Petya and Potap

The first is the famous Russian folk tale "The Peasant and the Bear" retold by A.N. Tolstoy. The peasant was hardworking, sowing either turnips or rye, while the bear was idle but always hoped to snatch a part of the harvest grown by the peasant. The bear is strong but foolish. The peasant is weaker but clever. In this tale, intelligence wins over strength. This is how it often is in life.

The peasant and the bear were constantly quarreling, and so artist Viktor Chizhikov came up with a continuation featuring new characters – two tales called "Petya and Potap" and "Petya Saves Potap".

In these tales, the boy Petya, the grandson of the peasant from the first story, and the bear cub Potap, the grandson of that same bear, became friends and help each other in everything. They gather raspberries together, joyfully indulging in them and even chop down a dry tree for firewood. And when the Evil Hunter appears, who wants to kill the old bear and the bear cub and sell their skins, clever Petya devises a way to get rid of him. With the help of his friend Potap and Grandfather Bear, he sends the Evil Hunter – no more, no less – into space, where he spins in his orbit to this day, with astronauts feeding him. Though he is evil, he is still a human.

The main merit of Viktor Chizhikov's illustrations is especially valuable in our time – they are not scary, even when the bear is angry, and the Evil Hunter shares his bloodthirsty intentions. In the magical world created by the artist, goodness and harmony reign, and one can live in it without looking back or fear.