Ln Tolstoy's great stories. Stories for children - Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy

Tolstoy's original fairy tales are perfect for family reading. The list includes works that are of interest to preschoolers, demanding teenagers and very adult readers. The tales are bright, kind, truly brilliant, like all the works of this outstanding literary figure.

Leo Tolstoy: fairy tales and other works for children

The writer penned a huge number of works. From the variety of genres in which the great master of words worked, Tolstoy’s original fairy tales can be distinguished into a special group.

Their appearance cannot be called accidental. The writer was very seriously interested in folk art. He communicated with storytellers, peasants, and other ordinary people who were experts. From their words, he wrote down proverbs, sayings, folk signs and other works of folklore. This is how Tolstoy’s fairy tales appeared in manuscripts, and later adaptations of Tolstoy’s fairy tales were published. The list of such works is quite large - “The Three Bears”, “The Wolf and the Goat”, “The Waterman and the Pearl”, “The Squirrel and the Wolf”, “The Woman and the Hen” and several dozen other short instructive stories are part of the writer’s legacy. The language of Tolstoy's fairy tales is distinguished by expressiveness and extreme clarity of presentation, which is very important for the consciousness of the young reader. The moral teachings that are necessarily present in fairy tales are very short and precise. This helps the child fully understand and remember the idea of ​​the work.

Pedagogical activity of the writer

The eventful biography of Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy highlights the period when he actively worked in the field of teaching and raising children. This dates back to 1871, when schools for peasant children were created, and work began on creating books to teach schoolchildren to read. His ABC was published in 1872. Along with other works, the content of the books also includes Tolstoy’s original fairy tales.

In 1874, the article “On public education“, and a year later “The New Alphabet” and four volumes of “Russian Books for Reading” were published. The table of contents of these collections again contains a list of Tolstoy’s fairy tales. Authored and processed folk tales, stories, were, parables introduce readers to the life of peasants and ordinary people. The list of works included in the collections is very large. The most famous are the following: “Swans”, “Kitten”, “Hares”, “The Tsar and the Shirt”, “The Righteous Judge”, “The Girl and the Thieves”, “Reward”, “The Lion and the Dog”, and others. Together with the books of Konstantin Dmitrievich Ushinsky, the collections of Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy for a long time were the only books used to teach children to read. Their popularity was so high that they went through over thirty editions. The textbooks were sold in millions of copies throughout all the provinces of Russia.

Publishing house "Posrednik"

In 1884, Leo Tolstoy, obsessed with the idea of ​​enlightening the common people, conceived the idea of ​​opening a special publishing house where works for folk reading. The innovative idea was brought to life. The publishing house began to operate and was named "Intermediary".

Especially for this project, the author's fairy tales by Tolstoy Lev Nikolaevich were written - “Two Brothers and Gold”, “How Much Land Does a Man Need”, “Ilyas”, “The Tale of Ivan the Fool”, “Where there is Love, There is God”, “If You Miss you can’t put out the fire”, “Two Old Men”, “Candle” and many others. As you can see, the list is not limited to fairy tales, it includes fables, stories, and parables.

The writer's attitude towards children's literature

The author's fairy tales of Tolstoy Lev Nikolaevich are still a model fiction not only in Russia, but throughout the world. First of all, this became possible thanks to the unique talent of the writer.

But one should not lose sight of the fact that Tolstoy treated the writing of works; he wrote, pondering every word. Often he had to rewrite them several times. After all, any of his stories, in addition to describing some events or facts from life, also contained a moral and was of an educational nature. The result of the writer’s painstaking work was the appearance of a whole library of works for children, through the reading of which hard work, kindness, courage, honesty and other positive qualities of a small person are brought up.

Leo Tolstoy - an expert on the human soul

Analyzing the content and list of Tolstoy's fairy tales (the author's and folk works retold by him), it is not difficult to conclude that the writer created them taking into account his knowledge of the characteristics. Unobtrusively, correctly, he models the behavior of a small citizen, and gives competent advice to an adult on raising a child. Simple simple stories stories described in his works always end in such a way that a person wants to express his own attitude towards the characters and their actions. It is not difficult for the author to draw his own conclusion, but he deliberately attracts the reader to this work, who to some extent becomes a co-author of the great master of the Russian word.

Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy is the author of works not only for adults, but also for children. Young readers like the stories, fables, and fairy tales of the famous prose writer. Tolstoy's works for children teach love, kindness, courage, justice, and resourcefulness.

