Once upon a time there were hedgehogs. Children's book: “Once upon a time there were Hedgehogs Andrei Usachev once upon a time there were hedgehogs summary

In one not-so-dense forest lived hedgehogs: dad Hedgehog, mom Hedgehog and the hedgehogs, Vovka and Veronica.

Papa Hedgehog was a doctor. He gave injections and dressings to patients, collected medicinal herbs and roots, from which he made various healing powders, ointments and tinctures.

Mom worked as a dressmaker. She sewed panties for hares, dresses for squirrels, costumes for raccoons. And in her free time, she knitted scarves and mittens, rugs and curtains.

Vovka the Hedgehog is already three years old. And he graduated from the first grade of forest school. And his sister Veronica was still very little. But her character was terribly harmful. She always tagged along with her brother, poked her black little nose everywhere and, if something was not her thing, she squealed in a thin voice.

Because of his sister, Vovka often had to stay at home.

“You remain the eldest,” my mother said as she went about her business. “Make sure Veronica doesn’t climb on the closet, swing from the chandelier, or touch daddy’s medicine.”

“Okay,” Vovka sighed, thinking that the weather outside was absolutely excellent, that the hares were now playing football, and the squirrels were playing hide and seek. - And why did mom give birth to this squeak?

One day, when her parents were not at home, Veronica climbed into a large jar of medicinal raspberry jam and ate all the jam to the very bottom. How it got into it was completely incomprehensible. But Veronica couldn’t get back out and began screaming desperately.

Vovka tried to pull his sister out of the jar, but nothing happened.

“Sit there until your parents come,” Vovka said maliciously. “Now you’re definitely not going anywhere.” And I'll go for a walk.

Then Veronica raised such a cry that Vovka covered his ears.

“Okay,” he said. - Don't yell. I'll take you with me.

Vovka rolled the jar with his sister out of the house and wondered where they should go.

The hedgehog hole was located on the slope of a hillock. And - either the wind blew, or Veronica decided to get out on her own - the can suddenly swayed and rolled down.

- Ay! Save! – Veronica squealed. Vovka rushed to catch up with her, but the can rolled faster and faster... until it hit a large boulder:

When Vovka rolled down, Veronica stood among the scattered fragments, happy and unperturbed:

“You lost,” she said. – I rolled faster!

When the parents found out about what had happened, they rushed to hug Veronica, and Vovka was scolded for the broken jar and sent to remove the glass so that no one would get hurt.

Vovka was, of course, glad that everything worked out well, but still he was offended:

“This is unfair,” he thought, picking up the pieces.

The next day, Vovka told his bosom friend the hare Senka about this. Senka scratched his paw behind his ear:

“Yes, the younger sister is not a gift,” he agreed.

Senka was from a large family and he had many brothers and sisters.

“But you’re lucky,” said the experienced Senka. “You know what’s worse than a little sister?” Older sisters.

Then the hare raised one ear and whispered: “Shh!” If anything, you haven't seen me! - and disappeared into the bushes.

Senka’s three twin sisters appeared in the clearing: Zina, Zoya and Zaya.

-Have you seen Senka?

Vovka shook his head.

– If you meet him, tell him not to come home! - said one.

“We’ll pull out all his mustaches,” the second one threatened.

When the sisters left, Senka looked out of the bushes.

-What are they doing? – Hedgehog was surprised.

“And I drew mustaches on their dolls,” said Senka. “Now we’ll have to spend the night in the ravine.” And you say, “little sister”!

NEW NEIGHBORS

On one side of the hedgehog's house lived hares, on the other - a family of squirrels, on the third side lived raccoons, and on the fourth there was a badger hole that stood empty.

The badger loved silence and solitude. And when the population in the forest increased, he went deep into the thicket, away from everyone.

And then one day Father Hedgehog announced that they had new neighbors - hamsters.

The hamsters did not move immediately. First, the head of the Khoma family appeared. He examined the badger's hole for a long time and meticulously. Then he set to work on the repairs. And then they started transporting things. The hamsters had so many things that they moved for a whole month.

- And where do they need so much? – Jerzykh’s mother was surprised.

“Everything will be useful on the farm,” Khoma declared importantly, watching the beavers dragging either an old rusty bucket or a leaky pan.

Actually, Vovka loved his neighbors. But he didn't really like these. Firstly, they occupied a hole into which Vovka often climbed and played “Cave of Robbers.”

Secondly, the hamsters turned out to be terribly greedy. Little fat Khomulya always walked around with candy. And if he saw Vovka or Veronica, he immediately hid the candy behind his back.

And thirdly, Khomikha never invited them to her house and did not treat them to anything. Although Vovka was burning with curiosity: what was inside them? He had never seen how hamsters live.

And then one day my mother announced that they were invited to a housewarming party. Vovka was forced to wash her face, and Veronica was tied with a new bow.

Mom prepared a gift - colored cornflower blue curtains. And dad took a bottle of healing rowan tincture.

Vovka was very surprised when there was no one else at the housewarming party:

- Why won’t the hares come? And there won't be any beavers either?

“We decided not to invite them,” said Khomikha. - They are too noisy!

Hamsters didn't like noise. Vovka thought that they would sing songs and dance, but instead they sat at the table and ate. True, Khomikha prepared very tasty pies. But when the pies ran out, there was absolutely nothing to do. And Vovka invited Khomula to play hide and seek.

There were eight or ten rooms in the badger hole, but it was not easy to hide: everything was filled with furniture, sacks, bales, bags and suitcases. Vovka drove first and immediately found both Veronica and Khomulya. Veronica always hid in the same place - under her mother's skirt. And Khomulya, even hiding, loudly smacked his candy.

Khomulya drove next. Vovka climbed into the closet, hid between the bags and fell silent. Fat Khomulya looked for him for a long time, and then ran to complain to dad that he couldn’t find the Hedgehog. Finally, Vovka had enough - he got out and went to surrender.

- Where have you been? – Khomulya asked him.

“In the closet,” said Vovka.

- I knew it! – Khoma sighed.

“You didn’t know anything, that’s not true,” said Vovka.

- Show me which closet you were sitting in?

Vovka showed.

“I knew it,” Khoma sighed again. -You scratched the polish.

Indeed, a small scratch was visible on the wall of the cabinet.

“There was very little space there,” said Vovka. But the owner was very upset. He returned to the closet several times, sighed heavily and shook his head.

“There are so many losses from these moves,” he said. - The beavers soaked a bag of grain - once. Khomulya lost two molds. And now the closet is scratched - three.

At the same time, he looked at Hedgehog as if it was Vovka who had wet the bag and lost his homulin molds.

“Don’t be upset,” said Veronica Khomule. - I have a lot of. I'll give you mine.

“How greedy,” Vovka couldn’t resist when they returned from visiting.

“You can’t say that,” Mom said. - They are our neighbors.

“And if they weren’t our neighbors, would we be able to say that?” – Veronica asked.

“Greedy is a bad word,” dad explained. – We must say: economical, or economical.

“Well, then,” Vovka sighed, “they are VERY economical.”

SHISHINA-MACHINE

One day the hedgehogs went for a walk. Papa Hedgehog took mom’s hand, mom took Veronica’s hand, and Veronica took an umbrella by the handle in case it rained and the fir cones were torn off...

Vovka alone took nothing and scurried back and forth along the road, not knowing what to do.

And then they met hamsters: dad Khoma was walking his son Khomulya. Khomuli had a bright red lollipop in one hand and a balloon in the other.

While his parents were talking with Khoma about various adult topics, Vovka decided to steal Khomulin’s elegant balloon. He had almost bitten through the thread. And suddenly the ball BANG!

- Get down! - Khoma shouted, deciding that they were being shot at. And together with Khomuley he fell to the ground. Papa Hedgehog with his mother Hedgehog and Veronica dived into the bushes. And Vovka remained standing on the road with a burst balloon on his head.

Finally, everyone understood what had happened. What started here! Mom began to scold Vovka in front of everyone. Dad helped Khoma dust off his new corduroy jacket. And fat Khomulya burst into tears and demanded another ball.

Veronica behaved best of all. She picked a large pine cone with her umbrella and handed it to Homula:

- Here, take it!

“I don’t need bumps,” Khomulya stamped his feet. - I want a ball!

“It’s not a bump,” Veronica said. - And Shishina-machine. You can tie a thread to it and roll it behind you as much as you want.

Jerzykh’s mother, who had anything in her bag, just in case, took out a harsh thread and tied it to the Shishina-machine.

Khomulya was delighted: Shishina the car was driving behind him and gathering dust like a real one.

And Vovka made a large air cracker out of a torn balloon: he inflated small bubbles and slammed them on the needles.

IN ONE NOT-VERY-DARK FOREST

In one not-so-dense forest lived hedgehogs: dad Hedgehog, mom Hedgehog and the hedgehogs Vovka and Veronica.
Papa Hedgehog was a doctor. He gave injections and dressings to patients, collected medicinal herbs and roots, from which he made various healing powders, ointments and tinctures.
Mom worked as a dressmaker. She sewed panties for hares, dresses for squirrels, costumes for raccoons.

And in her free time, she knitted scarves and mittens, rugs and curtains.
Vovka the Hedgehog is already three years old. And he graduated from the first grade of forest school. And his sister Veronica was still very little. But her character was terribly harmful. She always tagged along with her brother, poked her black nose everywhere and, if something was not for her, she squealed in a thin voice.

Because of his sister, Vovka often had to stay at home.
“You remain in charge of the eldest,” my mother said as she went about her business. - Make sure Veronica doesn’t climb on the closet, swing from the chandelier or touch daddy’s medicine.
“Okay,” Vovka sighed, thinking that the weather outside was absolutely excellent, that the hares were now playing football, and the squirrels were playing hide and seek. - And why did mom give birth to this squeak?
One day, when her parents were not at home, Veronica climbed into a large jar of medicinal raspberry jam and ate all the jam to the very bottom. How it got into it was completely unclear. But Veronica couldn’t get back out and began screaming desperately.
Vovka tried to pull his sister out of the jar, but nothing happened. “Sit there until your parents come,” Vovka said maliciously. - Now you’re definitely not going anywhere. I'll go for a walk.
Then Veronica raised such a cry that Vovka covered his ears.
“Okay,” he said. - Don't yell. I'll take you with me.
Vovka rolled the jar with his sister out of the house and wondered where they should go.
The hedgehog hole was located on the slope of a hillock. And either the wind blew, or Veronica decided to get out on her own - the can suddenly swayed and rolled down.
- Ay! Save! - Veronica squealed.
Vovka rushed to catch up with her, but the can rolled faster and faster... until it hit a large boulder.
Ding!
When Vovka rolled down, Veronica stood among the scattered fragments, happy and unperturbed.
“You lost,” she said. - I rolled faster!

