“Okay,” Plush squeaked and swallowed the lizard. Fairy tales for kind hearts (Natalia Abramtseva) Russian folk tales about an owl

How Little Owl found friends

Once upon a time there lived a Little Owl in the Big Forest. She was wonderful to everyone: pretty, smart, cheerful, and a skilled craftswoman. But she’s just very ill-mannered. During the day she slept quietly in her crib in the hollow of the Old Forest Oak, and at night, waking up, stretching, eating, she flew into the forest and shouted loudly and loudly: “Uh-huh - uh-huh!”
She didn’t let anyone sleep: not little sister Fox, not little sister Titmouse, not daddy Owl, not even grandpa Bear! She made a loud noise with her wings, knocked on the windows with her beak and woke up everyone. At dawn, Little Owl went home to sleep, and the forest animals woke up gloomy and gloomy. They were angry with each other, and everything fell out of their hands.

One day the inhabitants of the forest suddenly lost patience. Magpie's friend suggested going to Little Owl's house and it would be just as impolite to disturb her sleep. But no matter how much they knocked on the door, no matter how much they tried to rock the Old Forest Oak, Little Owl did not wake up.

They sat in a circle on the shore of a quiet Forest Lake and began to think about what to do. Finally, the wise Grandma Turtle said: “I understand why Little Owl doesn’t sleep at night! I heard from my great-grandmother that owls are nocturnal birds; daylight hurts their eyes and spoils their mood. That's why they walk and play while everyone else is sleeping and the moon is shining! We just have to find friends for Little Owl who also don’t sleep at night, and then everyone can live in peace!”

Everyone began to unanimously remember who else was walking all night in the Big Forest. The Hedgehog came out into the clearing, yawning. “Hey, who doesn’t let you sleep here?” - he snorted angrily. “It’s us,” Magpie’s Girlfriend chirped. – We are looking for friends for Little Owl so that she has someone to play with at night. Then she would stop bothering us and let us sleep!” “They would have said so right away! – Hedgehog calmed down. – Don’t worry, today my friend Mouse and I will go to visit Little Owl, and we will walk and play together! The two of us in the forest at night aren’t having much fun either!”

From then on, the forest animals began to sleep peacefully at night, and Little Owl found new friends.

How Little Owl greeted guests

One day, Little Owl decided to invite her friends, the Hedgehog and the Mouse, to visit her. I baked a pie with wild berries and brewed tea with herbs that I collected in the clearing. And she so wanted to please her guests, she wanted so much to be the most beautiful, that without asking Mama Owl she took her lipstick and all the beads and rings. Little Owl dressed up and sat down on a stool at the entrance to wait.

The huge full moon was shining and all the decorations were shining brightly. Little Owl looked furtively into her mirror and rejoiced at how beautiful she was.

The Hedgehog and the Mouse were in a hurry with all their might; they had a jar of raspberry jam with them for tea. They ran to the foot of the Big Oak, in the hollow of which the Little Owl was waiting for them. The mouse quickly climbed up and was almost blinded by the bright shine of the beads and rings. “Oh, Hedgehog, it seems we have the wrong house! I think Girlfriend Magpie lives here!” And they ran on.

Little Owl waited for them, and then she began to cry quietly. “Don’t cry, Little Owl,” Mother Owl stroked her on the head. “Remember, I told you that you shouldn’t put on all the jewelry at once, and even more so, paint your little beak so brightly with lipstick?” This will not make you more beautiful, but will only make you laugh or scare your friends! Look how beautiful the feathers on your chest are, how brightly your yellow eyes shine! And your beak is so strong and strong that there is no need to decorate it in any way!” Little Owl wiped her eyes with a soft wing, took off all her mother’s beads, and flew off to catch up with her friends.

How Little Owl went for a walk

One day Little Owl decided to take a walk in the forest alone. At all. Without Mama Owl and Papa Owl. And even without his friends - the Hedgehog and the Mouse. She quietly slipped out of the house, without telling anyone, and went into the night forest. There was no one around, and Little Owl remembered that she should not wake up the forest inhabitants. Suddenly, something crackled and crunched in the bushes, and a huge Gray Wolf appeared on the path. He was very angry and hungry. However, Little Owl wanted to play with someone so much that she flew up to the Gray Wolf and joyfully shouted: “Hello!” She was a very polite Owl.

"Hello!" – Gray Wolf growled. In life he was not distinguished by good manners, but Little Owl seemed so plump to him, so similar to a delicious pie with feathers, that he was ready for any courtesy just to get her into his paws with huge sharp claws. Little Owl sat down on a stump next to the Gray Wolf and asked: “How are you doing? Have you also decided to take a walk alone? Isn’t anyone waiting for you at home?” “No,” the cunning Wolf seemed to cry. “I live all alone on the very edge of the forest. And no one needs me, unfortunate one..."

“Poor thing... Do you want me to play with you?” Gray Wolf happily nodded his shaggy head. “Let's come visit me! – suggested the Wolf. “I’ll show you beautiful books with pictures and give you delicious juice from wild berries!” “You know, Mama Owl told me that you should never go anywhere with strangers. But you are so good, and so lonely! I feel so sorry for you! Let’s go, and we’ll meet each other along the way!”

They were already approaching the Gray Wolf's house when he suddenly turned to Little Owl and grabbed her in his strong clawed paws. Little Owl screamed loudly and cried, but at the very edge of the forest no one could hear her. Luckily, at that time, the Mole was digging his underground tunnels right under the Wolf’s house. It was he who realized that trouble had happened to Little Owl. He quickly got to the place where Papa Owl was hunting and told him everything. Papa Owl immediately abandoned all his business and rushed to the outskirts of the forest. He attacked the Gray Wolf (and Papa Owl’s claws are also very strong and sharp) and took the Little Owl from him. Then he flapped his huge wings, and they flew home together.