Fairy tales for little ones

These works can be read to children by their parents. A 3-5 year old child will be interested in meeting the heroes of fairy tales. When kids learn to put letters together into words, they will be able to read and study Tolstoy’s works for children on their own.

The fairy tale “Three Bears” tells the story of a girl Masha who got lost in the forest. She came across a house and entered it. The table was set, there were 3 bowls on it different sizes. Masha tasted the soup, first from two large ones, and then ate all the soup, which was poured into a small plate. Then she sat on the chair and slept on the bed, which, like the chair and the plate, belonged to Mishutka. When he returned home with his parent bears and saw all this, he wanted to catch the girl, but she jumped out the window and ran away.

Kids will also be interested in other works by Tolstoy for children, written in the form of fairy tales.

Stories-were

It is useful for older children to read Tolstoy's works for children, written in the format short stories, for example, about a boy who really wanted to study, but his mother would not let him go.

The story "Philippok" begins with this. But the boy Philip once left for school without asking, when he was left at home alone with his grandmother. Entering the classroom, he was scared at first, but then pulled himself together and answered the teacher’s questions. The teacher promised the child that he would ask his mother to allow Filippka to go to school. This is how the boy wanted to learn. After all, learning something new is so interesting!

One more small and good person wrote Tolstoy. Works for children written by Lev Nikolaevich include the story “The Foundling.” From it we learn about the girl Masha, who discovered on the threshold of her house infant. The girl was kind and gave the foundling milk to drink. Her mother wanted to give the baby to the boss, since their family was poor, but Masha said that the foundling did not eat much, and she herself would take care of him. The girl kept her word, she swaddled, fed, and put the baby to bed.

The next story, like the previous one, is based on real events. It's called "Cow". The work tells about the widow Marya, her six children and a cow.

Tolstoy, works for children created in an instructive form

After reading the story “Stone,” you are once again convinced that you shouldn’t eat for a long time bear a grudge against someone. After all, this is a destructive feeling.

In the story, one poor man literally carried a stone in his bosom. Once upon a time, a rich man, instead of helping, threw this cobblestone at the poor man. When the life of the rich man changed dramatically, he was taken to prison, the poor man wanted to throw a stone at him, which he had saved, but the anger had long passed and was replaced by pity.

You experience the same feeling when reading the story “Topol”. The narration is told in the first person. The author, together with his assistants, wanted to cut down young poplars. These were the shoots of an old tree. The man thought that this would make his life easier, but everything turned out differently. The poplar was drying up and therefore giving birth to new trees. The old tree died, and the workers destroyed the new shoots.

Fables

Not everyone knows that Leo Tolstoy’s works for children are not only fairy tales, short stories, but also fables that are written in prose.

For example, "The Ant and the Dove." After reading this fable, children will conclude that good deeds lead to good actions in return.

The ant fell into the water and began to drown, the dove threw him a twig there, along which the poor fellow was able to get out. Once a hunter set a net for a dove and was about to slam the trap, but then an ant came to the bird’s aid. He bit the hunter on the leg, he gasped. At this time, the dove got out of the net and flew away.

Other instructive fables that Leo Tolstoy came up with are also worthy of attention. Works for children written in this genre are:

• "Turtle and Eagle";
• "The head and tail of a snake";
• "The Lion and the Mouse";
• "Donkey and Horse";
• "Lion, Bear and Fox";
• "The Frog and the Lion";
• "The Ox and the Old Woman."

"Childhood"

For primary and secondary students school age We can recommend reading the first part of L.N. Tolstoy’s trilogy “Childhood”, “Adolescence”, “Youth”. It will be useful for them to know how their peers, children of wealthy parents, lived in the 19th century.

The story begins with meeting Nikolenka Artenyev, who is 10 years old. The boy was instilled with good manners from childhood. And now, having woken up, he washed, got dressed, and teacher Karl Ivanovich led him and younger brother say hello to mommy. She poured tea in the living room, then the family had breakfast.

This is how Leo Tolstoy described the morning scene. Works for children teach young readers kindness and love, just like this story. The author describes what feelings Nikolenka felt for his parents - pure and sincere love. This story will be useful for young readers. In high school they will study the continuation of the book - "Boyhood" and "Youth".

Tolstoy's works: list

Short stories are read very quickly. Here are the titles of some of them that Lev Nikolaevich wrote for children:

• "Eskimos";
• "Two Comrades";
• "Bulka and the Wolf";
• "How Trees Walk";
• "Girls are smarter than old men";
• "Apple trees";
• "Magnet";
• "Lozina";
• "Two merchants";
• "Bone."