When the parents found out about what had happened, they rushed to hug Veronica, and Vovka was scolded for breaking the can and sent to remove the glass so that no one would get hurt.
Vovka was, of course, glad that everything worked out, but still he was offended.
“This is unfair,” he thought, picking up the pieces.
The next day, Vovka told his bosom friend the hare Senka about this. Senka scratched his paw behind his ear.
“Yes, the younger sister is not a gift,” he agreed.
Senka was from a large family, and he had many brothers and sisters.
“But you’re lucky,” said the experienced Senka. - You know what's worse than a little sister? Older sisters.
Then the hare raised one ear and whispered:
- Shh! If anything, you haven't seen me! - and disappeared into the bushes.
Senka’s three twin sisters appeared in the clearing: Zina, Zoya and Zaya.
-Have you seen Senka?
Vovka shook his head.
- If you meet him, tell him not to come home! - said one.
“We’ll pull out all his mustaches,” the second one threatened.
“And we’ll tear off your ears,” added the third.
When the sisters left, Senka looked out of the bushes.
-What are they doing? - the hedgehog was surprised.
“And I drew mustaches on their dolls,” said Senka. - Now we’ll have to spend the night in the ravine. And you say: “younger sister”!

(144 pages)
The book is adapted for smartphones and tablets!

Text only:

“Maybe I turned into a fire-breathing dragon?” - Sonya thought with horror.
She wanted to look at herself in the mirror, but she rushed past so quickly that she only had time to notice the tip of her tail.
“We urgently need to put it out with something!” - Sonya suddenly realized. And she rushed to the plate of water.
First she drank all the water. Then she began to stew it with porridge. Then yesterday's potatoes. Then she swallowed the remains of sour cabbage soup and half a loaf of black bread...
Sticking out her swollen tongue, Sonya sat in front of the mirror and thought about the unfortunate Ivan Ivanovich. Now she knew why he eats this terrible mustard.
“After such disgusting,” thought the dog Sonya, “even the most sour cabbage soup in the world seems tastier than cherry jam!”
How Sonya organized a fishing trip
The dog Sonya was interested in a variety of questions. Why, for example, is sugar sweet and salt salty? Or: why do people go to work? Or: where do sausages grow?
The owner considered Sonya’s questions stupid, although he could not answer any of them.
“Stupid question,” he said. - Sugar is sweet because it is sugar. It's clear?
- What if he were salt? - asked Sonya.
Ivan Ivanovich was angry and did not answer.
But the more he did not answer, the more questions Sonya had.
One day she suddenly became interested in where the water in the tap came from.
“It’s a stupid question,” said Ivan Ivanovich. - It’s clear where it came from - from the pipe.
- Where in the pipe?
- And in the pipe - from the river.
- And in the river?
- In the river - from the sea.
- And at sea?
- From the ocean, where else!
Sonya clearly imagined how water flows from the ocean into the sea, from the sea into the river, from the river into the pipe, and from the pipe straight into the tap, and she really liked it.
“But if water flows from a river,” Sonya suddenly thought, “and there is a fish in the river, then it means it flows with the fish...
And since it flows along with the fish,” thought Sonya, “that means I can arrange excellent fishing!”
When Ivan Ivanovich left for work, she took a net from the pantry, turned on the faucet in the bathroom and began to wait.
“I wonder who I’ll catch? - Sonya thought. “It would be nice to have a whale!”
She waited and waited, but the whale did not appear from the tap...
“Of course,” thought Sonya, “the crane is too narrow for whales. But I’m sure I’ll catch gobies or sprat!”
But for some reason the bulls and sprat did not show up either.
“They probably look out of the tap, see that I’m here, and hide back. Here are the cunning ones! - thought Sonya. - That is OK. You are cunning, and I am more cunning!
Sonya plugged the bathtub with a stopper so that the sprat would not leak onto the second floor, crumbled some bread into it and went about her business.
About ten minutes later a terrible noise and splashing was heard from the bathroom.
“That’s right, whale!” - Sonya thought and, grabbing a net, ran into the bathroom.
The river quickly flowed over the edge and spilled into the lake... But there was neither a whale nor the tiniest sprat in it.
Only Ivan Ivanovich’s rubber slippers swayed lonely on the wave.
“Where have all the fish gone? - thought Sonya, wringing out the cloth. - It can’t be that there won’t be any left at all. At least ten fish left in the river!..”
Sonya imagined ten fish swimming along the river, then swimming into a pipe, then climbing up it...
"Oh! - the smart Sonya guessed. - Well, of course! They go upstairs and are caught there! First they are caught on the twelfth floor, then on the eleventh, then on the tenth, then on the ninth... And then there is nothing left for us on the third!”
All day Sonya thought about those greedy people upstairs who catch all the fish themselves and leave nothing for others,
and came to the conclusion that it was useless to organize fishing in the apartment.
“They may have fishing up there,” she thought angrily, “but here we have only a flood!”
Wallpaper
One day Ivan Ivanovich decided to make repairs. (Repair is when chairs, cabinets, sofas and other things are dragged from the room to the hallway, from the hallway to the kitchen, then back to the hallway, then back to the room... And at this time you are locked in the bathroom so that you don’t get in the way feet!)
Ivan Ivanovich whitewashed the ceiling, painted the window sills and covered the room with new light green wallpaper.
“Now it’s a different matter,” he said, looking contentedly around the room.
But Sonya absolutely didn’t like the room, especially the wallpaper.
The old ones were much better. Firstly, there were yellow flowers painted on them, which, although they did not smell, were very interesting to look at.
Secondly, in several places the wallpaper was torn and pieces were sticking out of it, as if someone’s ears were growing out of the wall (Sonya slowly pulled
them, hoping to eventually pull out a hare or donkey from there). And finally, in the corner there was a large, mysterious spot that looked like an alien, with whom Sonya sometimes liked to talk.
There was nothing like that - no flowers, no ears, no spots - on the new wallpaper: a solid light green wall, on which there was nothing to look at!..
Sonya wandered around the room for half a day until a great idea came to her mind. She quickly took out a jar of orange slices containing colored pencils and got to work.
On one wall, Sonya painted a big, big sea with waves and seagulls flying high - right up to the ceiling.
The second wall turned into a meadow on which flowers grew, butterflies, ladybugs and other insects flew.
On the third side, Sonya wanted to draw a wild, mysterious forest... But there was already a closet there.
And to draw on the window would be completely stupid: what kind of wild forest is this, in which you can see the “Products” store, multi-colored flags hanging and which the janitor Sedov is sweeping?!
Sighing, Sonya put away her pencils.
Then she took a pillow, sat down in the middle of the room and imagined that she was alone on the shore of a desert island...
- What it is? - She suddenly heard a familiar voice and opened her eyes.
Ivan Ivanovich stood by the wall and touched the wave with his finger.
“This is the sea,” said Sonya.
- I’m asking you: who gave you permission to spoil the wallpaper? - Ivan Ivanovich asked angrily. And, without waiting for an answer, he sent Sonya into a corner.
“Why spoil it?” - thought the dog Sonya, looking at the drawings.
She hated standing in the corner.
But standing in this corner turned out to be very interesting: on one side you could see the edge of the sea, and on the other, a beautiful meadow with flowers and butterflies...
“After all, it was not in vain that I painted!” - she thought.
How Sona learned to read
A week later, Ivan Ivanovich again covered the room with new wallpaper. Just as clean and uninteresting.
But now Sonya knew that somewhere behind them bees were buzzing and grasshoppers were chirping, birds were singing and the sea was roaring.
Ivan Ivanovich had a lot of books in his apartment. Twelve, or eighteen, or a hundred. (One hundred is a number that even Ivan Ivanovich rarely counted to; and Sonya could only count to ten.)
“Why are they gathering dust!” - Sonya thought one day and asked the owner to teach her to read.
“Okay,” said Ivan Ivanovich. - But first you must learn all the letters. There are thirty-three of them in the alphabet:
A, B, C, D, D, E and so on. It's clear?
- Ah! - said the dog Sonya. - Ah! Bang!
Guff! Daf! Eff! So further!..
- Ugh! - Ivan Ivanovich sighed when Sonya finally learned all the letters correctly. “Now,” he said, “let’s try to read.” What word will we learn first?
“Sausages,” said Sonya.
- The word “sausages” consists of seven letters:
Se, O, Se, I, Se, Ke,
I. It turns out: sausages.
- Are there big sausages or small ones? - asked Sonya.
“It doesn’t matter,” said the owner. - Repeat.
- Se, O, Se, I, Se, Ke, I... It turns out
- Ah! Aff! Aff! sausages,” Sonya repeated and thought: “How does it matter? It’s very important!”
“But the word “elephant,” Ivan Ivanovich showed, “consists of four letters: Se, Le, O, Ne.” It turns out: an elephant.
“Se, Le, O, Ne,” Sonya repeated and thought: “That means they’re big.” If the elephant has only four letters, and the sausages have seven... They’re just gigantic!”
Sonya tried to imagine sausages with seven letters, but she didn’t even have enough imagination.
“But “cat,” continued Ivan Ivanovich, “consists of five letters: Ke, O, She, Ke, A... Repeat.”
-What nonsense! - the dog Sonya was indignant. - Where has it been seen that a cat is larger than an elephant!
“It’s not that a cat is bigger than an elephant, but the word “cat” is bigger than the word “elephant,” the owner explained.
“So these are the wrong words,” said Sonya. - If a cat has five letters, then an elephant must have at least fifty-five!
- How is that? - Ivan Ivanovich was surprised.
“Yes,” said Sonya. - Slo-slo-slo-slo-slo-slo-slo...
- Enough! - Ivan Ivanovich shouted in fear.
Although the words were incorrect, Sonya soon learned to read them quite correctly...
Except one word. "Cat".
Sonya read instead:
- Ah! Aff! Aff!
How Sonya rubbed everything in the world
One day Ivan Ivanovich went to the store, and Sonya told him to wait for him at the entrance.
Sonya sat, sat, waited, waited, and suddenly thought: “Why am I waiting for him here? Since he entered through the entrance, he must leave through the exit!” - and ran to the exit.
She sat, sat, waited, waited - but the owner did not come out.
“Of course,” thought smart Sonya. “Why would he go through the exit if he left me at the entrance?” - and ran back to the entrance.
But Ivan Ivanovich was not at the entrance.
“Strange,” thought smart Sonya. “He probably didn’t find me and went back to the store!” - and ran to the store. She sniffed all the counters and barked at all the lines, but did not find Ivan Ivanovich.
“I see,” said smart Sonya. - Probably, while I’m looking for him here, he’s looking for me at the entrance! But again there was no one at the entrance.
"Oh oh oh! - thought Sonya. “It seems that Ivan Ivanovich is lost.”
She looked around in confusion and suddenly saw the sign “Lost and Found”.
“Sorry,” she turned to the old woman sitting behind the partition, “my owner has disappeared.”
“They don’t bring owners to us,” said the old woman. - Suitcases or watches are another matter. Have you ever lost your watch?
“No,” said Sonya. - I do not have them.
“It’s a pity,” said the old woman. - If you had a watch and you lost it, we would definitely find it. As for the owner, contact the police.
Sonya left the bureau terribly upset and immediately saw a policeman: he stood at the intersection and whistled shrilly on his whistle.
“Af-af, comrade sergeant,” Sonya turned to him, “my master has disappeared.”
The policeman was so surprised that he even stopped whistling.
- What is the name, patronymic, surname of the missing person? - he asked, taking out a notepad.
- Ivan Ivanovich... - Sonya was confused. - I didn’t ask for his last name.
“It’s bad,” said the policeman. - Do you know where he lives?
- I know! - Sonya was delighted. - We are living…
And then Sonya realized that together with her owner she had lost everything: the apartment, the house, the street... and everything, everything in the world!
“I don’t know...” she said, almost crying. - What should I do?
“Advertise in the evening newspaper,” the policeman advised her and showed her the house in which the editorial office was located.
- What have you lost? - they asked Sonya in the window with the inscription “I will find” (there were three more windows nearby: “I will buy”, “I will sell” and “I will lose”).
-All! - said Sonya. - Write: “The little dog Sonya lost her owner Ivan Ivanovich, along with a beautiful one-room apartment, a twelve-story brick house, a cozy courtyard with a flower bed, a playground, a trash can and a fence,
under which it is buried...” “Do not write “under which it is buried.” Who knows?
whatever comes to mind! -gmr-its).
said Sonya. - “And also a large street with a grocery store, an ice cream stall, the janitor Sedov with...”
-Enough! - they said at the window. - There's not enough space for everything.
There was very little space in the newspaper, and the ad turned out to be very short:
The little dog Sonya got lost. A large reward is promised.
In the evening, Ivan Ivanovich ran to the editorial office.
- Who gets the reward? - he asked, looking around.
- To me! - said the dog Sonya modestly. And I got a whole jar of cherry jam at home.
Sonya was very pleased and even wanted to somehow get lost one more time... But she learned the owner’s last name and her address by heart. Because without this, you can really lose everything in the world.
How Sonya turned into a tree
Autumn has come. The flowers on the lawn withered, the cats hid in the basements, and large, wet puddles appeared in the yard.
Along with the weather, Ivan Ivanovich also deteriorated. He told everyone passing by that Sonya had dirty paws (which is why no one wanted to play with her). Moreover, after every walk he drove Sonya into the bath and washed her there with shampoo. (This is such a disgusting thing, after which it stings the eyes terribly, and foam comes out of the mouth.)
And one day the dog Sonya discovered that the cabinet in which the jam was stored was locked. This outraged her so much that Sonya decided to run away from home forever...
In the evening, when she and Ivan Ivanovich were walking in the park, she ran away to the farthest end of the park. But I didn’t know what to do next.
It was cold and dreary all around.
Sonya sat down under a tree and began to think.
“It’s good to be a tree,” she thought. - The trees are large and are not afraid of the cold. If I were a tree, I would also live on the street and never return home.”
Then a wet and cold beetle fell on her nose.
- Brr! - Sonya shuddered and suddenly thought: “Or maybe I’m becoming a tree, since beetles are crawling on me?”
Then the wind blew... And a large maple leaf fell on her head. Behind him is another, a third...
“So it is,” thought Sonya. “I’m starting to turn into a tree!”