And in the hollow of the Old Oak, Mother Owl could no longer find a place for herself with excitement. She was delighted when the disheveled Little Owl was at home again, hugged her, and then said in a very stern voice: “Never again, Little Owl, don’t go for a walk far from home alone! And never talk to strangers! Even if they promise juice, gingerbread and picture books!” Little Owl just sobbed and nodded her head. She realized the danger she was in, and what could have happened if Mole had not heard her.

But Papa Owl said nothing. He looked angrily at the naughty Owl and flew away on business.

How Little Owl got sick

Winter has come to the Big Forest. She covered all the clearings with soft fluffy snow like a blanket, wrapped all the fir trees and birches. Even the Old Oak, in whose hollow the Little Owl lived, received a luxurious white hat as a gift from Winter. And she hung transparent ice icicles on the branches of forest raspberries and currants. Little Fox-Sister and Little Sister Titmouse played snowballs and went down the slide. They laughed and made so much noise that they woke up Little Owl, who preferred to sleep soundly during the day and walked only at night. “Come to us, since you’re already awake!” - Sister Titmouse called her. Little Owl jumped out of her warm crib and flew outside. “What about felt boots? What about the mittens? What about the hat?” Mother Owl shouted after her, but Little Owl no longer heard her.

At first she closed her eyes tightly against the bright sunlight, and then rushed off to play. Together with Little Fox and Sister Tit, she happily tumbled in the snow, and then decided to try icicles - they seemed to her delicious and unusual candies. Having played enough, Little Owl returned home, all wet and cold, asking her friends to wait for her again tomorrow. At home, Little Owl had a headache, her throat began to wheeze, and she became very, very hot.

Mother Owl was upset and invited Grandma Turtle, who was a forest doctor, to examine Little Owl. Grandmother Turtle measured the temperature - it was very high, asked to open the beak - the neck was red. “Ay-ay-ay, Little Owl! Don’t you know that in winter you need to put on felt boots, mittens and a hat before going for a walk? And under no circumstances should you taste the icicles!” - Granny Turtle said sternly. Little Owl began to cry; she felt so bad that she was ready to take any medicine just to get better quickly. Grandmother Turtle wrote out a long prescription, and Papa Owl went to the Forest Pharmacy. The medicines were very bitter and nasty, and the ointment burned her throat so much that Little Owl slowly shed tears. Soon she fell asleep, wrapped in a warm moss blanket.

The next morning, Sister Fox and Sister Titmouse came to visit her, brought her a jar of raspberry jam and a gift from Grandfather Bear - a barrel of aromatic medicinal honey. They drank tea together, and Little Owl slowly recovered. A few days later, when Granny Turtle confirmed that Little Owl was completely healthy, Mama Owl again allowed her to take a little walk. Little Owl was very happy. “I’ll come to you now!” - she shouted out the window to Little Fox and Little Sister Titmouse.

This time she put on a warm hat, felt boots and mittens. “Give me another scarf, please!” Little Owl asked Mother Owl, and flew off to play in the snow and treat her friends to real candies, not icicle lollipops.

How Little Owl got Tooth sick

Little Owl didn't really like to wash her face in the evenings. And she didn’t like brushing her teeth at all. Well, really, what kind of stupid activity is this - moving a spruce twig back and forth in your beak for three whole minutes. It is much more interesting to give a rubber duck a bath or make a fountain by releasing water from a straw. Near the washbasin, she pretended to brush her teeth and quickly ran to eat Mother Owl’s delicious pancakes.

One day Little Owl woke up in broad daylight from very severe pain. Everything hurt: the beak, the ear, and even the right eye! At first, Little Owl steadfastly endured this terrible pain. She tossed and turned from side to side, put a pillow to her cheek, and stroked her swollen eye with her wing. Then, when the pain became completely unbearable, Little Owl got up from the crib and went to the kitchen to Mom Owl.

“Good afternoon, Little Owl! Run quickly, wash your face, brush your teeth - I baked your favorite pancakes!” - Mother Owl smiled at her.

“I’ve already washed my face and brushed my teeth,” Little Owl lied, trying her best not to cry from the pain. She sat down on her chair. Mom Owl poured her a mug of warm milk, and they put a plate of hot pancakes. Little Owl hurried to take a bite and screamed loudly in pain: the piece fell right on that same tooth! "What happened to you? – Mother Owl flapped her wings. “The pancakes are so tasteless that you’re crying?” “No, mom, they are very tasty!” – Little Owl whispered somehow through tears. “Then why are you crying and not eating? Come on while they’re hot, and I’ll put some extras and jam for you!” Little Owl dipped the rosy pancake into the fragrant strawberry jam and took another bite. The sweet jam got into the tooth itself and became so unbearably painful that Little Owl could not restrain herself and screamed loudly. “We need to call Grandma Turtle soon!” Let her examine you and tell you what happened!” - and Mother Owl rushed to the Forest Hospital.

Soon she returned with Granny Turtle. In Mama Owl's beak was her large suitcase with various medical instruments. Grandmother Turtle looked carefully at Little Owl and immediately understood the reason for her tears - she was a very old, wise and experienced doctor. “Open your beak, dear!” - Granny Turtle said sternly. Little Owl was very scared, but she was in so much pain that she immediately obeyed. “Well, well,” Grandma Turtle carefully examined her mouth with the help of a small round mirror. - All clear. Tell me, madam, how long have you been brushing your teeth?” "This morning! – Little Owl lied. “Ay-ay, what a shame to deceive! Your tooth hurts, and all because you are too lazy to brush it with spruce branches twice a day, and rinse your mouth with clean water every time after eating! I don’t want to feel sorry for you at all!” “Are you going to rip it out for me now?” - Little Owl was scared. Out of the corner of her eye, she managed to see huge iron tongs in Granny Turtle’s suitcase. “No, fortunately, he can still be saved! Now you urgently need to go to the Forest Hospital! Your poor teeth, how unlucky they are with their owner!” Mom Owl helped Little Owl get dressed, and together they went to treat the tooth.

