her godmother gave her a magic mirror - with its help she could find any person or any missing thing. Ulya looked in the mirror and saw that the pipe was in the castle of King Lapidus.

He was already old, often sick and literally tormented his subjects with endless complaints about their health. All the money of the kingdom went to countless doctors and healers who, like flies to honey, flocked to the calls of King Lapidus - he loved to be treated and try new methods of therapy.

Therefore, his subjects, having learned about the healing properties of the magic pipe, decided to steal it for him.

Ulya stood on the magic star and was instantly transported to the castle of King Lapidus. There she appeared before the king and angrily demanded that he return the pipe that had been stolen from the little clown Lenka.

Lapidus grinned and said that he would return the pipe, but on the condition that he would receive something of equal value in exchange.

Ulya nodded her head in agreement and clicked on the figurine, which could tell wonderful stories. King Lapidus listened to one, two, three stories, peace bloomed on his face, and in the end he graciously nodded his head:

You can take your pipe. I'm happy with this exchange. Come to the window, dear girl, and take your item from that carved box with the royal crown.

Ulya was already rushing to the window, but was stopped by the loud exclamation of the second figure:

Stand still, trusting soul! There is one layer of parquet in the floor near the window, you will step on the parquet and fall into a pit with poisonous snakes!

Ay-ay-ay, Your Majesty, how ashamed you are! You gave your word, and you are also an elderly man, what kind of example are you setting for your servants? – exclaimed the girl, amazed at such treachery.

Well, forgive the old man, I wanted to be a little mischievous - you might think that this doesn’t happen to you? Just fool around...

Wow, what a prank!

It’s a pity to give away the pipe - it made all my ailments go away! Maybe you will give something else for it in return?

Okay, I'll give it to you. Just return the pipe first.

Reluctantly, the king handed her Lenka's pipe. And she gave him the magic mirror. You may ask: wasn’t it a pity for her to give gifts to her godmother? Of course, it’s a pity, but what can you do - grandma Dusya taught her that if you give your word, you have to keep it.

Ulya quickly grabbed the pipe and the figurine - a protector from dangers - and stepped on the magic star. Instantly she became invisible and was transported to the sick clown boy. She handed him the pipe, and he happily grabbed it and immediately began playing one of his favorite tunes.

Five minutes later he sat down on the bed, ten minutes later he lowered his feet to the floor, and after another ten minutes he started dancing with Ulya. The leg became healthy again - the pipe healed it!

And Ulya felt happy - for the first time in a long time, because she helped a good person without expecting any reward for herself. She was interested in life again - she had a new friend, and now Ulya was sure that she would have many of them!

Vladimova Marina, St. Petersburg

Drop of Love

In one country there was once a magical city. What was he famous for? The fact is that completely different characters from favorite children's fairy tales flew to this city from other worlds - Shrek and Feona, and Malvina with Pierrot, and Cinderella with the Prince, and Beauty with the Beast, and Emelya with the Princess Nesmeyanaya, and Prince Guidon with The Swan Princess, and many, many others, including two bears.

You may ask - why two? Is there a fairy tale about the Three Bears? Yes, because the “Three Bears” appeared only after they visited the magical city, exchanged bouquets of flowers, then got married and their little Mishutka was born.

You have already realized that in the magical city all the heroes of fairy tales ceased to be lonely and became very happy because of this. After all, stopping being lonely, becoming needed by someone, finding friends and love is so great, don’t you agree?

How did this miracle happen? The fact is that one wonderful boy named Petka - small, curly haired, with a slightly hooligan, sly smile, intelligent eyes darting around, very naughty and not too patient, but who loves to chat, amaze everyone with his ideas and jokes, decided one day to make happy heroes of your favorite fairy tales. Luckily for us, Petka loved to read!

Somehow he didn’t like the fact that they lived a rather boring life, didn’t communicate with each other, or communicated incorrectly and were not very happy. So he decided to intervene in the content of the fairy tale and change the plot - to try to make the heroes of fairy tales happy. And he succeeded...

