Russian fairy tale
Leo Tolstoy's fairy tale "The Hedgehog and the Hare"
Children, to whom the great Russian writer Leo Tolstoy dedicated many instructive stories, fables and short fairy tales, are always interested in reading about the world around them, about familiar animals. Every child knows from famous Russian folk tales and cartoons about the hare and the prickly hedgehog. Namely, it is about them that the story is told in the work “The Hedgehog and the Hare”.
What is the fairy tale about?
A hedgehog and a hare met. The oblique bully decided to hurt the harmless hedgehog with his remark. For some reason, it seemed to him that the prickly interlocutor had crooked legs, which is why they were constantly getting tangled. Of course, this angered the hedgehog, but he was cunning and decided to teach the hare a lesson. The hedgehog challenged the enemy to a competition to see who could catch up with whom. The hedgehog just asked him to wait while he went home.
And the hedgehog asked his wife for help, telling her about his argument with the hare. I decided that I could win with my flexible mind. We decided to run to a field that had just been plowed. The hedgehog planted his wife in the furrow at one end, and began to wait for the hare at the other end. When the hare has to reach the end of the furrow, the hedgehog's wife will have to come out and say that she has been waiting for the hare here for a long time. After the start, the hedgehog pretended to run and came back. Only the hare reached the finish line, and the hedgehog’s wife came forward and spoke as the hedgehog had taught her. The hare didn’t believe it, asked to run again, and when he ran to the beginning of the furrow, he saw a hedgehog there. Again the hare ran along the furrow. So I ran while I had the strength. After that, the hare swore that he would never argue with anyone again.
Author's instructions to children
What is the main thing in any dispute and competition? It is important to use your ingenuity and intelligence. All readers understood perfectly well from the very beginning of the tale that the hedgehog will never outrun the nimble runner and jumper of the hare. But what interesting content Tolstoy came up with! The text of the fairy tale is dynamic, it is so alive, as if you were imagining how a competing hedgehog and a hare were running. Let us remember what the hedgehog said about the hopeless outcome of the dispute, but the hedgehog did not despair, he came up with a reliable way to outwit the hare. And the cunning, side-eyed, eared hare forever abandoned the desire to argue with anyone. And the most important thing is that the hare will now not offend anyone with insults. So what if a hedgehog has crooked legs - why laugh at it? Well-mannered animals and people do not behave this way. The author talks about such moments in his book of fairy tales.
Folk wisdom
As always, Lev Nikolaevich wrote based on proverbs, which he did not mention, since there are too many of them. Children will find them themselves. Just a few of them can be cited as examples. Here they are: “Resourcefulness and intelligence are friends” and “Where you can’t take it by force, you need to grab it.”
Read the story “ The Hedgehog and the Hare ” by the Russian writer Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy online for free and without registration in large print.
Hare and Hedgehog
Illustrations: Tony Wolfe
Watch Hare and Hedgehog
Once upon a time there lived an old hedgehog and he had two twin sons. They lived amicably and cheerfully. Most of all, hedgehogs loved apples, and sometimes they went for turnips that grew in a neighboring garden.
And then one day one of the hedgehog brothers went to the garden to dig up some turnips. Like all hedgehogs, he walked rather slowly. And just when he reached the cabbage patch, a hare came out to meet him from behind a large rock.
“Well, you’ve finally arrived,” the hare told him. “I’ve been watching you for a whole half an hour.” Listen, are you always like this? I hope you eat much faster than you walk, otherwise it will take you a whole year to eat one turnip! - The hare did not stop mocking the hedgehog.
The hedgehog, instead of answering him rudely, decided to take the hare by cunning. He walked really slowly, but he thought quickly and immediately came up with a plan. The hedgehog decided to make sure that what the hare boasts about would turn out to be his own defeat. And he answered the hare:
“Actually, I can run faster than you if I want.”