• "Candle";
• "Bad Air";
• "Harmful air";
• "Hares";
• "Deer".

Stories about animals

Tolstoy has very touching stories. We learn about the brave boy from next story, which is called "Kitten". In one family there lived a cat. She suddenly disappeared for some time. When the children - brother and sister - found her, they saw that the cat had given birth to kittens. The guys took one for themselves and began to care for the little creature - feeding and watering it.

One day they went for a walk and took their pet with them. But soon the children forgot about him. They remembered only when the baby was in danger - hunting dogs rushed at him barking. The girl got scared and ran away, and the boy rushed to protect the kitten. He covered him with his body and thus saved him from the dogs, which the hunter then called away.

In the story "Elephant" we learn about a giant animal living in India. The owner treated him poorly - he barely fed him and forced him to work a lot. One day the animal could not stand such treatment and crushed the man by stepping on him with its foot. Instead of the previous one, the elephant chose a boy - his son - as its owner.

Here are some instructive and interesting stories wrote a classic. These are the best works of Leo Tolstoy for children. They will help instill in children many useful and important qualities, will teach you to better see and understand the world around you.

This book for family reading contains the best works of Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, which have been loved by both preschool children and demanding teenagers for more than a century.

The main characters of the stories are children, “troubled”, “dexterous”, and therefore close to modern boys and girls. The book teaches love - for man and for everything that surrounds him: nature, animals, native land. She is kind and bright, like all the works of a brilliant writer.

Artists Nadezhda Lukina, Irina and Alexander Chukavin.

Lev Tolstoy
All the best for children

STORIES

Filipok

There was a boy, his name was Philip.

Once all the boys went to school. Philip took his hat and wanted to go too. But his mother told him:

Where are you going, Filipok?

To school.

You’re still young, don’t go,” and his mother left him at home.

The guys went to school. Father left for the forest in the morning, mother went to daily work. Filipok and grandma remained in the hut on the stove. Filip became bored alone, his grandmother fell asleep, and he began to look for his hat. I couldn’t find mine, so I took my father’s old one and went to school.

The school was outside the village near the church. When Philip walked through his settlement, the dogs did not touch him, they knew him. But when he went out to other people's yards, Zhuchka jumped out, barked, and behind Zhuchka - big dog Spinning top. Filipok started to run, the dogs followed him. Filipok began to scream, tripped and fell.

A man came out, drove the dogs away and said:

Where are you, little shooter, running alone?

Filipok said nothing, picked up the floors and started running at full speed.

He ran to the school. There is no one on the porch, but in the school you can hear the voices of the children buzzing. Fear came over Filip: “What, as a teacher, will drive me away?” And he began to think what to do. To go back - the dog will eat again, to go to school - he is afraid of the teacher.

A woman walked past the school with a bucket and said:

Everyone is studying, but why are you standing here?

Filipok went to school. In the senets he took off his hat and opened the door. The whole school was full of children. Everyone shouted their own, and the teacher in a red scarf walked in the middle.

What are you doing? - he shouted at Filip.

Filipok grabbed his hat and said nothing.

Who are you?

Filipok was silent.

Or are you dumb?

Filipok was so frightened that he could not speak.

Well, go home if you don’t want to talk.

And Filipok would have been glad to say something, but his throat was dry from fear. He looked at the teacher and began to cry. Then the teacher felt sorry for him. He stroked his head and asked the guys who this boy was.

This is Filipok, Kostyushkin’s brother, he has been asking to go to school for a long time, but his mother won’t let him, and he came to school on the sly.

Well, sit on the bench next to your brother, and I’ll ask your mother to let you go to school.

The teacher began to show Filipok the letters, but Filipok already knew them and could read a little.

Well, put your name down.

Filipok said:

Hve-i-hvi, le-i-li, pe-ok-pok.

Everyone laughed.

Well done, said the teacher. -Who taught you to read?

Filipok dared and said:

Kosciuszka. I'm poor, I immediately understood everything. I am passionately so clever!

The teacher laughed and said:

Stop boasting and learn.

Since then, Filipok began going to school with the children.

Disputants

Two people on the street found a book together and began to argue about who should take it.

A third walked by and asked:

So why do you need a book? You are arguing just like two bald men were fighting over a comb, but there was nothing to scratch yourself.

