THE OLD LADY AND HER CHOCOLATE

As a matter of fact, fairy-tales live everywhere: they are jumping in the grass, hiding under the bush, and sitting in the trees. They are swimming in the river and flying in the sky. They are living in houses and walking down streets. But it’s not always easy to find them. The most difficult job is to notice a fairy-tale and turn it into a book. Sometimes fairy-tales come across as stubborn and leave scribbles on paper and even short lines. This happens very rarely. Usually fairy-tales make my acquaintance with pleasure, and we become best friends.
In Russia, on an old street in Novosibirsk, where they were breaking down a ramshackle house, I ran into “The story about a small mouse”. “The story about a telephone pole” called me on the phone and asked me to write it. “The story about the Old Lady and her chocolate” ran across my path in a Siberian forest and immediately became one of my favorite tales. “The story about Velik and Hrustik” was barked to me by my neighbor’s dog, and I translated it into human language.
The rest of my fairy-tales I discovered under very unusual circumstances. A few of them became part of this book, but there are many more to share with you, my little friend. To start with, please read these five fairy-tales, sing a song and enjoy seeing all pictures I have drawn.