In my opinion, a significant drawback of many Soviet works for children is their propaganda nature. It is clear that the entire system of education and upbringing was built on nurturing the younger generation in the spirit of socialism, and fiction could not remain aloof; it is not even this fact itself that bothers me, but a fair amount of aggression present in children's books. But I still read them to my child, “Three Fat Men”, and “The Kingdom of Crooked Mirrors”, and the not-everyone-known “The Patchwork and the Cloud”. I’m writing about these three because they turned out to be surprisingly similar in both plot and message: there is a kind of 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 get poorer . But there are heroes (children! girls!) who save everyone, and in all three works these girls make dangerous forays 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 the dubious points, allowing myself, so to speak, to disagree with the author. Well, what if this helps to develop critical thinking?
So here's about "Patchwork", if you haven't read it. This is complete postmodernism: the main character is a cloud, it takes the form of a lion, a chicken, a dress, a watch, a beard... His mood also changes, he is thrown into heat, then into cold, he is hysterical, then offended, then falls into euphoria, and the girl Loskutik adapts to the situation. All in all, a very unusual children's book. The plot is again based on social injustice: the king appropriated all the water for himself, sells it for huge money, and it never even rained in this state. And then - a cloud! The evening ceases to be languid... If you like palace intrigues with a girl protagonist, take note. Book about Patchwork and the Cloud - HERE
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