Resonant, clear, and catchy short verses in wonderful translations by Nina Gernet and Sergey Gippius have preserved a soft, playful intonation and a truly French gallantry, coquetry, and gentle mockery.
One wants not only to reread this book but also, thanks to Vladimir Konashevich's remarkable illustrations, to look through it again and again. Characters and objects are always shown in full so that, as the artist himself said, "all their parts are visible." The costumes, utensils, houses, and the characters themselves retain their national color.
Konashevich does not just draw pictures. He develops and elaborates on the text, surrounding each little poem with such a wealth of eloquent, "authentic" details that describing them would take a whole page.
For example, in the poem "The Little Skirt," a cat with a bow dances spiritedly alongside a fancy young lady, hilariously mimicking its owner's movements: the young lady holds up the hem of her skirt, and the cat holds up its long tail with a paw. And for the quatrain "Where the Bunny Lives"—about a rabbit who goes off somewhere every morning with a blanket under his arm—the artist creates a detailed illustrated story featuring a sly fox peeking out of a window at the long-eared fellow as he busily walks by. By the way, on the fox's roof is his own chicken coop, and the flustered hens, led by a rooster, cluck and gossip about where the bunny is headed.
Illustrations: Vladimir Konashevich
Translation: Nina Gernet, Sergey Gippius
Pages: 28 (coated paper). Softcover
Dimensions: 280x260x5 mm
Series: Thin masterpieces for the little ones