Soon the treatment was completed, and Grandma Turtle released Little Owl to Mom Owl. Toothache is gone!

The next night, when Little Owl woke up, Papa Owl handed her a spruce twig: “Hurry up, brush your teeth well, and let’s go to the kitchen, mommy has prepared pancakes for us!” But don’t you dare deceive me!” And Little Owl didn’t even intend to deceive anyone. She remembered all too well how her teeth could hurt if she stopped brushing them twice a day for three minutes.

How Little Owl was left at home alone

One day Little Owl was left at home all alone. Mama Owl and Papa Owl gave her a book with pictures and flew away on business, strictly forbidding her from turning on the kettle, touching large matches, and even more so opening the door for someone. Little Owl sighed and sat down on a chair to look at the pictures.

Soon she became very bored, and she decided to carefully explore the house while none of the adults were there. Little Owl really wanted to finally take a closer look at the boat that Papa Owl glued together himself. She pulled up a large stool and climbed onto the highest shelf. Little Owl was so carried away that she did not notice the large teapot, which was still very hot after their family tea party. She accidentally touched him, burned his wing and rolled down head over heels in surprise. It was very painful, and even a box of matches flew right onto the top of my head.

Little Owl, forgetting that she had just fallen and burned herself, opened a beautiful box and took out a long thick match, which Papa Owl usually used to light the wood in the fireplace. She remembered how he would scratch it against the black side of the box, and then a bright light would magically appear. The house became warm and cozy, everyone sat side by side and read interesting books. Little Owl was very interested in how the magic light appeared and she decided to be a little Papa Owl. Well, at least for fun, at least once!

Little Owl ran the black head of the match along the side of the box and was delighted: she got such a light! But Mother Owl strictly forbade her to do that! Little Owl began to blow on a large match to extinguish the flame, but this only made it flare up stronger and brighter. Suddenly there was a loud knock on the door. “It must be mom and dad who have returned! Oh, and now it’ll hit me!” - Little Owl rushed to the door and quickly opened it. A huge Gray Wolf stood on the threshold. He did not expect that he could so quickly get Little Owl into his clawed paws for dinner. The Gray Wolf quickly ran into the house and began to catch the Little Owl. He didn’t even notice that the rug near the fireplace began to slowly burn and the smoke was flying out of the house directly into the small window in the door of the hollow.

Papa Owl was the first to see smoke from their own house. “It seems like we have trouble at home! We must save Little Owl quickly!” - and she and Mother Owl flew back. Papa Owl quickly opened the door and saw through the clouds of smoke how the entire floor next to the fireplace was burning, and the Gray Wolf was chasing Little Owl, trying to catch her. “Oh, you shameless one!” - Papa Owl got angry. He snapped his huge beak menacingly and showed the Gray Wolf claws as sharp as knives. The Gray Wolf got scared and jumped out the door. His tail caught fire, and the whole situation was very unpleasant.

Meanwhile, Mother Owl had already put out the fire and was calming Little Owl, whose burnt wing was also very painful. I had to urgently call Grandma Turtle so that she could cure the stupid Little Owl. “How can you be so naughty!” - Papa Owl was indignant, and Mama Owl shook her head in frustration. Little Owl was very ashamed, and she decided that from now on she would always obey her mom and dad, and think carefully before doing something that they usually do not allow.

How Little Owl helped her mother

Spring has come in the Big Forest. The bright sun illuminated all the clearings and trees, penetrating its hot rays into the most secluded corners. In the hollow of the Old Oak, Mother Owl started a spring cleaning - a lot of dust and unnecessary things had accumulated over the winter.

Little Owl didn't like this very much. Whether it’s reading a book or drawing. But Little Owl didn’t know how to read yet, so she walked around Mother Owl, pulled her by the edge of her multi-colored apron and asked: “Well, m-a-a-a-ma, at least a page!” But Mother Owl had absolutely no time, and so she suggested to Little Owl: “Come on, now you can help me with cleaning: for example, wipe the dust on a shelf with books or put your toys in a drawer, and then I will have free time, and I I’ll be happy to read to you!” But Little Owl was too bored with fiddling around with a bucket and a rag, so she slowly put on her cap and slipped out the door. Hedgehog and Mouse were waiting for her on the street. Together, the friends ran to play in a forest clearing, away from these vacuum cleaners and brooms.

Having played enough, Little Owl returned home, took off her shoes, stained with street mud (it was so fun to run through the puddles with friends!), threw her jacket into the corner and ran up to her mother: “Have you finished cleaning up yet? Can you read to me now?” But Mother Owl shook her head and wandered into the hallway: she needed to hang her jacket in the closet and wash her little shoes.
Little Owl was very upset and even tried to cry, but Father Owl looked at her sternly and said: “Our mother spent the whole day putting the house in order. I helped her, and for this she will treat me to delicious tea and cake, which, by the way, we baked together. But you are still very small, you can’t even collect your own toys, so you are not entitled to sweet pie.”

Little Owl sighed and wandered off to sleep. She fell asleep so soundly that she didn’t even hear how Mom Owl and Dad Owl flew off into the forest on their own business. When she woke up, no one was home. Little Owl looked around: her panties and slippers, which she had taken off before going to bed, were lying on the floor. Pencils and paints were scattered on the table, and books were about to fall out of their shelves. Little Owl stretched and ran to the bathroom: “Aaaaaaaaand, where are mommy’s rags? Now let’s see who our little one is!” In her room, Little Owl picked up all her clothes from the floor and neatly put them in the closet. Then I collected the pencils in a glass and washed all the brushes. The books on the shelf also stood in a friendly row. It turned out that wiping dust and sweeping the floor is not such a complicated science!