Soon the dog Sonya was covered with leaves, like a small bush.
Having warmed up, she began to dream about how she would grow big, big: like a birch tree, or an oak tree, or something else.
“I wonder what kind of tree I will grow up to be? - she thought. - It would be nice to have something edible: for example, an apple tree or, better yet, a cherry... I’ll pick the cherries off myself and eat them. If I want, I’ll make myself a whole bucket of jam and I’ll also eat as much as I want!”
Then Sonya imagined that she was a big, beautiful cherry tree, and below her stood little Ivan Ivanovich and said:
“Sonya, give me some cherries.” “I won’t give it to you,” she will tell him. - You
Why did you hide the jam from me in the cupboard?!”
- So-nya!.. Sonya! - was heard nearby.
“Yeah! - thought Sonya. “I wanted cherries... It would be nice if I had a couple more branches with sausages growing!”
Soon Ivan Ivanovich appeared between the trees. So sad that Sonya even felt sorry for him.
“I wonder if he recognizes me or not?” - she thought and suddenly, two steps away from her, she saw a nasty crow, looking suspiciously in her direction.
Sonya hated crows and imagined with horror how this crow would sit on her head or even make a nest on her, and then start pecking at her sausages...
- Shoo! - Sonya waved her branches and turned from a large cherry-sausage tree into a small trembling dog.
The first large flakes of snow were falling outside the window.
Sonya lay pressed against the warm radiator and thought about the frosts announced on the radio, about cats that love to climb trunks, and about the fact that trees have to sleep standing up... But still, for some reason, she was very sorry that she I was never able to become a real tree.
The water gurgled quietly, like spring, in the battery.
“Probably it’s just the weather… not the season,” thought the dog Sonya, falling asleep. - Well, nothing... Let's wait until spring!
What happened next?
Sonya really liked reading books.
But she really didn’t like that all books ended the same way: the end.
“And what happened then,” asked Sonya, “when the wolf’s belly was cut open and Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother got out of there alive and unharmed?”
“Then?..” the owner wondered. “My grandmother probably sewed her a wolf fur coat.”
- And then?
“And then…” Ivan Ivanovich wrinkled his forehead, “then the prince married Little Red Riding Hood, and they lived happily ever after.”
- And then?
- Don't know. Leave me alone! - Ivan Ivanovich was angry. - Nothing happened afterwards!
Sonya went offended to her corner and thought.
“How can this be,” she thought. - It can’t be that nothing happened afterwards! Did anything happen afterwards?!”
One day, while rummaging through Ivan Ivanovich’s desk (this is the most interesting place in the world, with the exception of the refrigerator), Sonya found a large red folder on which was written:
STUPID DOG SONYA, or
Good manners for small dogs
- Is this really about me? - she was surprised. - But why - stupid? - Sonya was offended. She crossed out the word “stupid”, wrote “smart” - and sat down to read the stories.
For some reason the last story turned out to be unfinished.
- What happened then? - Sonya asked when Ivan Ivanovich returned home.
“Then?” he thought. - Then the dog Sonya took first place in the Miss Mongrel competition and received a gold chocolate medal.
- This is good! - Sonya was delighted. - And then?
- And then she had puppies: two black, two white and one red.
- Oh, how interesting! So what then?
- And then... the owner was so angry that she climbed into his table without permission and pestered him with stupid questions, that he took a large one...
- No! - screamed the smart dog Sonya. - It didn’t happen like that later. All. End.
- Well, that's great! - said a satisfied Ivan Ivanovich.
And, moving closer to the desk, he finished the last
the story goes like this:
"- Well, that's great! - said the satisfied Ivan Ivanovich. And, moving closer to the desk, he ended the last story like this: the end.”
- What happened then? - asked the smart dog Sonya from under the sofa.

Content:
Once upon a time there were hedgehogs
In one not-so-dense forest
New neighbors
Shishina-machine
How Vovka the hedgehog played football
Blueberry
How Veronica composed a poem
Beetles
How the Frog appeared in the house
For mushrooms
How Vovka learned to swim
Nuts
Pine gum
Frog traveler
How Vovka defeated the wolf
Cleaning
Hibernation
New Year

Smart dog Sonya
Royal mongrel
Who made the puddle?
Hello, thank you and goodbye!
What's better?
How Sonya learned to talk
How Sonya the dog sniffed flowers
Binoculars
flies
How Sonya caught the echo
Bone
Sonya and the samovar
Spot
Rainbow
Mustard
How Sonya organized a fishing trip
Wallpaper
How Sonya learned to read
How Sonya lost everything in the world
How Sonya turned into a tree
What happened next?

Visit a fairy tale!
What could be better?
Thanks to the books in the “Visiting a Fairy Tale” series, you can find yourself in Wonderland and meet Alice there, make friends with Pinocchio and defeat the evil Karabas Barabas.
The series includes world-famous masterpieces of the fairy tale genre, among which every reader will find a fairy tale to their liking.

IN ONE NOT-VERY-DENSE FOREST In one not-very-dense forest lived hedgehogs: dad Hedgehog, mom Hedgehog and the hedgehogs Vovka and Veronica.

Papa Hedgehog was a doctor. He gave injections and dressings to patients, collected medicinal herbs and roots, from which he made various healing powders, ointments and tinctures.

Mom worked as a dressmaker. She sewed panties for hares, dresses for squirrels, costumes for raccoons. And in her free time, she knitted scarves and mittens, rugs and curtains.

Vovka the Hedgehog is already three years old. And he graduated from the first grade of forest school. And his sister Veronica was still very little. But her character was terribly harmful. She always tagged along with her brother, poked her black nose everywhere and, if something didn’t suit her, she squealed in a thin voice. Because of her sister, Vovka often had to stay at home.

“You remain the eldest,” my mother said as she went about her business. - Make sure Veronica doesn’t climb on the closet, swing from the chandelier or touch daddy’s medicine.

“Okay,” Vovka sighed, thinking that the weather outside was absolutely excellent, that the hares were now playing football, and the squirrels were playing hide and seek. - And why did mom give birth to this squeak?

One day, when her parents were not at home, Veronica climbed into a large jar of medicinal raspberry jam and ate all the jam to the very bottom. How it got into it was completely unclear. But Veronica couldn’t get back out and began screaming desperately.

Vovka tried to pull his sister out of the jar, but nothing happened. “So sit there until your parents come,” Vovka said maliciously. - Now you’re definitely not going anywhere. I'll go for a walk.

Then Veronica raised such a cry that Vovka covered his ears.

Okay, he said. - Don't yell. I'll take you with me.

Vovka rolled the jar with his sister out of the house and wondered where they should go.

The hedgehog hole was located on the slope of a hillock. And either the wind blew, or Veronica decided to get out on her own - the can suddenly swayed and rolled down. - Ay! Save! - Veronica squealed.

Vovka rushed to catch up with her, but the can rolled faster and faster... until it hit a large boulder.

When Vovka rolled down, Veronica stood among the scattered fragments, happy and unperturbed.

"You lost," she said. - I rolled faster! When the parents found out about what had happened, they rushed to hug Veronica, and Vovka was scolded for the broken can and sent to remove the glass so that no one would get hurt.

Vovka was, of course, glad that everything worked out, but still he was offended.

“This is unfair,” he thought, picking up the pieces.

The next day, Vovka told his bosom friend the hare Senka about this. Senka scratched his paw behind his ear.

Yes, a younger sister is not a gift,” he agreed.

Senka was from a large family, and he had many brothers and sisters.

But you’re lucky,” said the experienced Senka. - You know what's worse than a little sister? Older sisters.

Then the hare raised one ear and whispered:

Shh! If anything, you haven't seen me! - and disappeared into the bushes.

Senka’s three twin sisters appeared in the clearing: Zina, Zoya and Zaya.

Have you seen Senka?

Vovka shook his head.