Lazy daughter

The mother and daughter took out a tub of water and wanted to take it to the hut.

The daughter said:

It’s hard to carry, let me add some salt to the water.

Mother said:

You’ll drink it yourself at home, but if you add salt, you’ll have to go another time.

The daughter said:

I won’t drink at home, but here I’ll be drunk for the whole day.

Old grandfather and grandson

Grandfather became very old. His legs did not walk, his eyes did not see, his ears did not hear, he had no teeth. And when he ate, it flowed backwards from his mouth. His son and daughter-in-law stopped sitting him at the table and let him dine at the stove.

They brought him lunch in a cup. He wanted to move it, but he dropped it and broke it. The daughter-in-law began to scold the old man for ruining everything in the house and breaking cups, and said that now she would give him dinner in a basin. The old man just sighed and said nothing.

One day a husband and wife are sitting at home and watching - their little son is playing on the floor with planks - he is working on something. The father asked:

Why are you doing this, Misha?

And Misha says:

This is me, father, making the basin. When you and your mother are too old to feed you from this tub.

The husband and wife looked at each other and began to cry. They felt ashamed that they had offended the old man so much; and from then on they began to sit him at the table and look after him.

Bone

The mother bought plums and wanted to give them to the children after lunch.

They were on the plate. Vanya never ate plums and kept smelling them. And he really liked them. I really wanted to eat it. He kept walking past the plums. When there was no one in the upper room, he could not resist, grabbed one plum and ate it.

Before dinner, the mother counted the plums and saw that one was missing. She told her father.

At dinner my father says:

Well, children, did anyone eat one plum?

Everyone said:

Vanya blushed like a lobster and said the same.

The great Russian writer Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy (1828–1910) loved children very much, and even more he loved talking to them.

He knew many fables, fairy tales, stories and stories that he enthusiastically told to children. Both his own grandchildren and peasant children listened to him with interest.

Having opened a school for peasant children in Yasnaya Polyana, Lev Nikolaevich himself taught there.

He wrote a textbook for the little ones and called it "ABC". The author's work, consisting of four volumes, was “beautiful, short, simple and, most importantly, clear” for children to understand.

Lion and mouse

The lion was sleeping. The mouse ran over his body. He woke up and caught her. The mouse began to ask him to let her in; She said:

If you let me in, I will do you good.

The lion laughed that the mouse promised to do good to him, and let it go.

Then the hunters caught the lion and tied it to a tree with a rope. The mouse heard the lion's roar, came running, chewed the rope and said:

Remember, you laughed, you didn’t think that I could do you any good, but now you see, sometimes good comes from a mouse.

How a thunderstorm caught me in the forest

When I was little, I was sent to the forest to pick mushrooms.

I reached the forest, picked mushrooms and wanted to go home. Suddenly it became dark, it began to rain and there was thunder.

I got scared and sat down under a large oak tree. Lightning flashed so brightly that it hurt my eyes and I closed my eyes.

Something crackled and rattled above my head; then something hit me in the head.

I fell and lay there until the rain stopped.

When I woke up, trees were dripping all over the forest, birds were singing and the sun was playing. A large oak tree broke and smoke came out of the stump. Oak secrets lay around me.

My dress was all wet and sticking to my body; there was a bump on my head and it hurt a little.

I found my hat, took the mushrooms and ran home.

There was no one at home, I took out some bread from the table and climbed onto the stove.

When I woke up, I saw from the stove that my mushrooms had been fried, put on the table and were already ready to eat.

I shouted: “What are you eating without me?” They say: “Why are you sleeping? Go quickly and eat.”

Sparrow and swallows

Once I stood in the yard and looked at a nest of swallows under the roof. Both swallows flew away in front of me, and the nest was left empty.

While they were away, a sparrow flew from the roof, jumped onto the nest, looked around, flapped its wings and darted into the nest; then he stuck his head out and chirped.

Soon after that, a swallow flew to the nest. She poked her head into the nest, but as soon as she saw the guest, she squeaked, beat her wings in place and flew away.

Sparrow sat and chirped.

Suddenly a herd of swallows flew in: all the swallows flew up to the nest - as if to look at the sparrow, and flew away again.

The sparrow was not shy, he turned his head and chirped.

The swallows again flew up to the nest, did something, and flew away again.

It was not for nothing that the swallows flew up: they each brought dirt in their beaks and little by little covered the hole in the nest.