How? That's how? He learned that in the center of the earth stretches a wonderful sea of ​​Love - Petka borrowed a flying carpet from some kids he knew for the day and hit the road to this sea. By the way, every child has a flying carpet, only with age, and even if it is poorly cared for, it can wear out to holes - so you must definitely ventilate your flying carpet and not fly on it unless absolutely necessary!

So, our Petka collected a few drops from this sea, flew to the city, planted a beautiful rose bush on the main square and placed a drop of Love in it. Why in a rose bush? It’s simple - all lovers love a rose, didn’t you know?

And everyone who flew to this city inhaled the aroma of a beautiful rose bush, looked at a drop of Love and felt that something was happening to their soul - they wanted to laugh, cry, say stupid things, run somewhere, make amazing discoveries - in a word, a little crazy... And of course, to love, get married and form couples, because Love is the most wonderful madness in the world!

After staying in this city, Shrek and Feona got married, and the bear and she-bear, and the donkey, who was Shrek’s best friend at the wedding, soon also found a mate - a modest little donkey.

At first, a drop of Love was enough, but the heroes of fairy tales in love continued to exist and it began to be missed. Then Petka came up with the idea of ​​making copies of this droplet. How? There was simply an agreement: everyone who got married had to plant a new rose bush as a souvenir, and a new drop of love would appear in it again by itself. Everyone thanked Petka for such a wonderful solution to their problem, and he was pleased - he made so many new friends!

Time will pass, Petka will grow up and will definitely find a cute girl - he will go with her to a rose bush with a drop of Love and will definitely be happy! After all, the one who makes others happy certainly deserves the same happiness himself!

Vladimova Marina, St. Petersburg

A Tale about the Power of Love

A protected forest grows on a distant island. Forest sorceresses live there - they are also called dryads. They love their trees, protect them - after all, trees give them shelter. Dryads appear in a tree from the moment of its birth and accompany it until deep aging and natural death, like all living things on earth.

And then the forest sorceresses look for a new tree - the dryads themselves are immortal. The appearance of the tree changes, and so does the appearance of the dryad. In a young tree lives a young dryad - thin, slender, with a thin, flexible waist and wonderful curly hair, braided into several soft green braids.

As the tree gets older, so does the dryad. The tree is growing, the trunk is thickening, the pores are covered with a series of deep furrows, a powerful crown proudly spreads out - a mature dryad already lives in the tree - tall, portly, stately, with thick hair laid in a dense green bun. Traces of the trials and anxieties she had experienced were imprinted on her face. After all, trees have to experience a lot in life.

The tree becomes decrepit and its guardian decrepit. Her back is hunched, gray hair sparkles in her dark green hair. The eyes narrow slightly. She is wise, knows and remembers a lot - after all, trees also know, notice and remember a lot.

One day they told us a story. Here she is.

In the middle of the protected forest lies a large lake - very deep, sparkling in the sun, shimmering with turquoise. Next to the lake grew a wonderful magical tree, in the branches of which lived a beautiful sorceress named the Power of Love.

Of course, this was the most important tree in the forest - after all, what could be more important in the world of Love? When the Power of Love settled in the magic tree, the light in its golden crown made the forest warm and joyful. A young cow and a bull came into this world. They liked each other very much and fell in love with each other so much that a warm heart full of Love began to beat around them. The sorceress Power of Love placed the living heart for safekeeping in a wonderful casket and hid it in the roots of a magic tree.

The sorceress instructed her assistants, a magical turtle and a cute family of bears, to guard the casket with a living heart - a symbol of Love.

You may ask, why protect Love? But of course - after all, Love is easily wounded, it can freeze or wither from any evil word, not to mention from evil intent!