If you meet him, tell him not to come home! - said one.

“We’ll pull out all his mustaches,” the second one threatened.

When the sisters left, Senka looked out of the bushes.

What are they doing? - the hedgehog was surprised.

“And I drew mustaches on their dolls,” said Senka. - Now we’ll have to spend the night in the ravine. And you say: “younger sister”! NEW NEIGHBORS On one side of the hedgehog’s house lived hares, on the other - a family of squirrels, on the third side lived raccoons, and on the fourth there was a badger hole that stood empty.

The badger loved silence and solitude. And when the population in the forest increased, he went deep into the thicket, away from everyone.

And then one day Father Hedgehog announced that they had new neighbors - hamsters.

The hamsters did not move immediately. First, the head of the Khoma family appeared. He examined the badger's hole for a long time and meticulously. Then he set to work on the repairs. And then they started transporting things. The hamsters had so many things that they moved for a whole month.

And where do they need so much? - Hedgehog’s mother was surprised. “Everything will come in handy on the farm,” Khoma declared importantly, watching the beavers dragging either an old rusty bucket or a leaky pan.

Actually, Vovka loved his neighbors. But he didn't really like these. Firstly, they occupied a hole into which Vovka often climbed and played “Cave of Robbers.” Secondly, the hamsters turned out to be terribly greedy. Little fat Khomulya always walked around with lollipops, and if he saw Vovka or Veronica, he immediately hid the lollipop behind his back.

And thirdly, Khomikha never invited them to her house and did not treat them to anything. Although Vovka was burning with curiosity: what was inside them? He had never seen how hamsters live.

And then one day my mother announced that they were invited to a housewarming party. Vovka was forced to wash her face, and Veronica was tied with a new bow.

Mom prepared a gift - colored cornflower blue curtains. And dad took a bottle of healing rowan tincture. Vovka was very surprised when, besides them, there was no one at the housewarming party.

Why won't the hares come? And there won't be any beavers either?

We decided not to invite them,” Khomikha said. - They are too noisy!

Hamsters didn't like noise. Vovka thought that they would sing songs and dance, but instead they sat at the table and ate. True, Khomikha prepared very tasty pies. But when the pies ran out, there was absolutely nothing to do. And Vovka invited Khomula to play hide and seek.

There were eight or ten rooms in the badger hole, but it was not easy to hide: everything was filled with furniture, sacks, bales, bags and suitcases. Vovka drove first and immediately found both Veronica and Khomulya. Veronica always hid in the same place - under her mother's skirt. And Khomulya, even while hiding, loudly smacked his candy. Khomulya took him next. Vovka climbed into the closet, hid between the bags and fell silent. Fat Khomulya looked for him for a long time, and then ran to complain to dad that he couldn’t find the hedgehog. Finally, Vovka had enough - he got out and went to surrender. - Where have you been? - Khomulya asked him.

“In the closet,” said Vovka.

I knew it! - Khoma sighed.

“You didn’t know anything, it’s not true,” said Vovka.

Show me which closet you were sitting in?

Vovka showed.

“I knew it,” Khoma sighed again. - You scratched the polish.

Indeed, a small scratch was visible on the wall of the cabinet.

There was very little space there,” Vovka said.

But the owner was very upset. He returned to the closet several times, sighed heavily and shook his head.

There are so many losses from these moves,” he said. - Beavers soaked a bag of grain - once. Khomulya lost two molds. And now the cabinet is scratched - three. At the same time, he looked at the hedgehog as if Vovka had wet the bag and lost Khomulin’s molds.

“Don’t be upset,” said Veronica Khomule. - I have a lot of. I'll give you mine.

How greedy! - Vovka could not resist when they returned from visiting.

“You can’t say that,” my mother said. - They are our neighbors.

And if they weren’t our neighbors, would we be able to say that? - Veronica asked.

“Greedy is not a good word,” Dad explained. - We must say: economical or economical.

Well, then,” Vovka sighed, “they are VERY thrifty. SHISHINA-MACHINEOne day the hedgehogs went for a walk. Papa Hedgehog took mom’s hand, mom took Veronica’s hand, and Veronica took an umbrella by the handle in case it rained and the fir cones were torn off...

Only Vovka took nothing and scurried back and forth along the road, not knowing what to do. And then they met hamsters: dad Khoma was walking his son Khomul. Khomuli had a bright red lollipop in one hand and a balloon in the other.

While his parents were talking with Khoma about various adult topics, Vovka decided to steal Khomulin’s elegant balloon. He had almost bitten through the thread. And suddenly the ball BANG!

Get down! - Hama shouted, deciding that they were being shot at, and together with Khamulya fell to the ground. Papa Hedgehog, Mom Hedgehog and Veronika dived into the bushes. And Vovka remained standing on the road with a burst balloon on his head.

Finally, everyone understood what had happened. What started here!

Mom began to scold Vovka in front of everyone. Dad helped Hama dust off his new corduroy jacket. And fat Hamulya burst into tears and demanded another ball.

Veronica behaved best of all. She picked up a large pine cone and handed it to Homula:

Here, take it! “I don’t need cones,” Khomulya stamped his feet. - I want a ball!

“It’s not a bump,” Veronica said. - And Shishina is a machine. You can tie a thread to it and roll it behind you as much as you want.

Hedgehog's mother, who had anything in her bag, just in case, took out a harsh thread and tied it to the Shishina-machine.

Hamulya was delighted: Shishina the car was driving behind him and gathering dust like a real one.

And Vovka made a large air cracker out of a torn balloon: he inflated small bubbles and slammed them on the needles. HOW VOVKA THE HEDGEHOG PLAYED FOOTBALL They played football on Bolshaya Sportivnaya Polyana. Team of beavers versus team of hares. Vovka was hired as the goalkeeper. Because hares do not stand well on the goal and, when the ball flies at them, they run away from the field. But Vovka was not afraid of the ball, and even vice versa - he rushed at the ball and the attackers. And then - once! The ball burst! There was booing in the stands. The ball was sealed with pine resin and the game continued. But the beavers broke through to the gate again. Vovka the Hedgehog boldly threw himself at the feet of the attacker and - boom! - the ball made a hole with its head again. And besides, he pierced the attacker.

And then everyone attacked Vovka:

Get out of here! You ruined our whole football game! And they kicked out the hedgehog, and instead put a hare on the goal.

Vovka almost cried from resentment. Is it his fault that he has sharp needles? Was he bad at throwing the ball?

Uncle, what are you doing here? - Vovka asked with curiosity.

Well, I got lost, drove into a swamp, and the motorcycle stalled. - The motorcyclist threw his dirty helmet on the ground and wiped sweat from his forehead.

Don't you know the way to Petukhovka? - he asked. “I know,” said Vovka. - She is there…

The motorcyclist was delighted and began to push the motorcycle to a dry place. Vovka helped him with all his might. Of course, it was of little use. But he puffed very loudly.

Finally they got the motorcycle out on the road. The motorcyclist started kicking the motorcycle again. Tom apparently got tired of it, and he got wound up: bang-tah-tah-tah-tah...

Thank you,” said the motorcyclist, “You helped me a lot.” What's your name?

“Wow,” the motorcyclist was surprised. - And me too, Vovka. I work as a tractor driver in the village. So come visit!

And then Vovka asked:

Tell me, did you leave the helmet for good? If you don't need it, I'll take it for myself.

Ah, helmet! - recalled the motorcyclist Volodya. - Why do you need him?

I play football! - said Vovka. - And I can’t go without a helmet. My balls have holes.

“I also play football,” Volodya said. - Well, if this is the case, take it. I give it. I have another one!

And he roared off down the road. And Vovka picked up his helmet and ran to the Sports Glade. The new goalkeeper turned out to be completely useless. And the hares lost with a score of 10:3.

When the score became 11:3, Vovka could not stand it and began to beg.

There will be no more punctures! - he promised. - I have a real football helmet.

After consulting, the hares placed Vovka on the gate. And the hedgehog proved that he is an excellent goalkeeper: he desperately rushed at the ball and did not miss a single goal. The match ended with a score of 13:11 in favor of the hares. The hares rushed to rock Vovka. First they rocked Vovka, and then Vovka and the helmet, because the hedgehog jumped out of it... The “real football helmet” was too big for him.

At home, he asked his mother to sew him special suspender ties. He even refused to have dinner without a helmet. And he was going to go to bed in it. But then mom got angry and said that if Vovka didn’t take it off, she would take the helmet to the village herself and give it to the motorcyclist Volodya. Vovka sighed and agreed. Because there is no real football without a helmet! BLUEBERRY Not far from the hedgehog hole there was a small Elk swamp. They called it Elk because Elk drowned in it many years ago. That's what the adults said. Maybe they said that so that the children would not go alone to the swamp.

Vovka ran there several times with his friend the hare Senka to jump on the bumps. The bumps began to move under them: down - up, down - up, squish - splat, squelch - splat... My heart jumped out of my chest, then sank into my heels. It was fun and scary.

In general, Senka was a desperate hare. He ran zigzags throughout the swamp and one day, in a terrible secret, he told Vovka that he had seen moose antlers sticking out of the moss. Vovka believed his friend. Once it even seemed to him that he also saw moose antlers, but it turned out to be an ordinary dry snag. Not only hummocks grew on the Moose Swamp, blueberries appeared there in the middle of summer, and lingonberries and cranberries appeared there in the fall. And the hedgehogs with their whole family went there to pick berries.

This year the blueberries ripened earlier than usual. Dad took rubber boots out of the closet so his feet wouldn't get wet. And mom prepared the dishes: for dad - a large can, for herself - a glass jar on a string, and Vovka and Veronika were given a mug each. Veronica, who was taken to pick berries for the first time, was indignant all the way that she was given a small mug, and Vovka - a large one. Although she will collect more. But, seeing the first blueberry bush, Veronica completely forgot about her mug and began stuffing the berries into her mouth.

By evening, dad filled a can full, mom - a jar, Vovka - a large mug, and Veronica filled her belly so much that she barely made it home. She was so smeared with blueberries that her face turned blue and her tongue turned black.

Well, did you collect the most? - Vovka asked sarcastically.

In response, Veronica stuck her tongue out at her brother. And then Vovka decided to play a prank on her.

Remember, he said. - The one who sticks his tongue out at others turns into the Old Black Woman, and his tongue becomes black and falls off.

The old Chernukha woman was sometimes used to scare naughty children in the forest. Veronica looked at herself in the mirror and screamed in horror:

Mother! I turned into the Old Chernukha Woman! My tongue is falling off! Mom and Dad came running to the scream. They calmed Veronica, and scolded Vovka so that he would not scare his sister.

But little Veronica liked this game. And for several more days, until her tongue was washed off, she jumped out of the bushes screaming:

Ooh! I am the Old Woman-Chernukha!

And she stuck her tongue out at everyone.

