Little Raccoon and the One Who Sits in the Pond

It can be said without exaggeration that the entire childhood of grandparents, parents, and now children and grandchildren is illustrated by the genius left-handed artist Vladimir Grigorievich Suteev. One of his kindest books is the story of the small but... brave Little Raccoon, who was initially terrified but later befriended the One who sat in the pond. The tale was written by American author Lillian Moore, and Vladimir Suteev gave the book a second, vibrant, and essentially immortal life.
Mom gives Little Raccoon the task to go alone, in the dark, to the pond and catch delicious crayfish for dinner. Little Raccoon enthusiastically sets off to fulfill his mother's request, but the farther he gets from home, the more frightened he becomes. Along the way, he meets the Porcupine, the Skunk, and the Fat Rabbit, who scare him with tales of the One who sits in the pond. But Little Raccoon bravely continues on. He indeed sees someone in the pond whom he perceives as very scary; he runs away twice and returns twice, armed with either a stone or a stick. The One who sits in the pond also threatens him with either a stone or a stick, and utterly upset and frightened, Little Raccoon returns to his mother.
Mom gives her son wise advice: not to threaten or swing at the One who sits in the pond, but simply to smile at him. The little raccoon does just that. This time, the One who sits in the pond smiles back at him. After catching the crayfish, the little one returns home, and mom reveals to him the secret of who was truly sitting in the pond. But the little reader is left to figure out who that really is with the help of their parents. The main and very important lesson for the little one is that Little Raccoon was small but brave, and being brave is very good.
Recommended for preschoolers of all ages for looking at pictures and reading, both independently and with parents.
Retold from English by Olga Alexandrovna Obraztsova.