From the great love of the bull and the cow, not only the heart began to beat - two more magical flowers bloomed, which shimmered with all the colors of the rainbow, and in the silence they gently rang and fluttered from any movement of the playful breeze. Magic drops sparkled inside the flowers. Where did they come from and why didn’t they disappear? The fact is that they were fed by the Lake of Love, so droplets of love appeared in the flowers again and again. The cow and the bull gave these drops of love to everyone who was lucky enough to find this island.

On the shore of the Lake of Love there was a wonderful magic shell; its shape resembled a palm outstretched for a friendly handshake. Those who touched her immediately forgot their grievances, stopped being angry and felt a warm feeling of friendship in their hearts, sometimes turning into love - after all, sincere friendship is the younger sister of love, didn’t you know, dear friend?

One day, the dryad Power of Love woke up with her heart beating strongly. She jumped up and saw an incredible picture: the Lake of Love was covered with thick duckweed, and a shell, split in half, lay scattered far from the shore.

The casket was open, and the heart, although it lay in it, beat barely, very quietly and almost inaudibly.

What's happened? – exclaimed the upset sorceress.

While you were resting peacefully, a dragon with three heads and a pterodactyl flew to us. They whispered about something for a long, long time with the bull, after which he frowned and began to look gloomily at his cow, who wondered why her beloved fell into such a rage. And the dragon and pterodactyl, grinning maliciously, quickly flew away.

The bull snorted for a long time, and then attacked his cow and brutally butted her.

But why?

He shouted that now he knew the truth - she didn’t love him at all, but was only pretending, they say, her friends (I wonder which ones?) heard her telling the forest bells that she was tired of him and all that...

After he offended the cow, the Lake of Love was covered with duckweed, and the shell split in half under his angry hooves.

Horrible! - exclaimed the Power of Love - from the anger that false friends inspired him, his mind became clouded and he questioned the love of his girlfriend. I think I know who sent us the dragon and the pterodactyl. It looks like the tricks of my four-year-old sister - the Power of Envy. Since childhood, she can’t stand me and always tries to ruin my life. I'm afraid she won't calm down on this.

And indeed, suddenly the magic tree of Love shook, and with it the sorceress Power of Love almost flew to the ground. This enraged bull tried to throw up a casket hidden in the roots of a tree with its horns in order to trample a barely living heart.

We will not let you be offended, dear lady! - shouted the turtle and the magic bears.

They heard the sound of wings and a dragon with three heads and a pterodactyl descended to the ground. The magic turtle, without hesitation, closed the casket with its shell, and the bears rushed into battle. They were so outraged by the insidious attack of the enemies that their strength increased tenfold. They scratched, bit, broke the wings and heads of their enemies, and soon those, disgraced and wounded, were forced to go home.

And our heroes celebrated a difficult victory.

When the fog of battle finally cleared, a shamed, quiet bull timidly approached the magic tree and asked everyone present for forgiveness. And then he guiltily rubbed his forehead against the warm side of his beloved. And, of course, she quickly forgave him, because when you love someone very much, how can you be angry with him for a long time?

Do you see what happens to Love when evil slander is poured on it? – asked the sorceress Power of Love as an edification to the bull.

And then all the friends glued the shell together, cleared the Lake of Love from the duckweed and returned the casket to its place. And again a living heart beat joyfully inside him - a symbol of the love of a bull and a cow. And everyone was happy!