HOW VERONICA COMPOSED A POEM However, the story with the blueberries did not end there. One day, Veronica found a bottle of ink on her dad’s desk. The fact is that Papa Hedgehog has been writing the book “THE FOREST PHARMACY” for the second year. In it, he described medicinal plants and herbs that can be used to treat various diseases. Gave useful advice and recipes. The book had the following chapters: “Our helper is the plantain,” “Spruce, pine and oak splinters,” “How many vitamins are in hare cabbage?” and much more. So, seeing the ink on the table, Veronica decided that it was blueberry compote, and drank the entire bottle in one gulp. Then she screamed terribly.

Anyone who has ever tried ink knows that it tastes completely different from compote.

Luckily, dad was at home. He immediately gave Veronica a gastric lavage, forced her to drink a bunch of powders and laid her on the sofa.

Veronica was quiet and thoughtful all evening. And when the family began to go to bed, she suddenly said loudly:

Blueberries are a joy.

Ink is disgusting...

But they don’t give the hedgehog blueberry compote!

Mom decided that Veronica was delirious. But dad was delighted:

These are real poems! Our daughter has developed a poetic talent! And who would have thought that ink...

He was even going to start a study on the effect of ink on the poetic abilities of hedgehogs. But Vovka’s mother did not give offense and did not allow experiments to be carried out on him. From that day on, Veronica the hedgehog began to compose poems, and dad carefully wrote them down in a special notebook. When guests came to the house, he always demanded that Veronica read something new. He especially liked two poems:

In one forest

At eight o'clock

The wolves ate sausage!

Hamster was walking along the road...

And - smack! - This is a real masterpiece! - Dad said. - Brief and brilliant.

True, the hamsters did not like this masterpiece, and for some time they even stopped visiting. Although my mother made very tasty pies with hare cabbage.

“Well, let them be offended,” said dad. - They simply don’t understand anything about poetry!

In truth, Vovka thought his sister’s poems were stupid, but since everyone around him admired them, he decided that he didn’t understand anything about it either. BUGS One day, his friend the hare Senka came running to Vovka the hedgehog.

Do you have any threads?

Eat. And why do you need it? Did you tear your pants again? Senka shook his head:

Drag! You’ll see now. Vovka took a spool of thread from his mother’s table and ran out into the street.

Here look! Bronzovik!

Senka had a beetle in his paw. In the sun it sparkled like a real emerald or even a piece of green bottle glass.

“I hit him with my ear,” Senka boasted. Bronze beetles usually appeared in June. They flew between the trees like small airplanes and hummed loudly. But catching them was not so easy.

It’s good for Senka: he jumped high, and his ears are long. And Vova has small ears and short legs.

Why do you need threads? - Vovka asked, admiring the bronze car.

Launch the beetle. - Senka tied a thread to the back leg of the beetle and threw it up.

With a loud buzzing, the bronze aircraft took off into the air and began to rush around in circles.

Great! - said Vovka. - Yes, so can I.

Certainly. - Senka handed him the reel.

So they took turns releasing the beetle until Veronica appeared in the clearing.

“I want it too,” she said.

“Don’t you see, the beetle is tired,” said Vovka.

Okay,” the hare waved his paw, “let him go.”

Just hold the thread tightly,” the brother warned.

Veronica was happy. She ran all over the clearing and squealed enthusiastically until the thread got tangled in the hazel bushes and broke.

Well, - Vovka was upset, - I missed the beetle.

Veronica was upset too.

Then Senka was called home.

It’s okay, I’ll catch you tomorrow,” he said and ran away.

After lunch, Vovka took a plastic bag and went to the wild raspberry patch to pick some berries. He went down into a small hollow and suddenly heard a strange buzzing. White fragrant bushes grew in the hollow, the names of which Vovka did not know. So... All these bushes were covered with bronze bushes. There were hundreds, maybe thousands. Vovka even froze at first, not knowing what to do. But then I decided that the raspberries wouldn’t run away, but the bronze birds could fly away. Vovka shook the first bush, and about two dozen beetles fell to the ground like a ripe berry. While the beetles were figuring out what was what, Vovka collected them in a bag and shook the next bush... Half an hour later he had a bag full of beetles. Vovka had never been so happy in his life. He imagined how he would show this bag to Senka, and they would divide the bronze medalists in half. And they will launch them one at a time, two at a time, in entire squadrons, or even stage an air battle. And then an amazing thought came into his head: if you tie threads to all the beetles, then you can fly on them... First he will rise into the air, then he will let Senka fly, then Veronica... However, about Veronica he will have to think more.

At home, Vovka found a large cake box. He poked several holes in it so that the beetles would not suffocate. Then he laid grass on the bottom, poured out the beetles from the bag and closed the box with a lid, and put slippers on top, just in case. “Someone is scratching under your bed,” Veronica said when they went to bed.

It seems to you,” said Vovka. “It doesn’t seem like anything.” What if it's a mouse? - Veronica has long dreamed of having a pet mouse, and a white one at that. - Now I’ll get up and take a look!

“This is not a mouse,” said Vovka, realizing that he couldn’t get away from his sister, “These are bugs in the box.” I found a hundred bronzes. Or more.

A hundred bronzes?! - Veronica even jumped in bed. - Let me have a look!

You'll see tomorrow! - said Vovka. - Why tomorrow?!

If you don’t pester me, tomorrow I’ll give you one beetle,” Vovka yawned. - Tomorrow!

Well, okay,” Veronica agreed.

Vovka was so tired during the day that he instantly fell asleep. And he had a wonderful dream: as if he was flying over the forest on a flock of beetles, and everyone was waving their paws at him - dad, mom, and everyone else... And Veronica kept tossing and turning, and the beetles kept scratching and scratching. And the longer they scraped, the more curious she became. Finally, Veronica couldn’t stand it and, making sure that her brother was sleeping, she looked into the box. After admiring the beetles, she closed the box and fell asleep with a clear conscience. But either she did not put the slippers back, or did not close the lid tightly... Papa Hedgehog woke up in the middle of the night because someone was crawling on his nose. Dad opened his eyes and saw a beetle. “What nonsense?” - Dad muttered and brushed the beetle away with his paw. But then someone began to tickle his heel with a mustache. Dad couldn't stand it and turned on the light...

Bugs crawled on the pillow and blanket, on the floor and furniture. And one began to attack the light bulb under the ceiling with a buzz. “What disgusting!” - said the mother, whose beetle was stuck in her needles and was buzzing disgustingly. Mom began to beat the bugs with a towel and sweep them out of the threshold with a broom. - And where did they come from here?! Shoo, shoot out of here! Vovka, who woke up from their screams, at first did not understand anything, and then looked under the bed, saw an empty box... And almost cried.

He managed to catch a dozen fugitives and put them back in the box. The next morning he told Senka about everything. Friends ran to the white fragrant bushes. But there were no more beetles there.

“Okay, don’t be sad,” said the hare. - I know a place by the stream. There are so many dragonflies there in the spring - not even hundreds, but thousands. So you and I will fly again...

Vovka thought and agreed. And for several more days beetles were found in a variety of places: either in the closet with linen, then in dad’s shoes, or in a pan with compote...

But Vovka didn’t care about them anymore. He distributed them to everyone he knew and thought: “Just think, beetles! Here are the dragonflies... they are more beautiful, and bigger, and fly higher!” HOW THE FROG APPEARED IN THE HOUSE It was a hot, hot summer. All the puddles in the area have dried up. Even the Moose Swamp has dried up. And the hedgehogs had to go to the Far Stream for water.

It was then that Jezhikh’s mother decided to make okroshka. She chopped onions, cucumbers, dill, parsley and other nonsense. I filled it with kvass and placed it on the summer veranda.

Children, have lunch! - she called. - We have okroshka today!

I don't want okroshka! - Veronica whined.

I can't stand her! - Vovka muttered gloomily.

“Ten spoons for everyone,” said mom.

She poured it first for dad, who immediately began smacking his lips and licking his lips. He always supported his mother. Then they poured okroshka for Vovka. And then the okroshka ran out and said: KVA! And she looked out of the pan...

Wow! - said Vovka. - Frog!

Hooray! - Veronica screamed, delighted that she didn’t have to eat okroshka.

Is okroshka made with frogs? - Dad stopped licking his lips.

I'm not a frog, but a frog! - declared the frog, jumping out of the pan.

Excuse me, what were you doing there? - Mom asked politely. “I was trying to escape the heat,” said the Frog. - Well, I drank a little kva-kvass.

“Mom, can we leave him with us,” Veronica asked. - He will die without water.

Do you know how to catch flies? - asked Vovka.

Yeah! - said the frog. - I mainly feed on flies and mosquitoes. - And, jumping over the table, he swallowed a fly. Then another one. Then more...

You see, mom! - said Vovka.

Mom and Dad consulted and decided to leave the Frog, because he could be of great use in the house. Dad sometimes used it instead of a cold compress for patients. And my mother used it in the kitchen to prevent cabbage soup and milk from souring. And, of course, all the flies and mosquitoes immediately disappeared from the house.

True, other products began to disappear from the house. Because although the Frog ate mainly flies and mosquitoes, he was very voracious and ate everything.

So mom had to lock the closet.

“What can you do,” Dad sighed. - A refrigerator would cost us even more!

And Veronica composed the following poem about the Frog:

We have a tame frog.

It eats harmful flies.

He eats flies and mosquitoes,

And he eats, of course, be healthy! FOR MUSHROOMS Vovka the hedgehog did not like mushroom soup. But he liked picking mushrooms. He could recognize any mushroom by its smell. With my eyes closed.

This summer - due to drought - there were no mushrooms for a long time. And then one day dad said:

There are boletus in the pine forest!

Who are the boletus? And where did they go? - Veronica became interested.

“You’ll see tomorrow,” dad said.

The next day mom had a lot of work. Therefore, three of us went for mushrooms: dad, Vovka and Veronica. On the way, dad told me what kinds of mushrooms there are and where they grow. But Veronica hardly listened to him, she darted back and forth across the grass. She really wanted to find the first mushroom. And she found him. It turned out to be a fly agaric.

Look how big it is! - she shouted.

This is a fly agaric. It's inedible! - said Vovka.

But he’s handsome,” Veronica insisted. - Besides, there are a lot of flies in the house. And our Frog got lazy.

They tell you he is harmful...

You yourself are harmful!

If Veronica started to argue, then it was useless to argue with her.

Well, okay,” Dad sighed. - We'll pick him up on the way back! Just don’t try to try unfamiliar mushrooms: they may turn out to be poisonous.

Which mushroom is the best? - Veronica asked.

White,” said Vovka. - I found a clearing last year. There were fifteen white people on it.

And I will find a clearing, there will be even more on it! - And Veronica ran forward.

Soon joyful cries were heard:

Found it! Look how many white people there are!

Vovka looked at the mushrooms and snorted:

These are not white.

How not white, when white?

These mushrooms are called molokanki. - Vovka picked one mushroom. - You see, the milk is coming. They are inedible and bitter.

