Tales of Animals

These stories could very well have happened in reality. The little bear Umka could have once slipped away from his mother bear and gone to people where he found a friend—a little boy; the duck Gray Neck could have fallen into the clutches of a fox and, with a broken wing, remained alone for the winter on the river, where the fox could have hunted her again, and a hunter could have found the duck and taken her to his grandchildren; one boastful frog could have pleased the migratory ducks so much that they not only didn’t eat her but also took her with them on their journey south… But in nature, bears, ducks, foxes, and frogs do not talk. And hares do not know how to laugh. And trees do not speak, and even if they do, a person cannot hear or understand them. Therefore, these stories are called tales. They indeed constitute a real collection.