Then Mother Owl and Father Owl returned.
"Mother! – Little Owl called her from the threshold. “Let’s go to my room, I’ll show you something!” Mother Owl sighed in confusion and reluctantly followed Little Owl, she remembered how much cleaning still lay ahead.
"Wow! - Mother Owl was surprised when she saw what order and cleanliness suddenly appeared in the place of yesterday’s disorder. – Was Uncle Raccoon visiting us? He’s the one who likes to put everything in its place!”

“No, mom, what are you talking about! – Little Owl laughed. “It was I who arranged my books and toys!” I wanted to help you so much so that you would have free time and you could read me a new book!” - “Well, of course, Little Owl! - Mom smiled. “Now I’ll be happy to draw with you!”

“It seems that someone will even get a piece of the sweet pie! – Father Owl whispered into Little Owl’s ear. “You’re already quite big!”

Little Owl ran to the kitchen to get her plate and mug. “Then we must remember to wash them,” she thought. “Otherwise they’ll think again that I’m very little, and my mother will have even more free time, then she’ll probably agree to teach me how to bake sweet pies!”

How Little Owl went to the theater

One day, Papa Owl returned home in a very good mood. He was always cheerful and joyful, but this evening everything was somehow special. He whispered something in Mother Owl’s ear, and she laughed joyfully. “Little Owl,” Mother Owl smiled. “Today the whole family is going to the theater!” Little Owl didn’t know what a theater was or why she needed to go there, but when she saw Mother Owl taking her most beautiful dress out of the closet, she was very happy.

Soon the whole family found themselves in the huge Forest Theater, bright lights were shining all around, and loud, beautiful music was playing. Little Owl saw many friends: Grandma Turtle, Grandpa Bear, and Uncle Raccoon were there. And even the huge Gray Wolf came, dressed in a bow tie and a black tailcoat. Everyone smiled and greeted each other. But Little Owl didn’t want to say hello to anyone, because she saw small bright tables on which colorful leaves were laid out. Little Owl ran up to them and screamed loudly: “Mom! Dad! Look at the pictures! I’ll take them all home!” “No, Little Owl,” said Father Owl sternly. – These are special theatrical programs intended for all theater visitors! Take just one for yourself!”

The bell rang and they went into the hall to quickly take their seats. “But I don’t want to sit in this chair! – Little Owl was indignant. “I like the one over there where Grandma Turtle is!” And she began to dangle her legs and flap her wings.

Suddenly the lights in the hall went out and the performance began on stage. Little Owl remembered that she had a chocolate bar somewhere in her purse, and she really wanted to eat it as soon as possible. But it was very dark and cramped. Little Owl jumped up from her seat and began to unwrap the shiny paper. The paper rustled, and everyone around them began to look around and in a loud whisper ask Little Owl to stop disturbing them from watching the performance.

Papa Owl got completely angry, took Little Owl in his arms and left the hall.

“I’m very ashamed of you,” said Father Owl. “I didn’t even think that I had such an ill-mannered daughter!” - “But, dad, I just wanted a chocolate bar!” – Little Owl justified herself.

“We are in the theater! First of all, you had to say hello to everyone, and then calmly wait for the performance to start! When we are invited to the hall, we need to go only to those seats that are indicated on my tickets! And when it all starts, you need to behave quietly so as not to disturb either the artists or the audience! – Papa Owl sighed. “Of course, I should have told you about all this back home, but I’m so busy, I have very little time.” Therefore, if you don’t know how to behave correctly, just look at me or at Mother Owl - she is very well-mannered here, and we need to take an example from her.” Little Owl happily nodded her head and hugged Owl’s dad: “Now can we go back to our places? I want to know what’s going on there now!” “Of course, Little Owl,” Father Owl smiled. They walked into the hall together - the fun began on stage. Little Owl sat quietly and carefully watched everything that was happening.

When the performance ended, all the spectators clapped their hands and shouted “Bravo!” and stood in their places. Little Owl furtively looked at Father Owl and Mother Owl, also stood up and began to flap her wings loudly. This time no one scolded her, but on the contrary, one of the artists cheerfully winked at her: “Thank you, you are a very good spectator!”

Finally, the whole family returned home. On the way, Mom Owl and Dad Owl discussed the play and admired the actors’ performances. And Little Owl thought: “Now I know what theater is, and I know how to behave there. And if I don’t know something, I’ll definitely ask my dad or mom and I’ll learn everything!”

How Little Owl went to the store

One day, Mother Owl was going shopping and decided to take Little Owl with her. They put on their hats and hit the road. The forest store was very large: huge display windows, endless shelves with different goods and many, many customers. Forest dwellers moved along the counters with baskets on wheels and placed loaves of bread, boxes of cookies, large bags of apples and bottles of sweet soda. Suddenly Little Owl's attention was attracted by a shelf with toys. More precisely, a huge, enormous ball. She so wanted this ball to go home with her that she immediately ran up to her mother Owl and insistently demanded: “Mom! Buy me this ball!” - “But, Little Owl, I can’t buy it for you! Firstly, I don’t have enough money, and secondly, we won’t take it away - you see how many purchases we already have!” - Mother Owl objected.

Little Owl was so upset by this injustice that tears instantly flowed from her eyes. She really wanted this ball to be hers! And also that doll and construction set from the top shelf. She covered her beak with her wings and cried loudly and loudly. “Little Owl! You are behaving very indecently!” - Granny Turtle, who was passing by, remarked to her. "None of your business!" - Little Owl shouted and cried even louder.

