In my opinion, a significant drawback of many Soviet children's works is their propaganda nature. It is clear that the entire system of education and upbringing was built on raising the younger generation in the spirit of socialism, and fiction could not remain on the sidelines. It is not even this fact that bothers me, but the fair amount of aggression present in children's books. But I still read them to my child, both "The Three Fat Men", and "The Kingdom of Crooked Mirrors", and the not-so-well-known "Patchwork and the Cloud". I am writing about these three because they turned out to be surprisingly similar in both plot and message: there is a certain fairy-tale kingdom where, because of evil and greedy rulers, everything goes wrong, the rich get richer, the common people work hard, but only suffer and become poorer. But there are heroes (children! girls!) who save everyone, and in all three works these girls make the most dangerous sorties into the palaces of rulers, and work undercover behind enemy lines. In general, about aggression, yes, I read them to my child, because the plot is interesting and well written, and I specifically focus on questionable moments, allowing myself, so to speak, to disagree with the author. Well, what if this helps to form critical thinking?
So, about "Patchwork", if you haven't read it. It's complete postmodernism: the main character is a cloud, it takes the form of a lion, a chicken, a dress, a watch, a beard... Its mood also changes, it gets hot and cold, it gets hysterical and then gets offended, then falls into euphoria, and the girl Loskutik adapts to the situation. In general, a very unusual children's book. The plot is based again on social injustice: the king appropriated all the water, sells it for huge amounts of money, and even rain never falls in this state. And then - a cloud! The evening ceases to be languid... If you like palace intrigues with a girl protagonist, take note. The book about Loskutik and the cloud - HERE
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