- Ha-ha-ha! Oh, I can’t, hold me! - the hare cackled. - I won’t believe it for anything! Look here,” and the hare stretched out his paw, “my grandfather was also a champion runner.” He even won a gold medal. And he trained me. Are you telling me that you can run faster than me? Well, I bet my grandfather's gold medal that you can't outrun me!
The hedgehog didn’t really pay attention to all the hare’s caustic words and calmly accepted the argument:
- Fine. We'll meet tomorrow in a plowed field behind the forest and have a parallel furrow competition. And then we'll see who wins!
The hare walked away, laughing at the hedgehog.
“It’s better to stay here all night.” There's no way you'll be able to go home and be back in time for the races.
However, the hedgehog had a great idea about this. When he came home, he told his twin brother about everything, and they both went to the field. Soon the hare approached, insultingly saying:
“I’ll take off my pants so they don’t interfere with my running.” And, with these words, the hare pulled off his pants, folded them and laid them on the edge of the furrow.
So:
On your marks! Attention! March! And in an instant the hare was already at the other end of the furrow. Imagine his surprise when he saw a hedgehog already waiting for him there.
- You’re late today, bunny. I'm already tired of waiting here for you.
The out of breath hare, his throat dry from running, answered:
- Let's do it again!
“Come on,” the hedgehog agreed. - We'll run again.
Never in his life had the hare run so fast. Even when he was being chased by hunting dogs. But every time he reached the end of the furrow, the hedgehog was already waiting for him there, laughing at him:
- What? Late again? For some reason I always come running first!
The hare began to compete again and again, trying to win and overtake the hedgehog. His legs were terribly tired and ached so much that they even began to shake. But every time, running to the end of the furrow, the hedgehog was already standing there, laughing hysterically at him:
“Maybe I should tell you that my grandfather was the fastest hedgehog in his time.” And he won the apples, not the gold medal, which he ate afterwards. But I don’t want apples, I want the gold medal you promised me,” said one of the twin brothers.
Finally, the hare gave up and, mortally tired, collapsed to the ground. His head was spinning, his legs felt like cotton wool.
“That’s it, I’m finished,” he squeezed out. “It’s better for me to die right here, in the field where I believed so much in myself, a great racer.” What a disgrace!
And the hare trudged home for the gold medal, but before that he had never imagined for a second that he could lose it. And with tears in his eyes, the hare handed the medal to the hedgehog.
“Thank God, my grandfather doesn’t see this shame,” he said. “What would he have told me then, after all the training we did, a hedgehog overtook me!”
That evening there was a super party at the hedgehogs' house. The twins danced their hearts out, waving their gold medal in the air.
Dad the Hedgehog took his harmonica out of the closet and played it with great pleasure for this occasion. The fun continued all night. But the hare never learned the hedgehog’s secret...
End
Tales about animals. Tales about the hare. Hedgehog and hare
Lifesaver
Hedgehog was walking home. On the way, the Hare caught up with him, and they went together. The road is half as long with two people. It's a long way from home - they walk and talk. And there was a stick across the road. During the conversation, the Hare did not notice her - he stumbled and almost fell.
- Oh you. - the Hare got angry. He kicked the stick and it flew far to the side.
And the Hedgehog picked up the stick, threw it over his shoulder and ran to catch up with the Hare.
The Hare saw the Hedgehog holding a stick and was surprised:
- Why do you need a stick? What's the use of it?
“This stick is not simple,” explained the Hedgehog. - This is a lifesaver.
The hare only snorted in response. They went further and reached a stream.
The hare jumped over the stream in one jump and shouted from the other bank:
- Hey, Prickly Head, throw away your stick, you won’t get over here with it!
The Hedgehog did not answer anything, stepped back a little, ran up, stuck a stick in the middle of the stream as he ran, flew to the other bank in one fell swoop and stood next to the Hare as if nothing had happened.
The hare even opened his mouth in surprise:
- It turns out that you’re great at jumping!
