Children get acquainted with the work of M. M. Prishvin already in the elementary grades. Short but very interesting stories are always filled with deep meaning. These words fully apply to the work “Chicken on the Pillars”.
The article offers a summary of the story, as well as variations on how its main idea can be determined.
Fancy Kids
To the Queen of Spades, a black hen, four goose eggs were laid. She did not notice anything, and in due time the yellow goslings hatched from them. And although they squeaked quite differently from chickens, the chicken treated all its children the same way.
Following the spring, summer came, dandelions faded. The gusks grew noticeably and with their outstretched necks seemed almost taller than their mother. But they continued to follow her everywhere. True, one could sometimes observe the following picture: the Queen of Spades began to paddle the ground with her paw and in full swing shouted at the goslings, and they beat their beaks against dandelions and let fluffs downwind. She is clucking, sometimes she will drive the dog away, and strange children continue to pinch the grass. But she will only stop and look at them thoughtfully ...
A Sound of Thunder!
It is from this that you can begin the second part of the story, when the Queen of Spades finally guessed. It happened on a June day, when the sun suddenly faded, lightning flashed, and all living creatures ran under a canopy. The goslings climbed under the wings of their mother, and she carefully hugged them and warmed her with warmth. Pretty ordinary picture. The most interesting thing happened later. The rain ended pretty quickly, the sun shone again, and the birds began to twitter cheerfully. The goslings wanted to get out from under the canopy, and, despite the warnings of their mother, they got up on their feet and set free. And on their necks, as if on four pillars, sat ... an alarmed mother chicken.
Since that time, the Queen of Spades did not engage in geese anymore, but only occasionally glanced at them from the side. She probably understood everything. Or maybe she didn’t want to be mother chicken again on poles?
What is the story about?
The works of M. Prishvin are not accidentally included in the school curriculum. Thanks to them, it is possible to convey to students very important ideas that resonate with the realities of everyday life. Here, for example, how you can determine the main idea of the story “Chicken on the Pillars” (a similar task is often given to primary school students who keep a “Reader's Diary”):
- Black chicken is a real mother who loves her children for who they really are. And he is trying to teach them everything that she can do, even if it is not at all simple. Truly right are the people who believe that maternal love is the brightest feeling on earth.
- The life around us is very interesting, and you need to be very careful to notice all the surprises that it presents to us. And also to distinguish true from false, no matter how bitter it may be.
- Children can always take refuge under the “wing” of their mother: she will certainly understand and help.
- “Not the mother that gave birth, but the one that nurtured” - this is the proverb that comes to mind after reading the story “The Chicken on the Pillars”. It is hard to believe that the mother hen could not distinguish goslings from chickens. Another thing is important: for her they were the same as those born in one nest.
We hope this article will be useful in preparing the Reader's Diary or in preparing your children for the lesson. We recommend that you do not limit yourself to reading a short retelling, but read M. Prishvin’s wonderful work, “The Chicken on the Pillars,” on your own.