Again the swallows flew away and came again, and covered the nest more and more, and the hole became tighter and tighter.

At first the sparrow's neck was visible, then only its head, then its nose, and then nothing became visible; The swallows completely covered him in the nest, flew away and began circling around the house whistling.

Two comrades

Two comrades were walking through the forest, and a bear jumped out at them.

One ran, climbed a tree and hid, while the other stayed on the road. He had nothing to do - he fell to the ground and pretended to be dead.

The bear came up to him and began to sniff: he stopped breathing.

The bear sniffed his face, thought he was dead, and walked away.

When the bear left, he climbed down from the tree and laughed.

Well, he says, did the bear speak into your ear?

And he told me that bad people those who run away from their comrades in danger.

Liar

The boy was guarding the sheep and, as if he saw a wolf, began to call:

Help, wolf! Wolf!

The men came running and saw: it’s not true. As he did this two and three times, it happened that a wolf actually came running. The boy began to shout:

Come here, come quickly, wolf!

The men thought that he was deceiving again as always - they did not listen to him. The wolf sees that there is nothing to be afraid of: he has slaughtered the entire herd in the open.

Hunter and Quail

A quail got caught in a hunter's net and began to ask the hunter to let him go.

Just let me go,” he says, “I’ll serve you.” I'll lure you other quails into the net.

Well, the quail,” said the hunter, “wouldn’t have let you in anyway, and now even more so.” I’ll turn my head for wanting to hand over your own people.

Girl and mushrooms

Two girls were walking home with mushrooms.

They had to cross the railway.

They thought the car was far away, so they climbed up the embankment and walked across the rails.

Suddenly a car made noise. The older girl ran back, and the younger girl ran across the road.

The older girl shouted to her sister: “Don’t go back!”

But the car was so close and made such a loud noise that the smaller girl did not hear; she thought that she was being told to run back. She ran back across the rails, tripped, dropped the mushrooms and began to pick them up.

The car was already close, and the driver whistled as hard as he could.

The older girl shouted: “Throw away the mushrooms!”, and the little girl thought that she was being told to pick mushrooms, and crawled along the road.

The driver could not hold the cars. She whistled as hard as she could and ran into the girl.

The older girl screamed and cried. All the passengers looked from the windows of the cars, and the conductor ran to the end of the train to see what had happened to the girl.

When the train passed, everyone saw that the girl was lying head down between the rails and not moving.

Then, when the train had already moved far, the girl raised her head, jumped on her knees, picked mushrooms and ran to her sister.

Old grandfather and grandson

(Fable)

Grandfather became very old. His legs did not walk, his eyes did not see, his ears did not hear, he had no teeth. And when he ate, it flowed backwards from his mouth.

His son and daughter-in-law stopped sitting him at the table and let him dine at the stove. They brought him lunch in a cup. He wanted to move it, but he dropped it and broke it.

The daughter-in-law began to scold the old man for ruining everything in the house and breaking cups, and said that now she would give him dinner in a basin.

The old man just sighed and said nothing.

One day a husband and wife are sitting at home and watching - their little son is playing on the floor with planks - he is working on something.

The father asked: “What are you doing this, Misha?” And Misha said: “It’s me, father, who’s making the tub. When you and your mother are too old to feed you from this tub.”

The husband and wife looked at each other and began to cry.

They felt ashamed that they had offended the old man so much; and from then on they began to sit him at the table and look after him.

Little mouse

The mouse went out for a walk. She walked around the yard and came back to her mother.

Well, mother, I saw two animals. One is scary and the other is kind.

Mother asked:

Tell me, what kind of animals are these?

The mouse said:

One is scary - his legs are black, his crest is red, his eyes are protruding, and his nose is hooked. When I walked past, he opened his mouth, raised his leg and began screaming so loudly that out of fear I did not know where to go.

This is a rooster, said the old mouse, he does no harm to anyone, don’t be afraid of him. Well, what about the other animal?

The other was lying in the sun and warming himself. His neck was white, his legs were gray and smooth. He was licking his white chest and moving his tail slightly, looking at me.

The old mouse said:

Stupid, you are stupid. After all, it's the cat himself.

Two guys

Two men were driving: one to the city, the other from the city.

They hit each other with the sleigh. One shouts:

Give me the way, I need to get to the city quickly.

And the other shouts:

Give me the way. I need to go home soon.

And the third man saw and said:

Whoever needs it quickly, put it back.