Slepenko Natalia

About the boy

Once upon a time there was a little boy, and he had a mother who was the best in the world, because she always explained everything to him. And he asked her all sorts of serious questions. “Mom,” he said. “Where did I come from?” “My dear boy,” she answered. “Once for a very long time I looked at the clouds in the blue sky, and I saw a cloud similar to you! I grabbed it and swallowed it. And after 9 months you were born exactly like that cloud with blue eyes!" “Mom,” he asked, “why is the grass green?” “Have you seen the blue sky and the golden sun? - she asked in turn and took out paints: blue and yellow. - Look, if you mix them, you get green paint. So is the grass - she looks all the time at the sky and the sun, from That's why it turns green." “What makes it rain?” - he shouted, running out of the garden in his boots. “And this sky feeds mother earth, and she gives birth to greens, vegetables, fruits,” she laughed. "Why are your tears falling?" - Mom asked, hugging him. “And I want to water this dead beetle with tears,” he answered through tears. “So that he will be born again.” “It’s good that you cry about someone else’s grief,” my mother said. “It means you have a good heart. Never grieve or cry for yourself, it’s better to think about your neighbor when your heart is heavy. And we’ll bury the beetle in the ground, and she will give birth to him. You have to wait, and you will see how he flies past." “Mom, mom,” he called, breathless with delight, running into the house that same evening. “Mother Earth has already given birth to him! Here he is!” He unclenched his fist, but the beetle lay motionless. "Ahh!" “You see, you grabbed him too tightly, he couldn’t stand it and died. Treat others more carefully, remember that they may be weaker and more tender than you. Be especially careful of offending the human heart,” his mother taught, comforting him. "Mom, why do bees sting?" - asked the baby, rubbing his swollen cheek. “They sting to protect the honey and their hive,” my mother answered. “So sometimes we protect the most precious thing we have.” The boy grew up and became a storyteller, he traveled to many countries, saw different peoples, saw the grief and happiness of others and described them in his fairy-tale books. His books were a little sad, but For some reason, their soul felt light, and he dedicated all the books to his mother, who once swallowed a cloud and 9 months later gave birth to a little boy who became a storyteller.

The Tale of the Little Fist

Once upon a time there lived a small palm. It was a good palm! Warm, soft, with small, dexterous fingers that were always doing something. Now they were drawing, now they were holding a spoon, now they were holding the hilt of a plastic sword, now they were making snowballs, now they were kneading dough, now they were washing themselves with soap. The palm lived well, it was fun. But somehow my hand clenched into a fist, and that fist swung at the little boy’s mother. Mom frowned, and her fist opened into a palm, which again became soft, warm and mobile. But another time, when the little boy didn’t like something, a fist appeared. And he no longer wanted to notice that his mother was frowning. He felt so pleased that all his fingers were gathered together, that he was so strong and hard. And the fist began to appear more and more often. And one day he hit his mother! Mom got angry, but the fist liked being strong and strong SO much that it just got excited and began waving around mom. He waved until he hit her. Mom screamed in pain, and her fist unclenched. He turned into a warm palm, but it was weak and hung like a rag while the boy looked at his mother leaving. But time passed... and again the little fist got excited and hit my mother. Hit very hard. Mom started crying. But the fist did not want to unclench and feel sorry for mom. Mom left the room very, very sad. The fist joyfully rose in the air - he won! He is so strong and strong! But the little boy wanted to draw. But the fingers were tightly clenched into a fist and did not want to unclench at all. The boy decided to ride the cars - but her fingers hid in a strong fist and did not come out. My fingers didn’t come out either to take a spoon or to wash my palms with soap. And we didn’t manage to go for a walk, because our fingers couldn’t fit into the mitten, and it was very cold outside. The boy sadly sat down on the sofa and looked at his small fist. The fist did not want to unclench. The boy began to cry. He cried quietly. Because he knew that his mother would not feel sorry for him, because his little fist offended her so much!!! But the mother still heard that her boy was not feeling well. She came to him and took him on her lap. And hugged me. The boy also hugged his mother and began to stroke her with his clenched fist, and then the fist opened. And the joyful boy stroked his mother’s hands, shoulders, and hair. Since then the fist has never appeared again. Because stroking my mother was more pleasant than raising my fist at her.

Nikolaeva Oksana Vladimirovna

Cheboksary

A fairy tale about a little princess who was very afraid of everything.

