Son of the Regiment

War is always grief. But it becomes even greater grief when children are involved. The main character of one of the most famous works by Valentin Kataev, "Son of the Regiment," is a twelve-year-old peasant boy, Vanya Solntsev, who has lost everything to the war: his loved ones, his home, and his very childhood. Left an orphan, he ends up in an artillery battery. The scouts and gunners become his new family, and the dugout becomes his new home. The story is aimed at middle school-aged children. Having survived numerous reprints and an adaptation, it still helps instill honesty, fairness, resilience, and mutual assistance today. The text of the work is presented without abbreviations, printed on good paper in large font, and contains colorful illustrations by M. Ishchenko.