Poor man and rich man

In one house they lived: upstairs was a rich gentleman, and downstairs was a poor tailor.

The tailor kept singing songs while working and disturbed the master's sleep.

The master gave the tailor a bag of money so that he would not sing.

The tailor became rich and kept his money safe, but he no longer began to sing.

And he became bored. He took the money and brought it back to the master and said:

Take your money back, and let me sing the songs. And then melancholy came over me.

Our ship was anchored off the coast of Africa. It was a beautiful day, a fresh wind was blowing from the sea; but in the evening the weather changed: it became stuffy and, as if from a heated stove, hot air from the Sahara desert was blowing towards us. Read...

When I was six years old, I asked my mother to let me sew. She said: “You are still small, you will only prick your fingers”; and I kept pestering. Mother took a red piece of paper from the chest and gave it to me; then she threaded a red thread into the needle and showed me how to hold it. Read...

The priest was getting ready to go to the city, and I told him: “Father, take me with you.” And he says: “You will freeze there; "Where are you going?" I turned around, cried and went into the closet. I cried and cried and fell asleep. Read...

My grandfather lived in a bee yard in the summer. When I visited him, he gave me honey. Read...

I love my brother anyway, but more because he became a soldier for me. Here's how it happened: they began to cast lots. The lot fell on me, I had to become a soldier, and then I got married a week ago. I didn’t want to leave my young wife. Read...

I had an uncle, Ivan Andreich. He taught me to shoot when I was still 13 years old. He took out a small gun and let me shoot with it when we went for a walk. And I killed a jackdaw once and a magpie another time. Read...

I was walking along the road and heard a scream behind me. The shepherd boy shouted. He ran across the field and pointed at someone. Read...

In our house, behind the window shutter, a sparrow built a nest and laid five eggs. My sisters and I watched as a sparrow carried a straw and a feather behind the shutter and built a nest there. And then, when he put the eggs there, we were very happy. Read...

We had an old man, Pimen Timofeich. He was 90 years old. He lived with his grandson without anything to do. His back was bent, he walked with a stick and quietly moved his legs. He had no teeth at all, his face was wrinkled. His lower lip trembled; when he walked and when he spoke, he slapped his lips, and it was impossible to understand what he was saying. Read...

Once I stood in the yard and looked at a nest of swallows under the roof. Both swallows flew away in front of me, and the nest was left empty. Read...

I planted two hundred young apple trees and for three years, in the spring and autumn, I dug them in, and wrapped them in straw to prevent hares for the winter. In the fourth year, when the snow melted, I went to look at my apple trees. Read...

When we lived in the city, we studied every day, only on Sundays and holidays we went for walks and played with our brothers. Once the priest said: “The older children need to learn to ride horses. Send them to the playpen." Read...

We lived poorly on the edge of the village. I had a mother, a nanny (elder sister) and a grandmother. Grandmother walked around in an old chuprun and a thin paneva, and tied her head with some kind of rag, and a bag hung under her throat. Read...

I got myself a pointing dog for pheasants. This dog's name was Milton: she was tall, thin, speckled gray, with long wings and ears, and very strong and smart. Read...

When I left the Caucasus, there was still war there, and it was dangerous to travel at night without an escort. Read...

From the village I did not go directly to Russia, but first to Pyatigorsk, and stayed there for two months. I gave Milton to the Cossack hunter, and took Bulka with me to Pyatigorsk. Read...

Bulka and Milton ended at the same time. The old Cossack did not know how to handle Milton. Instead of taking him with him only to hunt birds, he began to take him after wild boars. And that same autumn a boar cleaver killed him. No one knew how to sew it up, and Milton died. Read...

I had a face. Her name was Bulka. She was all black, only the tips of her front paws were white. Read...

Once in the Caucasus we went boar hunting, and Bulka came running with me. As soon as the hounds started driving, Bulka rushed towards their voice and disappeared into the forest. It was in the month of November; Boars and pigs are then very fat. Read...

One day I went hunting with Milton. Near the forest he began to search, stretched out his tail, raised his ears and began to sniff. I prepared my gun and went after him. I thought he was looking for partridge, pheasant or hare.

Despite the fact that Tolstoy was of the noble class, he always found time to communicate with peasant children, and even opened a school for them on his estate.

The great Russian writer, a man of progressive views, Leo Tolstoy died on a train at Astapovo station. According to his will, he was buried in Yasnaya Polyana, on the hill where, as a child, little lion I was looking for a “green stick” that would help make all people happy.