Mother Owl felt very ashamed, she quickly collected all the purchases in a basket, grabbed Little Owl tightly by the wing, and they left the store. On the way, Mother Owl was silent, but Little Owl continued to cry loudly and stomp her feet. Everyone around looked at them and whispered in surprise: “What happened in the owl family?” At home, Mother Owl took Little Owl to her room and silently went into the kitchen. She angrily rattled the pots and thought about something of her own.

Little Owl was still crying loudly when Father Owl returned home. He talked for a long time about something in the kitchen with Mother Owl, then they invited Little Owl to drink tea with gingerbread. Little Owl sat down on her chair and began to blow on the hot tea resentfully. Suddenly, Mother Owl began to cry: “Papa Owl, I want sweets!” - “But I didn’t bring you candy today!” - answered Papa Filin. However, Mother Owl seemed not to hear him and continued to cry loudly: “I want sweets! I don’t want these gingerbread cookies!” Little Owl looked at her mother in surprise: she had never behaved like this before, but, on the contrary, she was always very polite and well-mannered. "Mother! But dad said he would bring candy another time!” - said Little Owl. “And this is no longer your business! I want them now, period!” – Mother Owl stamped her feet and scattered sugar on the table.

“I understand everything,” Little Owl said quietly. She quietly climbed down from the chair, put on her cap and slipped out the door. "Where are you going?" – Papa Owl just managed to shout. “I’ll go apologize to Grandma Turtle!” – Little Owl whispered. She was very ashamed and wanted to run far into the forest, so as not to suddenly meet one of the store’s visitors along the way. But she firmly decided that she would apologize to everyone for her behavior and would never, ever again demand from her mother something that was not currently part of her plans. Especially in a toy store.

How Little Owl Traveled Through the Noisy City

One day, Mama Owl and Papa Owl decided to visit their old friend Uncle Parrot. He lived in the Noisy City far from the Big Forest, and it took a very long time to get there. Mother Owl packed two large suitcases, and the family hit the road. The journey took them the whole day and when they reached the Noisy City, it was already late evening. Little Owl was so tired that she fell asleep right on Papa Owl’s wings. When she woke up, Aunt Parrot treated Little Owl to sweet bananas and suggested she go for a walk and see the Bustling City.

“Great idea,” Mom Owl and Dad Owl were delighted. - But Little Owl has never been further than the Big Forest! Won't she be scared? “Nothing,” Aunt Parrot reassured everyone. “I will teach everything that will help Little Owl not be afraid of the Noisy City!”
Aunt Parrot and Little Owl took their bags and went for a walk.

They left the house and found themselves on a huge street, which hummed, whistled, growled and very frightened the Little Owl. First they walked along a path that Aunt Parrot called “the sidewalk.” Little Owl almost got lost when she accidentally released Aunt Parrot's wing. She was pushed by Bears and Elks, Penguins and Hippos. And even the Cat on a bicycle almost ran over Little Owl. Luckily, Aunt Parrot quickly found her and took her aside.

“When you walk on the sidewalk, stick to the right side, then you won’t disturb anyone. “Take me by the wing and don’t let go,” Aunt Parrot reassured her. “Let’s go to the other side!” Little Owl obediently nodded her head and bravely stepped onto the wide road.

“When you cross the street, Little Owl, be very careful! Do you see the stripes painted on the road? They are called "zebra". You need to cross the road only on them!”

“And this is the Traffic Light,” Aunt Parrot pointed her wing at the multi-colored blinking column. – He will tell you when to stand and when to cross the road! Look: the light in front of you has turned red, which means you need to stand on the sidewalk and not move anywhere.” Little Owl watched carefully and remembered everything that Aunt Parrot told her.

But then the red light on the post went out, then the yellow one blinked and the bright green light came on. “Come on, Little Owl! This is a traffic light signal for us. But still, before crossing, take a good look around: first to the left, then to the right!”

Little Owl turned her head first to the left - the bright cars and buses of the Noisy City stood directly under their red traffic light and were not moving anywhere. “Come in, Little Owl! Don't be afraid!" – Traffic Light winked at her. Now she turned her head to the right - the road was clear. Little Owl followed Aunt Parrot to the end of the road and sighed - now it was not so scary. There was another wide road ahead, but Aunt Parrot suggested going down into the underground passage - it was even safer and calmer there.

Aunt Parrot suggested that Little Owl go to the park, but to do this she had to take the bus. They stood in a special clearing called “Stop” and began to wait. At this time, the Jumping Bunny started playing with his bright striped ball and let it fall right onto the road. The brakes creaked, the drivers honked their horns, the traffic light quickly changed from green to red for both cars and pedestrians. The ball lay right under the wheels of Grandpa Bear's truck, and the frightened Jumping Bunny was crying, sitting right in the road dust. “Look, Little Owl, and remember: you should never play near the road. And if you need to carry the ball, put it in your purse!” - said Aunt Parrot.

Little Owl nodded her head and grabbed her wing even tighter.
At this time the bus arrived and they went to the Noisy City Park. Everyone sat in their own place, and while the bus was traveling, no one got up or walked back and forth around the cabin.

When the bus stopped opposite the park gates, Aunt Parrot got off first, then helped Little Owl. They walked around the back of the bus and crossed the zebra crossing when the traffic light turned green to the other side.

It was very interesting in the Noisy City park: bright carousels, large swings, slides and fountains - Little Owl only had time to look around. They ate sweet corn and drank delicious juice from berries that do not grow in the Big Forest. Finally, it's time to head back. On the way, Aunt Parrot again told Little Owl how to behave on the street, on the bus, on the road. She said that everything should always be in accordance with the Traffic Rules, then no trouble will happen.