Once upon a time there lived a little princess. She lived in her small house. She was a very kind, caring, beautiful little girl. She had many friends. Most of all, the princess loved to play with her favorite dolls. She especially loved her doll Katya. She put her to bed, rocked her, and took her to kindergarten. She loved to walk through the forest, dance and laugh a lot.

But one day the little princess began to be afraid of everything. She was afraid of everything in the world. She was afraid that something terrible might happen to her. “What if a fire starts now,” she thought. “What if I drown and choke in a huge puddle.” The whole world seemed scary and full of dangers to her. The little princess ran into her house and locked herself there. The princess was so scared that she decided that she would never leave there. But even in her house she did not feel safe. The princess completely sank. She was very scared and sad. And so it went on day after day.

One day her Fairy godmother came to her and said in a quiet magical voice: “I know what you are afraid of, my dear goddaughter. I will help you. Come with me." They went to the kitchen. The Fairy took out a transparent bowl and said: “You know, dear, everything that the Fairies cook becomes magical. Now we will prepare a wonderful drink with magical properties. Everyone who drinks it will have a small spark of courage and bravery within them.” And she began to cook. She put a beautiful bowl on the fire and filled it with clean water, then poured it with boiling seething joy, a pinch of courage, a handful of courage, effervescent cheerfulness. All this time, the Little Princess, without taking her eyes off, watched the Fairy’s magical work. When all this boiled, the little princess's eyes sparkled and her breath caught. The godmother took the cup off the fire, cooled it and gave it to the little princess with the words “Darling, drink this magic potion!” The princess took the glass in her hands and drank it with joy. She couldn't wait to try it. And find out what it's like to be brave. When she drank it, she felt like a small fire flared up inside her, in her very heart, and it made her feel warm, joyful, cozy and reliable.

Then the godmother said, “Now you are ready. We can experience a wonderful drink." The sorceress took the Princess by the hand, and they flew to their friends. Their friends greeted them with joy. They loved the Princess very much for her kind disposition. Then the fairy said that now the little princess could be left alone, but she needed to fly away on urgent business. And she flew away. The princess stayed with her friends to play. And then everyone heard a voice - someone was desperately calling for help. Screams came from the street. All the guys ran out and saw that a small squirrel was drowning in a huge puddle. She was choking and calling for help, and it was clear that she was tired. But none of the guys rushed to help her. They were confused and also did not know how to swim. Only the little princess was not at a loss. She grabbed a large stick and threw it into the puddle. The squirrel deftly grabbed the stick, and the Princess pulled her onto land. Everyone was very excited. They began to hug the Princess and the squirrel. The guys did not expect that the little Princess would be so brave and resourceful. At this time a fairy arrived. She already knew everything. "I'm proud of you, my dear Princess!" - she said. “But it’s all thanks to your magic potion,” answered the Princess. In response, the Fairy shook her head and said in her ear with a smile: “My little Princess, the potion you drank is not magic. It was just regular sparkling water."

What about the spark of courage that I have inside? Where did it come from?

This light - it was always in you, you just didn’t notice it. And now he will always be with you. You are a strong, brave and kind girl. Always remember this. I believe in you!

With these words the Fairy flew away. The Little Princess looked after her and felt that the fire of courage in her chest was growing larger.

Alice E.

The Tale of the Enchanted Princess

There lived a young Princess in the World. And she was good to everyone: she had a pretty face, she was a singer, she was a dancer, and she was a master of kind words. The courtiers rejoiced when they looked at her, and words cannot express how happy the King and Queen were!

But then, an evil witch found out about this beautiful Princess and she became so jealous that everyone loves the Princess and feeds her cakes and gives her beautiful toys, and she also responds to them with kindness!

The evil witch thought and pondered how she could get rid of the Princess, and she sent her servant, a cunning bird, to her. And that bird flew into the Princess’s chambers, became invisible, sat on the Princess’s shoulder and began to whisper various bad things to her.