Veronica licked the milk and immediately began spitting. So she spat all the way to the pine forest. Dad and Vovka went into the pine trees, and Veronica remained at the edge. To be honest, she was tired of picking mushrooms: sometimes they were inedible, sometimes they were poisonous. It's either the strawberry thing or not. There were a lot of strawberries at the edge of the forest. Veronica ate to her fill and sat down to rest... Vovka had filled the basket almost full when he heard his sister’s cry:

Ay! Save! Someone grabbed me!

Without hesitation, Vovka rushed to help: what if his little sister was grabbed by a wolf or a fox? At the same time, dad jumped out to the edge of the forest.

Save! Help! - Veronica sat on a large oil can and screamed desperately.

“Calm down,” said dad, unsticking her from the sticky mushroom. - See, you found a mushroom! Excellent oiler. And so big!

Vovka and dad brought two full baskets home. And Veronica brought two mushrooms: an oil dish, to which she stuck, and a fly agaric. The stubborn hedgehog finally picked him up on the way back!

At home, the mushrooms were poured onto a bench and laid out in piles: sow mushrooms - to fry, saffron milk caps - to be salted, butter mushrooms - to be pickled, and porcini mushrooms and boletus mushrooms - to be dried. Dad wanted to hang the mushrooms on a clothesline stretched between two birch trees. But mom said:

We will dry it the old fashioned way. Put mushrooms on me!

Dad tried to convince her, but Jerzykha was adamant:

My grandmother did this too.

Mom took a stool out of the house and sat down in the sun. And Vovka and Veronica began pricking mushrooms on her needles. At first, mom began to look like a Christmas tree with toys, and then - like a mushroom stump... Some neighbors didn’t even recognize her.

“These hedgehogs are lucky,” said Khoma, who was passing by, with envy. - They have mushrooms growing right next to their house!

And when mom greeted the Hare, she got scared and ran away.

So mother sat until the evening, until the sun disappeared behind the birches.

“You’re probably tired,” Vovka said, removing mushrooms from her.

This, of course, is not easy,” my mother sighed. - But this way the mushrooms dry better...

When mom entered the house, she smelled so delicious that dad couldn’t resist kissing her. And Veronica composed a poem:

Our dear mother -

Very tasty, mushroom!

Our mom smells like

Just like Gribama! HOW VOVKA LEARNED TO SWIM Parents strictly forbade Vovka and Veronica to go to the Far Stream alone.

We hedgehogs don't know how to swim. So stay away from the water...

If you want, I can teach you,” Frog once suggested. - It's very simple. First with the front paws - one-two, then with the hind paws - one-two, then again with the front paws - one-two...

“I agree,” Vovka was delighted.

And me,” Veronica squeaked.

“But I don’t,” said my mother. - The stream is fast and deep.

“In our paddling pool, it’s shallow, like in a bowl of soup,” noted Frog. - By the way, what are we having for lunch? After drinking three mugs of compote, the Frog galloped off to the stream, where the frogs had their singing sessions in the evenings. He became especially frequent there after the cute frog Marina appeared. The frog was crazy about her and tried to outdo the rest of his relatives in jumping into the water, and in swimming, and in singing.

“We definitely need to learn to swim,” Vovka told his sister when they were left alone.

For what? - Veronica asked.

Do you remember what dad told you about the fox?

The sister nodded. Dad said that if you curl up in a ball, no predator, not even a fox, is afraid of them. But foxes are very cunning: if there is a stream or river nearby, they roll the hedgehog like a ball and push it into the water. The hedgehog opens up in the water, and then... Then Veronica began to whine and did not want to listen.

So, - said Vovka. - If we learn to swim, we’ll just swim away from the fox, that’s all!

Veronica looked at her older brother with admiration.

Great! - she squeaked. - But I'm afraid... what if dad and mom find out?

They won’t know,” said Vovka. - And if they find out, they will be proud!

The next day the hedgehogs went to the stream. Veronica looked around all the time: would any of her friends see them? But, fortunately, they did not meet anyone on the way. The Frog was waiting for them on the shore in the company of a small frog, Marina. The frog was an ordinary one, only her eyes were emerald and not so bulging.

These are Vov-kva and Veroni-kva, my students,” Frog boasted to her. - I organized the only swimming school in the world for hedgehogs. There are one hundred and thirty-seven ways of swimming. Frog-like, dog-like, bull-like, dolphin-like, penguin-like...

How can I swim? - asked Vovka.

You will swim in a specially designed style. Remember rule one: the main thing is to get more air into your chest. An empty bottle does not sink because it contains air. So, imagine that you are a bottle, or a ball, or a ball. Now rule two: do not open your mouth in water. The third rule is simple: row with all your paws - one-two, one-two, one-two...

The frog began waving his paws, demonstrating his swimming technique and for some reason addressing Marina:

This is how they swim like a goose, like a duck, like a horse...

Vovka got tired of waiting for Frog to list all one hundred and thirty-seven ways. And he decided to try it himself.

The paddling pool was really small. The hedgehog bravely entered the water, took in air and began paddling with its paws, as the Frog had shown. He couldn't imagine himself as a bottle. But he easily imagined that he was a blue balloon floating in the sky... Vovka himself did not notice how the paddling pool ended. The fast current picked him up and carried him away. The hedgehog even closed his eyes with pleasure, and when he opened his eyes, he saw that the shore was far away and that Veronica was waving her paws and shouting something to him... And then the air in his chest ran out. Frog did not explain what to do in such cases. Vovka was scared. He began to beat the water with his paws and, finally, unable to bear it, shouted:

Save me, I’m drowning... Then water got into his mouth, and he sank to the bottom.

Fortunately, at that moment the Frog finished his lecture and, not seeing the hedgehog in the paddling pool, began jumping along the shore and screaming desperately:

Kwa-kwa-kwaraul! Vovka drowned!

Veronica, smearing her tears, squealed:

Vovka, come back! Mom and Dad will fight! Vovka!

These cries were heard by the beaver Boris, who was building a new dam nearby. The beaver dived into the stream, pulled Vovka out of the water and performed artificial respiration on him.

Where I am? - Vovka asked, opening his eyes: he had never been to a beaver’s hut.

“Well, you’re a swimmer,” the beaver grumbled into his mustache, wringing out his wet vest. - This is the first time I’ve seen hedgehogs dive.

“Just don’t tell your mother,” Vovka asked. “Otherwise she’ll never let me swim again.”

However, the parents already found out about everything. The Frog's screams and croaks could be heard throughout the forest. For saving a drowning man, mom gave the beaver a rug for the beaver's hut, and dad gave him a bottle of a special tincture for rheumatism. And the children and the coach were punished: all three were left without sweets for a week. Vovka and Veronica - without jam, and Frog - without flies in the jam.

NUTS There are mushroom years, there are berry years, and there are also nut years. This year turned out to be nutty. There were so many nuts that Vova’s eyes ran in different directions, and little Veronica felt dizzy.

The time has not come for nuts, said mom. - It's too early.

“It’s so early,” Vovka snorted. - Look how many of them there are hanging. Otherwise the squirrels will collect everything.

They won't collect everything. Yes, they don’t collect them yet.

They're still collecting. I saw them in the hazel tree yesterday myself.

One morning Vovka took a basket and a fishing rod and headed to the hazel tree, and Veronica naturally followed.

Why do you need a fishing rod? - she asked.

You’ll see,” said Vovka.

On the way, fat Khomulya followed them.

Why do you need a fishing rod? - he chuckled stupidly. - Or are you going to fish in the hazel grove?

Finally they came. There really was an abyss of Orekhov. But no matter how hard Khomulya and Veronika jumped, they could not get a single nut.

Then Vovka unwound the fishing rod, chose a richer bush and, unwinding the fishing line, threw it to the top. The hook is caught. The hedgehog began to pull the fishing line and bend the bush to the ground. But the hazel tree turned out to be unusually resilient.

What are you watching? - Vovka shouted. - Let's pull!

Veronica and Khomulya rushed to his aid. The bush gradually bent down to the ground. The nuts were already above my head.

Khomulya and I will hold, and you, Veronica, tear!

While Vovka and Khomulya were holding the branch, Veronica quickly collected nuts.

Phew, phew,” Vovka puffed: his paws were completely numb. - How many more are there?

“Many, many,” Veronica squealed enthusiastically. And then it occurred to Khomula that he might be deceived. Five large nuts hung right in front of his nose. “I’ll grab more for myself too,” he thought, reached for the nuts and released the branch. The hazel tree straightened up - and Vovka flew up along with the nuts. And hung on the top. It was high to the ground.

Burdock! - he shouted at Khomulya. - Now run, call someone.

Khomulya immediately ran away. But he didn’t say anything to anyone, since he went to get nuts without asking. And Vovka was still waiting for him and cursing desperately. Veronica sat downstairs and groaned: she would have run for help, but she was afraid of getting lost.

And then the familiar little squirrel Filya appeared next to Vovka.

Hello! What is it, you decided to climb trees? - he asked sarcastically.

“Yeah,” muttered Vovka. He really wanted to crack the little squirrel, but his paws were busy. - I do gymnastics.

Oh well! - said Filya and ran away.

And Vovka hung with all his strength and thought:

“Well, wait a minute, Khomulya! I'll arrange it for you..."

And then Filya appeared again. But not alone, four of his sisters rode with him.

Hold on tight!

The squirrels - one after another - began to jump onto Vovka’s branch. The branch sank very low. And Vovka safely jumped to the ground.

Oof! - he said.

Veronica took the nuts out of her pocket and offered them to the squirrels:

Help yourself!

They are not very ripe yet. We've already tried it! - they said. However, they did not refuse the treat.

Come visit us. “I’ll teach you to climb trees,” Filya said to Vovka goodbye.

“I still have two nuts left,” Veronica told her brother as they approached the house.

For Khomuli?

Not for Khomuli, but for dad and mom.

Veronica told her mother everything, although Vovka was against it. “I told you it was too early,” said Jerzykha. - Ripe nuts fall off on their own. Spread out a sheet, shake the bush, and nuts will fall out.

Will you give us a sheet? - asked Vovka. Mom promised to give me an old sheet. And the hedgehog decided that in a week or two they would go to the hazel grove again. And they will have a real nut fall. But he will never take Khomulya with him. PINE CUM The squirrels played tag on the pine tree.

Hello! - they shouted when they saw Vovka. - Climb towards us, or are you just climbing for nuts?

“Don’t pay attention to them,” said Filya, going down to Vovka. - Girls are girls. They should just tease! And if you want, I will really teach you. If you’re not afraid.” “Not a bit,” said Vovka.

Veronica brought with her a collection of colored bottle glass. While the squirrel girls were looking at her treasures, Filya climbed up and brought some kind of jar.

Do you know what this is? - he asked Vovka.

This is pine gum. I saw how much I collected!

Is it tasty? - asked Vovka.

Vovka put a piece in his mouth. And then he spat it out.

What are you doing? - Filya shouted, “I spent a whole month collecting it, and you...

“She’s bitter,” Vovka winced.