“Weren’t you scared, Little Owl?” - asked Papa Owl when they returned home.

“No, dad, I learned all the Rules, and now the Noisy City is not scary for me at all!” - Little Owl laughed. She really wanted to quickly return home to the Big Forest to tell her friends about how important it is to follow the traffic rules.

The Old Man is sitting, drinking tea. He doesn't drink empty - he whitens it with milk. An owl flies past.

“Great,” he says, “friend!”

And the Old Man told her:

You, Owl, are a desperate head, erect ears, hooked nose. You hide from the sun, avoid people - what a friend I am to you!

The Owl got angry.

Okay, he says, he’s old! I won’t fly into your meadow at night to catch mice - catch it yourself.

And the Old Man:

Look, what did you want to scare me with? Leak away while you're still alive.

The Owl flew away, climbed into the oak tree, and did not fly anywhere from the hollow.

Night has come. In the Old Man's Meadow, mice in their holes whistle and call to each other:

Look, godfather, isn’t the Owl flying - a desperate head, ears erect, nose hooked?

Mouse Mouse in response:

Can't see the Owl, can't hear the Owl. Today we have freedom in the meadow, now we have freedom in the meadow.

The mice jumped out of their holes, the mice ran across the meadow.

And the Owl from the hollow:

Ho-ho-ho, Old Man! Look, no matter how bad things turn out: the mice, they say, have gone hunting.

“Let them go,” says the Old Man. - Tea, mice are not wolves, chicks will not be killed.

Mice roam the meadow, look for bumblebee nests, dig the ground, catch bumblebees.

And the Owl from the hollow:

Ho-ho-ho, Old Man! Look, no matter how much worse it turns out: all your bumblebees have flown away.

“Let them fly,” says the Old Man. - What's the use of them: no honey, no wax, just blisters.

There is a foraging clover in the meadow, hanging with its head to the ground, and the bumblebees are buzzing, flying away from the meadow, not looking at the clover, and not carrying pollen from flower to flower.

And the Owl from the hollow:

Ho-ho-ho, Old Man! Look, it wouldn’t have turned out worse: you wouldn’t have to carry the pollen from flower to flower yourself.

And the wind will blow it away,” says the Old Man, while he scratches the back of his head.

The wind is blowing through the meadow, pollen is falling to the ground. If pollen does not fall from flower to flower, clover will not be born in the meadow; The Old Man doesn't like it.

And the Owl from the hollow:

Ho-ho-ho, Old Man! Your cow moos and asks for clover - grass, listen, without clover it’s like porridge without butter.

The Old Man is silent, says nothing.

The Clover Cow was healthy, the Cow began to grow thin, and began to lose milk; The swill is licking, and the milk is getting thinner and thinner.

And the Owl from the hollow:

Ho-ho-ho, Old Man! I told you: you will come to me to bow.

The old man scolds, but things don’t go well. The owl sits in an oak tree and does not catch mice. Mice are prowling the meadow, looking for bumblebee nests. Bumblebees walk in other people's meadows, but don't even look at the Old People's Meadow. Clover will not be born in the meadow. A cow without clover grows thin. The cow has little milk. So the Old Man had nothing to whiten his tea with.

The Old Man had nothing to whiten his tea with, so the Old Man went to bow to the Owl:

You, Owl-Widow, help me out of trouble, I, the old one, have nothing to whiten the tea with.

And the Owl from the hollow with his eyes lup-lup, his legs dull-tap.

That's it, he says, he's old. Being together is not burdensome, but apart at least throw it away. Do you think it’s easy for me without your mice?

The Owl forgave the Old Man, crawled out of the hollow, and flew to the meadow to scare the mice.

The owl flew off to catch mice.

The mice hid in their holes in fear.

The bumblebees buzzed over the meadow and began to fly from flower to flower.

The red clover began to swell in the meadow.

The cow went to the meadow to chew clover.

The cow has a lot of milk.

The Old Man began to whiten the tea with milk, whiten the tea - praise the Owl, invite him to visit him, respect him.

It was a long time ago. So long ago that the old crows don’t remember when it was. And crows live a long time in the world. Maybe two hundred, maybe three hundred years.

An old owl settled in a forest ravine near a fast mountain river. Where did she come from? When did you arrive to these places? No one knew. And no one wanted to know: the owl lives, well, let him live...

The owl was elegant, in lush plumage. Although there was not a green, blue or red spot anywhere on her, she was very pretty. White and smoky-gray feathers clung feather to feather so thickly that when the owl took off, spreading its wings, so silent and light, it looked like a big ball of smoke.

Her eyes were round and yellow, her beak was curved downwards, and her claws were curved and tenacious.

There is enough space for all birds in the forest: some build a nest between the branches of an oak tree, some in a fork or a birch tree, some on bushes, and some just among the grass. An owl climbed into the hollow of an old linden tree. There she arranged housing for her family in advance, knowing that she would have owlets.

They really were born, first one, then another, a third... And another one. Large-mouthed, big-headed, helpless chicks were constantly asking for food. Their mother took tender care of them: she would bring them worms or frog meat. She knew how to hunt, deftly tracked down small rodents; If any little mouse gaped anywhere, she grabbed him and dragged him into the hollow.

- Serves you right! - the owl said. “There is no benefit from you, only harm, and my children need to eat, otherwise they will die.”

The owlets lived in a dark and warm hollow, like in a yurt. It protected them from heat, rain, wind and predatory animals.

The big-eyed owlets grew up quickly. The oldest chick had already fallen out of the hollow several times while looking for water to drink. The water was nearby: a side branch, broken off from the trunk by a storm, was constantly filled to the brim with rainwater, like a chumashka or a cauldron. Drink as much as you want!