For example, she will convince the Princess that people are actually all envious and that they need to be controlled so that they certainly do as she wants and only fulfill her will. And that bird even suggested a recipe to the Princess, saying that she needed to cheer one up with a sweet word, and then ask for what she wanted.

Even before, the Princess did not skimp on kind words, but then they came from the heart, were sincere, and therefore added joy to those who heard them and to the Princess herself.

And now, under the influence of the witchcraft bird, the Princess began to say kind words just to force people to do something. At first, everything went well, but then people began to notice that from the words of the Princesses, the previous warmth inside did not spread and strength did not increase. People began to treat the Princess’s requests with caution and wariness. Once again they will think about whether to fulfill it, or they won’t do it at all.

This news also reached the King and Queen, who ruled this kingdom and always made wise decisions. And then the Princess began to choose kind words for them in order to take their place herself and rule in that kingdom. The witch's cunning bird whispered all this to her.

But the King and Queen were wise in that kingdom, they decided to pretend that they believed the Princess and give up the throne to her, while they themselves began to think about how they could help their beloved daughter.

The princess ascended the throne and began to issue decrees: everyone should urgently stop producing bread, porridge, soup, and make only cakes!

And everyone rushed to carry out the Princess’s decree. But of course, she’s on the throne! And the army, and cooks, and janitors, and gardeners, and shoemakers - everyone began to bake cakes!

At first, the Princess liked that she had such goodies for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but then she got tired of it! She wanted sausages! And what kind of sausage are we talking about if the butcher bakes cakes! And then the neighboring king declared war, and the army was all in the bakery, sitting in flour - there was no one to defend their native country and the Princess herself!

The Princess got scared and told the King and Queen everything and asked for help. And she had wise parents; they noticed the cunning bird, which was whispering bad things to the Princess, and drove it away.

Then the Princess's eyes opened, and she saw what she was doing under the influence of evil spells. She began to ask everyone for forgiveness. And since then she appreciated the work of everyone, the wise reign of her parents - the King and Queen, and every kind word that came out of her mouth. She remembered that those words have magical power only when they are sincere and come from the heart.

Elena Vereteno (Veretennikova)

Bedtime story

Prologue

Sasha stretched sweetly under the blanket. I really didn’t want to get up and go to school. And the grandmother came to wake up her granddaughter twice already. She was in a hurry to get to work and was a little angry. Sasha gathered her courage and decided to get up. First she stuck her nose out from under the blanket, then her right leg. The room was cold, and the girl ducked back under the warm and cozy blanket.

- Sashka, are you going to get up?! – Grandma’s stern voice was heard. – You’ll be late for school, and I’ll be late for work. The boss will deprive me of my bonus, and you and Vasilko will be left without gifts for the New Year.

- Baaah, don’t be angry! I have to go to my second lesson today. The math teacher is sick.

The girl jumped from the high bed onto the cold floor and hugged her grandmother: “I’m already getting dressed.”

Sanka pulled on jeans and a blouse and padded into the kitchen. There was a steaming cup of tea on the table, and a pile of delicious, hot sandwiches on the plate.

- Sleepyhead, who will wash? - Grandma was already putting on her shoes.

- Now, grandma. Aren't you going to have breakfast with me?

- I am late. If you want, wait for grandfather. He's chopping wood on the street. Well, that's it. Bye. Go ahead, I'll kiss you.

The door slammed behind grandma.

Sanka rinsed her face with cold water, sat down at the table, pulled a plate of sandwiches towards her and became sad: “Grandma has to work, dress her and Vasilko, feed her. Grandfather has sore legs, but he cooks delicious borscht, clears the snow in the yard, heats the stove, and looks after Vaska. I wish I could grow up soon and help my grandparents. It was good to have dad and mom. She and her brother were left without parents two years ago. The plane on which they flew on vacation was never found. Tears welled up in Sashka’s eyes. Vaska was very small and didn’t really understand anything. And Sanka still sees that plane in the sky. Since the plane was not found, it means there is still hope. Maybe the parents escaped and live on some desert island? And sooner or later they will be found. True, he and Vasilko have good grandparents. Recently, her grandfather made a wonderful sled for her and her brother, like in the old days, with curved runners, and painted them a cheerful green color. Now all my friends are asking me to go for a ride. None of her friends have grandparents like that.”