“I don’t know how to jump at all,” said the Hedgehog, “this is a lifesaver - the jump rope helped me through everything.”
Let's move on. We walked a little and came to a swamp.
The hare jumps from hummock to hummock. The hedgehog walks behind and checks the road in front of him with a stick.
- Hey, Prickly Head, why are you trudged along there? Probably your stick...
Before the Hare had time to finish speaking, he fell off the hummock and fell into the quagmire up to his ears. He's about to choke and drown.
The Hedgehog moved onto a hummock, closer to the Hare, and shouted:
- Grab the stick! Yes, stronger!
The Hare grabbed the stick. The hedgehog pulled with all his might and pulled his friend out of the swamp.
When they got out to a dry place, the Hare says to the Hedgehog:
- Thank you, Hedgehog, you saved me.
- What you! This is a lifesaver - a lifesaver out of trouble.
We went further and at the very edge of a large dark forest we saw a chick on the ground. He fell out of the nest and squeaked pitifully, and his parents circled around him, not knowing what to do.
- Help, help! - they chirped.
The nest is high - you can’t reach it. Neither the Hedgehog nor the Hare can climb trees. And we need help
Hedgehog thought and thought and came up with an idea.
- Face the tree! - he commanded the Hare.
The hare stood facing the tree. The Hedgehog placed the chick on the tip of his stick, climbed onto the Hare's shoulders with it, lifted the stick as best he could and reached almost to the nest. The chick squeaked again and jumped straight into the nest.
His dad and mom were so happy! They hover around the Hare and the Hedgehog and chirp:
- Thank you thank you thank you!
And the Hare says to the Hedgehog:
- Well done, Hedgehog! Good idea!
- What you! This is all a lifesaver - a lift to the top!
We entered the forest. The further they go, the denser the forest becomes. The Hare is scared. But the Hedgehog doesn’t show it: he walks ahead, pushing the branches apart with a stick.
And suddenly a huge Wolf jumped out from behind a tree right at them, blocked the road, and growled:
The Hare and the Hedgehog stopped. The wolf licked his lips, clinked his teeth and said:
“I won’t touch you, Hedgehog, you’re prickly, but I’ll eat you, Kosoy, whole, tail and ears!”
The Bunny trembled with fear, turned all white, as if in winter, and could not run: his legs were rooted to the ground. He closed his eyes - now the Wolf will eat him.
Only the Hedgehog was not taken aback: he swung his stick and hit the Wolf on the back with all his might.
The Wolf howled in pain, jumped up and ran...
So he ran away, never looking back.
- Thank you, Hedgehog, you have now saved me from the Wolf!
“This is a lifesaver—a blow to the enemy,” answered the Hedgehog.
Let's move on. We passed through the forest and came out onto the road. But the road is hard, uphill. The Hedgehog stomps ahead, leans on a stick, but the poor Hare lags behind, almost falls from fatigue. It’s very close to the house, but the Hare can’t go any further.
“Nothing,” said the Hedgehog, “hold on to my wand.”
The Hare grabbed the stick, and the Hedgehog dragged him up the mountain. And it seemed to the Hare that it became easier to walk.
“Look,” he says to the Hedgehog, “your magic wand helped me this time too.”
So the Hedgehog brought the Hare to his home, and there the Hare with her babies had been waiting for him for a long time. They rejoice at the meeting, and the Hare says to the Hedgehog:
“If it weren’t for this magic wand of yours, I wouldn’t have seen my home.”
The Hedgehog grinned and said:
“Take this wand from me as a gift, maybe you’ll need it again.”
- How will you be left without such a magic wand?
“It’s okay,” answered the Hedgehog, “you can always find a stick, but here’s a lifesaver,” he tapped his forehead, “and that’s where the lifesaver is!”
Then the Hare understood everything.
“You said it right: it’s not the stick that matters, but a smart head and a kind heart!”
Source