Small forest birds, flying nearby, often sat in front of the linden tree, preened their feathers, fluttered from branch to branch, whistled, rested, but did not linger at the owl’s nest. They had a lot of their own worries: they also had to get food for the chicks, and they tried to catch more insects, flies, and chased mosquitoes, grabbing them on the fly.

The owl hunted most often at night. She didn't like being bothered.

What a fun summer it was! How many bird songs rang out in the forest! No one could count them and no one could repeat them - they were so different and there were so many of them...

But then autumn came, cold winds blew into the valley. And it immediately became boring. The leaves on the trees changed color, became yellow and red, like fire... It was because of the cold that they became like that. Now each clever worm was in a hurry to wrap itself tightly in a leaf and, with the help of the wind, lie down on the ground in order to safely overwinter, and not end up in the beak of some bird. Fat beetles, grasshoppers, and all sorts of insects also tried to hide away from their winged enemies. Even the frogs are hiding: there is a heron standing on one leg, looking out. Wow!

One day blackbirds, swifts, ducks, and various birds got together and decided to go to the owl: let him teach him what to do! The owl was considered very smart.

- Tell me, owl, what should we do? It becomes cold and empty in the forest. Do you know if there's a better place somewhere?

This bluebird asked, so important. He sang a lot this summer, didn’t miss a single day, kept on trilling in the mornings - both in clear weather and in rain, and now he took care of his throat and spoke quietly. But other songbirds vied with each other to lend their ringing voices:

- Speak, tell me what we should do! - chirped the greenfinch.

- Teach, teach, teach us! - was heard from everywhere. The owl sat under a tree, lowered its wings, and immediately answered them. Her voice was thin, gurgling, as if she was blowing a reed pipe:

- How do I know? - said the owl. “It’s also becoming difficult for me to live with my children...” She paused, thought about everything and reasoned like this: “That’s it... Someone will have to fly overseas, maybe it’s better there?” but the way there is long. I guess I'll fly off myself. We need to see what's going on there. If I find a suitable place, we’ll all fly away...

The birds agreed, it couldn’t be better! With a cheerful hubbub they left the owl and praised it in every possible way: she’s brave, she’ll fly alone! That's how smart she is!

That same day, as soon as the sun went to rest behind the distant mountains, the owl set off on its journey.

She was gone for a long time. While she was flying, many leaves fell from the trees. The water in the river became cold, but the grass was still green, and here and there you could see shells from eaten nuts, tassels of red berries along with scraps of vines and crushed mushrooms. This is a bear that went fishing in the morning and was in charge... One day he looked into the hollow of an old linden tree, breathed on the owls and scared them so much that they didn’t get out of there all day.

The owl returned home at night. No one saw her arrive. But as soon as it began to get light, the silence of the autumn forest was shaken by her drawn-out cry:

- Awww! Awww!

The birds woke up and realized that the owl was already at home and was calling them. They were delighted and hurried to her. Everyone wants to quickly find out what news the owl brought. There were a lot of them. They flap their wings and push each other away. It became crowded and noisy in the owl's nest.

Someone hastily pushed the duck, it quacked and fell into a hollow stump filled with water. Nobody cared about her. So the duck remained in the water, sitting, waiting...

In the meantime, the hostess decided to vacate the nest, she herself came out of there and kicked out the guests. She didn't intend to keep them long. The birds sat in the bushes, on the grass closer to the linden tree, and froze in anticipation. Only the oriole chose the top of the birch tree for itself.

“Well, that’s what, my friends,” said the owl, “I was overseas, flew around many countries, but I didn’t find anything good anywhere.” It's also cold and empty there, just like here. We'll have to spend the winter here.

- How is this, how?

- What do we do?

Hearing this news, the birds were sad: the owl flew so far, and everything was in vain... The bluebird sighed, and the black-headed oriole meowed like a cat; she was the first to leave her place and fly away. Maybe the owl will come up with something after all?

But the owl was silent and impatiently waited for the birds to leave her alone. She's caused trouble for herself, she thought.

As soon as the last jay nodded goodbye to her with its red crest, the owl sat down at the entrance to the hollow, spread its wings so that no one could hear it, and said to the owlets:

- Shhh! Keep quiet! Not a word to anyone. These little birds are very stupid and greedy. I didn't want to tell them that I had found a good place. Tomorrow we will fly to the south, it is warm there, there are a lot of small snakes, worms, shrews and all kinds of food for us. Eat here, I brought you little mice and seaweed...

If only the owl knew that someone would overhear her words! But the owl didn't know this. And sooner or later they pay for deception...

A duck sitting in the water suddenly flapped its wings so that splashes flew in all directions. In addition, with her strong beak she crushed the stump along the edges and, together with water and wood chips, splashed onto the ground. In surprise, the owl just blinked its eyes. I wanted to catch up with the duck, but it ran a few steps along the grass, and then spread its wings and flew to the shore.

- Birds of the forest! - she screamed. - The owl is a liar! She deceived us all! Come here, me. I'll tell you. You shouldn’t have believed her, you shouldn’t, you shouldn’t!

The white-tailed eagle was the first to hear the duck, swooped, circled over the forest and sat down by the water. Then a hawk flew in. And the crows are right there, they are also interested - so curious...

The owl, watching them from a high tree, listened and was indignant: What rubbish this duck is, she thought angrily, telling everyone, everyone! Are they at one with her, or what? What the hell, they’ll conspire and attack me... Perhaps I need to hide from them.

The owl sat down by its nest and ruffled its feathers. Now, of course, all the birds learn that there is no winter in warm countries. They will find their way there by the sun, by the southern winds, just as she found it. Who will be friends with her now? Nobody.

In the morning, as soon as the sun rose, the bird caravans flew south. There were a lot of birds. Where they were flying, the sky remained dark. The air trembled from their cheerful screams...