The girl became even more sad. I remembered that I was not prepared for the literature lesson. It was necessary to write a short fairy tale, but Sashka doesn’t know how to write. Grandma will be called to school and she will have sad eyes. And in the evening, when Sasha and Vasya go to bed, she will complain about her hard life, and her grandfather will calm her down.

The door creaked and interrupted Sanka’s gloomy thoughts. From the street, in the clouds of frosty air, the grandfather came in.

-Are you awake, beauty? Today I lay there for a long time, my legs ached at night. I didn’t have time to light the stove. I froze my granddaughter. No problem, we'll fix everything now.

Grandfather lit the stove. By that time Sashka had eaten three sandwiches.

Two with sausage and one with cheese. And now she was hastily packing her bag for school: she hadn’t packed it since the evening, as usual. The pencil and ruler had disappeared somewhere.

- Sasha, get ready quickly. “You’ll be late for school,” the grandfather was cooking something on the stove.

The girl stopped looking for a pencil and ruler. It will work out! I quickly got dressed.

- Bye, grandpa! I ran.

It was bitterly cold outside. Sasha admired the rowan growing in the yard near the porch. The frost covered the rowan branches with frost, and put neat snow caps on the red clusters of berries. And all this splendor sparkled under the rays of the early morning sun. It's like a fairytale!

- Sashka, why are you stuck there? I'm waiting for you, waiting. My nose is already frozen.

Sasha’s best friend Olga’s nose froze. She lived next door, and in class the girls sat at the same desk. Girlfriends were often seated for chatting, giggling and being distracted in class. But after a couple of days they were sitting together again. Sasha loved her nimble girlfriend very much. Short in stature. Stocky. Playful eyes from under the bangs, a smile and a healthy blush on the cheeks. Olga was always the center of attention. I was quarreling with someone. I made peace. I fought with the boys and organized fun games. And the noise from her was like ten people at the same time. It seemed to Sasha that even outwardly she was lost against the background of her friend. Too thin and pale. And the hair is so-so, light, like flax. And two thin ponytails. But Olga’s are long, dark, and wavy. And why does grandfather call Sashka a beauty? Maybe because of the big gray eyes?

- Sashka, what, did you fall asleep or what? Ten minutes left until the bell!

-Have you written a fairy tale based on literature? – the girl asked, slamming the gate.

Tatyana Zinkevich-Evstigneeva

Difficult task

In the same forest there lived two friends - Poof the hedgehog and Poof the bunny. I must say that they were smart guys, they loved to think and solve various interesting problems. One day Poof came to Puf and said:

Listen, I’ve been thinking all morning: why is it that pleasant things are not always useful, and why useful things are not always pleasant?

“I didn’t understand something,” Puff hesitated.

Well, you love chocolate. You can eat a whole mountain of it. But your mother forbids you, says that it is harmful, your tummy and teeth will hurt. So?

“Yes,” the bunny agreed.

So it turns out that something pleasant, that is, chocolate, is not good for you.

What is useful is not always pleasant?

It’s useful for you, for example, to do exercises in the morning, but you’re too lazy, it’s more pleasant to sleep longer or watch cartoons. But watching a lot of them, again, is not useful, because your head may hurt and your eyes will get tired.

Yes, business... But how can we make useful things pleasant, and pleasant things useful? – Puff asked his friend.

That's what I'm thinking about! – Poof was inspired. – Who could help us?

Let's ask the owl, she knows everything in the world. You just have to go to her when it gets dark.

“Come on,” Poof agreed, and the friends began to wait for darkness.