“This is at first,” said the little squirrel. - And then you chew it, and you know how tasty it becomes! We also use it as glue. It's terribly sticky. If you smear it on your paws, you can climb anywhere. Just smear it a little, otherwise it will stick and won’t come off. We'll have to lift you from the pine tree with a crane.

Vovka coated all four paws in turn and climbed up. At first he was very scared. But the pine gum held up well. And he got to the bottom branch, then to another, and then suddenly he found himself in front of a hollow, the Hedgehog looked down. The squirrels and Veronica were still looking at the pieces of glass.

Hey, hey, hey! - he shouted.

Veronica and the squirrels did not hear him. But Belchikha heard.

What did you come up with? - she attacked her son. - And if he falls, who will be responsible for him?

“I won’t fall,” said Vovka. - I'm clever.

Then Vovka climbed another tree. Then on to the third. He helped himself with needles and almost kept up with the squirrels. Only the hedgehog didn’t know how to jump like them, but when they played cones, Vovka never lost, because he caught the cones with needles and threw more accurately. Filya showed him several secret places where he collected resin. And Vovka got himself a large supply of pine chewing gum. In general, he returned home happy, dirty and sticky. Vovka gave some resin to his sister to try. But Veronica didn't like the chewing gum. She started spitting and eventually threw it somewhere.

And then the troubles started. Vovka wanted to read - and became glued to the book, so much so that several pages were torn. He was about to throw away the scraps of paper, but he stuck to the trash can and spilled all the trash on himself. Seeing Vovka, my mother gasped:

And where did you get this nasty stuff? There was resin on the paws, on the stomach, on the needles... It took probably two hours for mom to tear the gum off of Vovka. Or Vovka from chewing gum. The hedgehog endured it, although it was very painful when mom pulled the resin out of the needles.

After this, Jerzykha herself was glued several times to the door handle, to the buffet, or to the pan in which she was cooking mushroom soup. And to top it all off, dad, after having dinner, tried to get up from the table and couldn’t, because he sat down on a wad of chewing gum thrown by Veronica. Mom had to cut out a piece of his trouser leg with scissors and put a patch on it.

So that I don't see your chewing gum again! - she stated decisively. - Drag it again, I’ll stick you on it, and you’ll sit at home.

And in general, it’s not a hedgehog’s thing to climb trees,” dad wisely remarked.

But Vovka thought differently. And soon he came up with a way to avoid getting dirty. He took his old gloves, coated them with resin, and climbed trees very well in them. And when he got down, he hid them under an old stump, in a hiding place where he kept his most valuable things. There the hedgehog put away his gloves, a supply of chewing gum, and a long strong rope - in general, all his climbing equipment. Because I decided that when I grew up, I would definitely become a rock climber.

He also came up with a way to make pine gum sweet. When mom made jam, he would quietly throw a piece of resin into the pan. The strawberry gum was especially tasty.

True, the jam, my mother complained, was a little bitter.

FROG-TRAVELER One day the Frog galloped up to the house with a loud croak:

Qua-rable! I found the qua-rable!

And Vovka, and Veronica, and dad and mom hurried to the stream. A large black galosh was swaying near the shore. The galosh was torn in places, and water was splashing at the bottom. “Well, croak?” - asked the frog. - Isn't that a great qua-rabble?

Dad spread his paws:

So what are you going to do with it?

“I’m going on a trip around the world,” Frog proudly declared. - Autumn is coming, and I don’t want to spend the winter in a swamp. I will sail to the warm southern seas, and when spring comes, I will return to my native land...

From excitement, Frog could not stand still. He galloped back and forth, here and there, as if right now he was going to jump on his ship and sail to the southern seas.

The beaver Boris emerged from the water, carefully examined the galosh and scratched the back of his head.

I once saw a real yacht. It had sails. You can't sail far without sails...

Besides,” Dad noted, “the holes need to be tarred.” Otherwise, this old galosh will quickly sink.

The frog somehow immediately became sad and stopped jumping. Vovka felt sorry for him:

Let's help him. I'll ask the squirrels, they'll bring resin. And mom will sew the sails...

“I have nothing else to do,” said my mother. But, after thinking a little, she agreed: “Okay, I’ll give him the old dress.” There will be enough for sails, and even for a flag.

Pirate, with a skull,” Frog instantly perked up.

No skulls. My dress has blue stripes.

That same day my mother cut out the dress. There was enough material for a sail, a flag, and even a vest for the captain.

Meanwhile, the traveler himself was busy preparing provisions: he dried flies for a month of voyage. Papa Hedgehog collected for him a traveling first aid kit with medicinal herbs in case of seasickness. And my mother sewed a warm, waterproof blanket.

“Two,” asked Frog.

Why two? You are sailing to the southern seas!

“I’m not floating, but floating,” Frog explained to his mother. - Marina agreed to sail with me... even to the ends of the world.

The rumor about the Frog-traveler spread throughout the forest. And everyone immediately wanted to take part in equipping the expedition.

At Vovka’s request, little squirrel Phil and his sisters brought resin, caulked the holes and tarred the bottom.

The beaver cut an excellent mast from a strong oak branch, on which they set sails from his mother’s dress.

The hare brought two wooden spoons - in case there was no wind and oars were needed.

Even the thrifty Khoma became generous and brought along an old fork with two broken tines.

What is this for? - Vovka was surprised. - Great thing! Shark hunting harpoon! - Khoma explained.

Preparations for the trip took a whole week. And then the day of departure arrived. The galoshes, shining with brand new painted sides, swayed by the shore. Marina the Frog listened to the latest advice: how to mend the sails if they were torn by a storm, and how to apply a compress correctly if the Frog suffered from sunstroke.

And in general, take care of him,” Jezhikh’s mother sighed. - He's so clueless.

And the captain himself, in a new vest, jumped along the shore, shaking the paws of everyone who came to see him off. Finally, Marina managed to drag the traveler on board. And Veronica read her poem in honor of the celebration:

At Captain Lyosha's

A ship made of galoshes.

Goodbye, captain,

Come back to us again!

Then the combined choir of frogs sang the song “Farewell, dear swamp!” They croaked so soulfully that many had tears in their eyes. And so Frog pulled out of the water an anchor made from Vovka’s spoon, and the galosh floated. And everyone waved after her until she disappeared around the bend.

“I didn’t even know that his name was Lyosha,” dad said when they returned home.

“Me too,” my mother admitted. - But he lived with us almost the entire summer. How inattentive we still are to those around us.

Veronica remembered how the Frog wanted to teach them to swim, and everyone agreed that he was very sweet and nice.

Vovka was silent. I'm ashamed to admit, but he envied the Frog. And he also wanted to go on some kind of trip, so that everyone would see him off and wave after him. And so that they would say about him that he is very sweet and nice.

That day the hedgehog could not fall asleep for a long time. He decided that next year he would definitely hit the road. Maybe on a boat, or in a car, or even in a hot air balloon... He hasn't decided yet. But I firmly knew that it would be so. HOW VOVKA DEFEATED THE WOLF In the not-so-dense forest lived squirrels, hares, raccoons, hedgehogs and even one badger, which no one had ever seen. But neither wolves nor foxes were found there. The adults said that they used to live in these places, and then for some reason they left.

“Oh, it’s a pity,” said the hare Senka. - If a wolf appeared here, I would show him!

Senka practiced karate and sometimes demonstrated various tricks and strikes to Vovka the hedgehog. To do this, he chose rotten aspens and dry fir trees, and then hit them with force with his hind paws. It happened that a tree fell to the ground with a noise.

That’s what strong legs are for,” said Senka. He ran the fastest in the forest. Even his three older sisters could not keep up with him.

Senka kept getting into different situations: either he ran away from the forester’s dog, or, jumping out onto the highway, slipped under the wheels of a truck.

Vovka admired the strength, speed and courage of his friend. He himself would never have dared to do this. And then one day the magpie brought news: a wolf had appeared in the vicinity. No one in the forest particularly believed in the magpie, but everyone suddenly became worried. Classes at the forest school were temporarily canceled. Squirrels only came down from the trees as a last resort. The hare forbade the children to leave the house. And the hamsters blocked the back entrance and put another lock on the door, although there were already three of them.

Vovka and Veronica were also no longer allowed outside.

One fine day Vovka heard a familiar whistle, and Senka the hare appeared in front of the house.

“They locked you up,” Vovka was surprised.

And I ran away. Through the back door! Why, because of this wolf, will I hang around the house all day long and watch my sisters play with candy wrappers? Let's go on the swing!

The parents were not at home.

“Okay,” said the hedgehog. - But not for long.

They had almost reached the swing when a rustling sound was heard behind them. Vovka looked back and...

Before that, he had only seen a wolf in a picture. The real wolf turned out to be many times larger. And he had bigger teeth. And the eyes burned like swamp fires.

Vovka immediately realized that he could not escape home. The hedgehog's legs were short. And the wolf would have caught up with him in two seconds. He could have curled up into a ball, as his dad taught him. But Vova had another thought. No wonder the squirrels taught him to climb trees. He rushed to the nearest birch tree and, helping himself with needles, climbed onto a thick branch.

However, the wolf was not particularly interested in the hedgehog. He clicked his teeth and rushed at the hare. No matter how fast Senka ran, it was clear that the wolf would catch up with him. Senka began to run in circles, something he often did to make his pursuer feel dizzy. But the predator did not lag behind. The hedgehog understood that something had to be done.

Jump on the tree! - he shouted. Senka heard his friend’s advice and, jumping high, hung on the branch of a nearby birch tree.

The wolf looked in surprise at the hanging hedgehog and hare.

Well, hang on, hang on! - he said contemptuously to Senka. And he said nothing more. He considered talking to his prey beneath his dignity.

The wolf lay down under Senka’s birch tree and even closed his eyes, as if saying: “Well, where can you get away from me?”

Senka, pull yourself up! - Vovka shouted.

“I can’t,” moaned the hare. - My front legs are weak, I can’t stand it for long.

Vovka began to think feverishly. And then a saving idea flashed into his head - he needed to climb onto a nearby tree and help Senka climb onto the branch.

The branch of his birch tree just reached the one on which the unfortunate Senka was hanging. The height was small - Vovka climbed higher with squirrels.

“Hold on,” he told his friend and slowly began to move to a nearby birch tree. There was very little left to reach the goal, when suddenly a twig under his paw crunched and Vovka flew down...

Then Senka described the hedgehog’s feat like this.

He found himself above the wolf - and boldly jumped straight onto its back!

But Vovka felt completely different. He felt that he had landed on something soft and shaggy. And this soft and shaggy thing suddenly jumped up, howled and rushed off with terrible speed.

The wolf, with all one hundred and fifteen of Vovka’s needles pierced into his back, howled at the top of his voice and began to run. Vovka wanted to jump off, but the needles were stuck tightly in the predator’s fur. From the outside it looked as if Vovka was a cowboy riding a wild horse.