—Are we flying correctly? I should ask the owl... - the redstarts chirped, flying in a large and friendly flock.

- She is unfaithful, she will deceive! - said the blackbird, overtaking his distant relatives.

And the geese laughed:

- You found someone to look for advice from. Ha-ha-ha! Hearing the feathered travelers above talking to each other and laughing, the owl became silent.

- Well, what about us? What about us? — the owls asked, looking impatiently first at her and then at the flying caravans. They became very big, but they could not live independently.

- What do you want? Look how many of them are flying, what a blast! “They’ll eat everything there,” she said angrily. - Let them fly away! Let be! And we will stay here...

This is how the gray owl has been wintering in our Ussuri forests ever since.

In one town, of course, magical, in that same town that is far, far away beyond the forest and the river, there lived... whoever lived! A mother hare lived with her bunny in a house with a red roof. In a house with a green roof lived an aunty goat with a kid. In the smallest

In a house with a bright yellow roof lived a grandfather hedgehog with his hedgehogs. There were also many different houses with different residents.

And in one house there lived an owl. It was a very serious bird. And beautiful. Her soft gray feathers had a brown sheen. And the big, big yellow, yellow round eyes were kind and very attentive.

Beautiful red flowers grew around the owl pyramid house. The owl carefully looked after her small garden. Early in the morning, while the sun's rays were not hot, the owl took a watering can and watered each flower. The owl loved her flowers, but willingly gave them to neighbors and acquaintances. If she needed to see someone, say something to someone, she always picked the most beautiful flower, presented it first, and only then broke the news.

This is how there once lived an owl. And beautiful, and smart, and not greedy.

But, imagine, they didn’t love her. And mother is a hare, and aunt is a goat, and grandfather is a hedgehog, and the rest of the inhabitants of the magical town.

And it’s not that they didn’t like the owl: she didn’t do anything bad to anyone. But no one was ever happy about her. Quite the contrary. Someone sees it. An owl is flying, holding a beautiful flower in its beak, someone sees it and thinks:

“Just not to me! Just don’t come to me!!”

Why is this so? Why were they afraid of the owl? And because the owl was the first to know about bad things, the first to report bad news.

And how did she know everything?! The fact is that the owl’s kind bright yellow eyes were very attentive. “Kind?!” - you say. “How kind are they if they notice everything bad?!” Listen to the story further and decide whether the owl has kind eyes or not. And is the owl herself kind? Isn't it?

...Early in the morning the owl will water her beautiful red flowers, and she has nothing more to do. She flies up on soft strong wings to the top, incidentally purple, floor of her multi-colored pyramid house and sits by the window. Sometimes he dozes, sometimes he looks around. And the eyes are big. vigilant. How can you not see it here! What?

For example, here's what. The hedgehogs run out of their small house. Grandfather the hedgehog takes his prickly grandchildren for a walk and makes sure that each hedgehog is wearing boots. After all, it had just rained, and there were visible puddles on the street. But as soon as grandfather the hedgehog disappeared into the house, the naughty hedgehogs threw off their tiny boots from all their paws and splashed barefoot through the small puddles. The hedgehogs had a lot of fun because the puddles splashed so funny. Fun is fun, but what happens if you run barefoot through puddles? Cold! Or even a sore throat! All the adults, of course, knew about this. The owl knew too. Only everyone was busy doing things - some around the house, some in the garden - no one saw anything. And the owl sat at her window and saw everything. So she found out before anyone else when naughty hedgehogs were likely to catch a cold. Well, tell me, could the owl, a serious bird, not warn the hedgehog’s grandfather? Warn grandfather to buy medicine for his hedgehogs in advance. Is the owl right?

And it happened like this. The mother hare and aunty goat will go out on business, and the little hare and kid will climb into the garden. The hare and goat have a common garden: both grow carrots, turnips, and cabbage. If the little hare and kid only feasted on cabbage and carrots without permission, that would be fine. But then the owl sees that the little robbers ate half a turnip. Is it possible to! After all, the turnips are not yet ripe, they are still green! The baby goat and the little hare will have a stomach ache. The owl got very excited. She decided that it was urgent to tell the mother bunny and aunty goat about everything so that they could quickly make an appointment for their babies to see a doctor. Is the owl right?

Right is wrong, as soon as he sees something alarming, he rushes to warn. And in order to somehow soften the unpleasant news, the owl first gives the neighbor one of her beautiful red flowers, and only then politely upsets her. What remains for her?

And now the owl picked three flowers and flew off to warn the hedgehog’s grandfather, the hare’s mother and the goat’s aunt.

- Wow, wow, wow! Dear grandfather hedgehog! I respectfully ask you to kindly accept my flower, as well as a warning: your hedgehogs must get a sore throat because they ran barefoot through puddles. Wow, wow, wow! I'm sorry, but you need to quickly run for the medicine. Wow, wow, wow!

Grandfather the hedgehog was upset, very upset, but he already knew, knew for sure, that hedgehogs needed to take tablets for a sore throat.

- Wow, wow, wow! Dear Mama Bunny and Auntie Goat! Please accept my humble flowers and alarming warning! Wow! Wow! Wow!

The mother hare and the aunty goat were alarmed. They were very worried, but immediately took their kids to the doctor. He immediately gave them stomach pills, and the little hare and kid didn’t even have time to get sick.

This is the story about the owl that the wizard told me. About an owl that lived in a magical town. I saw everything, knew everything. So is she kind? Or not? You say: “No. After all, she upset everyone.”

Or you will say: “Yes. After all, she warned about troubles, which means she helped to cope with them.” Think about it, then you'll figure it out. Maybe there’s a reason why the residents of the magical town don’t like the owl?