When the owl heard their question, she hooted for a long time, like owls laugh. And then she said:

If you want what is useful to become pleasant, and what is pleasant to be useful, then love what is useful and give up what is pleasant!

What does this mean: to love doing exercises in the morning, but to stop loving chocolate? – the friends didn’t understand.

And understand it as you want! “You asked, I answered,” the owl said and flew away.

And Poof and Puff began training the next day. Puff honestly tried to stop loving chocolate, ice cream, and cartoons. Poof tried his best to love morning exercises, doing homework and even cleaning his room. I must say that they have advanced a little. But we were seriously exhausted.

And then insight came to them AT THE SAME TIME!

There’s no need to stop loving cartoons and chocolate! You just need to KNOW THE MEASURE! Our mothers always told us about this! - they said in unison to each other.

Since then, Puff and Poof ate chocolate, but not much, in moderation. We watched cartoons, but in moderation, played pranks, but in moderation. And the pleasant became useful for them. And what was useful gradually revealed its pleasant sides for them.

And you, dear friend, do you know how to recognize the MEASURE and make something pleasant useful?

Tatyana Zinkevich-Evstigneeva

Little mistress

In one small town there lived a family with two children: a girl and a boy. The eldest girl considered herself quite grown up and she really wanted, like all adults, to have her own money. She told her mother about her desire, and she told her:

Money loves counting. Can you count well?

Yes, but not really,” the girl said honestly.

Money loves accuracy in spending. Do you know how to make the right purchases?

Yes! I can! - the girl screamed.

“Okay,” my mother answered. - I’ll give you money, you go to the store and buy everything we need now. But for the amount that I will give you. Look, be careful. If your eyes run wild and they want to buy everything that is in the store, stop. First, think carefully about what we REALLY need in our family, and then check whether you have the money for it. If there are not enough of them, think about what you need to give up and what you need to buy. Did you understand me?

Certainly! Buy what we need, and if we don’t have enough money, then buy what is enough! – the girl screamed joyfully, grabbed the money and rushed to the store.

I must say that the store was very rich, with a large selection of different goods. And the girl’s eyes widened. She wanted to buy one and the other. And she already went to the cashier and began calling out what she needed. Only then did I remember my mother’s advice: “Buy what you need for the amount you have.” She walked away from the cash register and thought. What does her family REALLY need? Air mattress? Long-legged doll? New broom? It seems like all this is NECESSARY! But is all this REALLY NECESSARY?

The girl remembered that there was no bread in the house, and there was very little milk - there wasn’t enough for her brother to buy porridge. “This is what we need now!” - she was happy. I counted the money, after buying milk and bread there was still some left. “I won’t waste them now,” the girl decided. – When your eyes wander, it’s easy to make mistakes. I’ll save this money and then buy something useful!” - she decided, and took her purchases and went home.

Mom was very happy with her daughter’s decision and said: “Daughter, now I see that you have grown up and become a housewife!”

You can send your story to administrator@site. The best fairy tales, based on the results of the examination, will appear on our website in the “Favorite Fairy Tales” section. And at the end of the year, the Authors of those fairy tales that collect the most positive reviews will receive a special Prize from our Institute! Participate! Share your fairy tales!

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Tatyana Zinkevich - Doctor of Psychology, Director of the St. Petersburg Institute of Fairy Tale Therapy. Graduated from the Faculty of Psychology of Leningrad State University. Author of the method of Complex Fairytale Therapy. Author of a number of monographs on fairy tale therapy.

Author of training programs on business communications, team building, and innovative management. He is the scientific director of projects of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation, and carries out extensive scientific, practical, teaching, consulting and public work.

Author of the popular scientific series of books on practical psychology “The Value of Every Day”. Scientific director and developer of a comprehensive model for the rehabilitation of juvenile offenders in special educational institutions of the education system. Corresponding member of the International Academy of Sciences of Ecology, Nature and Human Safety. Expert of the International Federation of Independent Experts.