At times the wolf tried to shake the impudent hedgehog off his back, but nothing worked. It is not known how long this race would have lasted if they had not run into a low willow branch near the stream. The wolf slipped under a branch, and Vovka slammed into it with all his might. The branch bent and shot Vovka back. The wolf, without even looking back, jumped over the stream and disappeared. And the hedgehog quickly rushed home.

Mom and Dad weren't at home. Vovka wanted to reach an agreement with Senka so that he would not tell anyone anything. But it turns out that many in the forest saw this jump, and the rest heard a wolf howl.

On the same day, Vovka became a heroic figure. People came from neighboring groves to look at the hedgehog riding a wolf. Even Badger came, who was known as a homebody and left the house no more than once a year.

True, the hero was given a good thrashing at home. Vovka began to explain that he didn’t do it on purpose. But they didn’t believe him.

The worst thing is when they tell lies,” Papa Hedgehog was upset.

“This is all Senka’s influence,” said my mother.

“Well, okay,” thought Vovka. “Since no one believes the truth, let me be a hero...”

And a day later, Soroka brought new news: the wolves decided to get out of these places. She heard one wolf telling another that in the not-so-dense forest there were crazy hedgehogs who climbed trees and jumped on wolves.

Soroka claimed that she herself heard this conversation. Of course, no one really believed the magpie’s chatter. But the wolves didn’t appear again from that time on. CLEANING When the leaf fall ended, Hedgehog’s mother decided to do a big autumn cleaning. She began washing the windows. And she gave dad, Vovka and Veronica the task of cleaning around the house:

Look, the hares have cleaned up their territory. You won't find a dry twig or a leaf among hamsters. And we have?

“And our rake is broken,” said dad. - Since last year.

“Ask your neighbors,” my mother said.

Khoma gave dad a rake. But before that I counted all the teeth.

The rake is new,” said Khoma. - One handle and seven teeth.

Dad began to rake up the fallen leaves and then put them in one big pile. But since he was a little absent-minded, he kept stepping on the rake. When the rake hit dad on the forehead for the third time, he said:

It wasn't that he was in pain, he was just afraid of breaking the teeth. And then a thought occurred to Vovka.

Fuck them, this rake,” he said. “Do we have a mop?” “Yes,” Veronica was surprised. - What for?

You and I will sit on a mop, curl up in a ball, put out the needles - and we will collect garbage better than a rake.

Dad liked this idea. Cleaning went twice as fast. True, the new rake sometimes sneezed from the dust and jumped off the stick, but it worked cleanly and ran back on its own. It turned out to be a whole mountain of leaves. And the hedgehogs decided to make a big evening fire. Dad took the rake to Khoma, and Vovka ran into the house for matches. Mom had just finished cleaning the house and gave him another bag of trash to take out. Dad was about to light a fire when he suddenly saw scraps of some papers and old newspapers in the trash.

Where did this come from? - he asked.

“Mom gave it,” said Vovka.

Dad got terribly angry and ran into the house. It turns out that mom was wiping the windows with newspapers from dad’s file.

Where did you get this from? - Dad exclaimed, waving the pieces of paper indignantly.

Well, here it is, said mom. - I am trash from the house, and they are in the house.

“This is not trash,” said dad, “but my library.”

Sorry, please,” Mom said. - They were lying on your table, and I had nothing to wipe the windows with...

But you know that I am writing a medical book “Forest Pharmacy”. And newspapers now publish many different folk recipes.

Fortunately, although crumpled, all the sheets survived. And dad calmed down. But Veronica came running screaming. It turns out that mom threw her red bottle glass in the trash. Veronica had six precious bottle glasses. Three green, two white, and one red... And so mom threw away the red one. Most valuable.

Well, okay,” said mom. “Then I won’t clean up at all.” Get up to your ears in dirt.

It was clear that mom was offended. Then everyone began to persuade my mother. Calm her down.

If you want,” said Vovka, “you can at least throw away all my toys.”

And all my pieces of glass,” Veronica picked up.

And all my manuscripts,” Dad sighed. - You are more valuable to us.

Mom smiled and told everyone to wash their paws. And the children also had to wash their bellies and comb their hair properly.

“You had to get so dirty,” said my mother.

It's because we were rakes! - Veronica said proudly. SLEEPING Every day in the forest it became colder. And finally it snowed.

That's it, dad said. - It's time to prepare for hibernation.

What is hibernation? - Veronica asked.

“Nothing special,” said Dad. - This means that soon we will go to bed and wake up only in the spring. - Do all animals go into hibernation?

All. And squirrels, and raccoons, and even a badger...

“But the hares don’t lie down,” said Vovka. - Senka told me how they celebrated the New Year last winter.

Veronica, who had difficulty getting to bed even at ordinary times, began to be indignant:

And I don’t want to either. I also want to celebrate the New Year!

Mom looked at Vovka reproachfully and said:

Every family has its own rules. It's customary for us hedgehogs to sleep. In winter, only hungry wolves and a connecting rod bear walk in the forest...

Who is this connecting rod bear? - Veronica asked.

Sometimes there are bears that don't want to sleep. Therefore, in winter they wander through the forest hungry, shake trees out of anger and attack everyone they meet...

Mom wanted to scare Veronica. But nothing came of this venture.

I still don’t want to sleep,” Veronica announced out of spite. - I'm not little anymore. I'm almost half a year old now.

Just imagine that when you wake up, you will immediately be six months older! I closed my eyes, opened them - and you’re almost a year old! - said dad.

Veronica thought and fell silent.

The entire next day, the hedgehogs insulated the house: dad sealed the cracks with moss, and mom sealed the windows with white tape so that it wouldn’t blow into the hole and no one would catch a cold in their sleep.

After lunch, the family went to say goodbye to their neighbors. Everyone was preparing for hibernation. Raccoons covered the door with thick oak bark...

Until spring! - Dad said, as was customary in the forest.

Have a good winter! - the raccoons answered.

Papa Belka was dragging the last supplies of nuts into the hollow. And mother Belchikha was already putting the children to bed. Suddenly, Fili’s muzzle appeared in the hole in the hollow.

Bye, Vovka! - he shouted.

Until spring! - Vovka answered, as expected.

They stayed the longest with the hares. Mom Zaychikha complained about Senka that he was running everywhere. And sheds anywhere.

And then collect the wool from all the bushes,” she groaned. - No, to shed at home.

“That’s right,” Hedgehog’s mother nodded understandingly. Hare fluff was considered the best in the forest. It made the softest pillows. And the warmest mittens.

While the adults were talking, Senka's older sisters were playing with little Veronica.

If only we could have a little sister like this instead of this lop-eared one! And where does he wear it?

The hedgehogs were about to leave when Senka appeared.

“I’ll be a little bored without you,” he said to Vovka and whispered. - I want to run to the city on New Year’s Eve for the Christmas tree. If it works, I'll steal a gift for you too.

Thank you,” said Vovka. - Until spring.

It was not possible to say goodbye to the hamsters. The door was locked. There was no smoke coming from the chimney.

Well done! - said dad. - We went to bed before everyone else!

In the evening, mom laid out new sheets and fluffed the pillows. And dad prepared everyone a large bowl of pine needles.

Why else? - Veronica was indignant, - I don’t like pine needles.

This is a special food for hibernation,” dad explained, “So that while you sleep, all sorts of harmful microbes do not start in your stomach.” If you don't eat the whole bowl, your stomach will hurt, your teeth will become rotten, your needles will fall out, and you will become bald like Grandpa Raccoon.

Grandfather Raccoon was very old, and the hair on his head and back had come out. Veronica remembered how they secretly teased her grandfather:

Bald Grandfather Raccoon -

Both the back of the head and the stomach!

I remembered... and began to chew pine needles.

Before bedtime, mom and dad went into the children's room.

The main thing is to think about something pleasant before going to bed,” said dad. - After all, whatever you think about, you’ll dream about for half a year!

Good night! - Mom said and kissed the children.

Until next spring! - Vovka answered.

“I don’t want to sleep anyway,” Veronica yawned and after a minute she began to snore quietly.

And Vovka lay in bed for a long time and looked into the darkness. And I thought about what a wonderful summer it was, and how wonderful the next year will be, and the next, and the next, and the next...

NEW YEAR - Brr!

Vovka woke up when a huge drop fell on his nose. Then another drop... The hedgehog opened his eyes and saw a large puddle next to the bed.

Hooray! Spring! - Vovka was delighted.

The front door was open.

“Dad and Mom are probably already awake!” The hedgehog jumped out of the house and immediately fell into a snowdrift. He looked around: there was snow everywhere.

“It’s a thaw,” said dad, knocking icicles off the roof. - Well, what's the weather like?!

“We should have caulked the roof better,” my mother sighed.

The roof has nothing to do with it. It was the mice that made the moves. Water flowed through them. Well, I'll catch some mouse...

Catch, daddy, just the little white one. - Veronica appeared on the porch. - Why barefoot? Come on, quickly go home! - Mom said sternly. - You should still sleep.

But sleep was out of the question. Veronica's blanket was wet as much as you could squeeze it out.

At first I thought I peed myself,” the satisfied hedgehog said at breakfast. - But it turns out it’s just a thaw.

The thaw does not last long. - Mom lit the stove and put wet blankets and sheets on it to dry.

Dad was sealing up the mouse passages. And Vovka and Veronica were scooping water out of the closet with bowls.

Having finished work, dad left the house:

I wonder what day and month it is today?

“December thirtieth,” shouted Magpie flying over the house.

No one in the forest particularly believed in Magpie. Therefore, noticing smoke above the hamsters’ house, dad decided to visit the neighbors. Vovka went with him.

“Hello,” dad greeted. - You don’t know what day it is today?

“Bad,” Khoma said gloomily. - Our bags of grain got wet. Do not dry it too dry.

What is the number? - Dad asked.

Three - what? - Dad didn’t understand.

Three bags.

Without really finding out anything, Vovka and dad went to the hares.

It’s great that you woke up,” Senka shouted, seeing his friend from afar. - We will celebrate the New Year together.

Vovka did not immediately notice the hare, and when he noticed it, he did not recognize it: after molting, his skin became white as snow

I have an excellent disguise, huh? - Senka laughed and, calling Vovka aside, whispered: “Yesterday I ran into the village on reconnaissance, there is such a Christmas tree, all covered in toys.” Let's go there tonight?

The hedgehog thought. He didn't want to be considered a coward. On the other hand...

“You know what,” he told his friend. - Why do we need someone else’s Christmas tree? What, we don’t have enough Christmas trees of our own? Let's dress up the biggest one and hang some gifts. And the Christmas tree will be no worse than people’s...

Vovkino's parents were not delighted with the proposal.

“We need to prepare gifts,” my mother sighed.

That’s it,” her dad supported her. “We’d better sit at home, mom will make a blackberry pie, and we’ll have dinner.”

Vovka was upset. But then Veronica pouted and said:

And I want a real New Year. With a big Christmas tree. With gifts. Should I have woken up in vain?!