Modern kids are very fond of the tales of S. Ya. Marshak, as well as their parents in their distant childhood. Moms and dads again read aloud such familiar lines about a scattered person from Basseynaya street, a mustachio-striped kitten, animals from the zoo, and a lunch sparrow. And, of course, many of them face the dilemma: is it to introduce the baby to a fairy tale about a sleeping mouse, which disappears in the finale with its nanny, the cat? Is it permissible for kids to read stories with a sad ending, or will it damage the fragile children's psyche? Let's get it right.
Stupid little mouse
This fairy tale, written in a lively poetic form, is easily perceived by children. It is based on a fact known even to a three-year-old baby: cats eat mice. However, it is the striped little purr that the stupid animal chooses as a nanny.
All other applicants - their own mother, duck, toad, horse, pike and other animals - were not satisfied with the capricious mouse. As a result, the crib with the baby is found empty. The author does not speak directly about the death of the character, but it is not difficult to guess.
Marshak's fairy tale about the mouse was written in 1923. The writer admits that in it he tried to follow the folk traditions, denying "sugary poetry." Indeed, we find many references to folklore.
Folk traditions in the tale of Marshak
The composition of history is cumulative. The same situation is played many times. We see this technique in Russian folk tales for the smallest: the turnip is pulled again and again, the bun is rolling along the path, meeting forest animals along the road, new tenants are asking for a teremok. In this case, numerous babysitters try to lull the little mouse.
Listening to the story, the baby will remember various animals, find out what they eat. However, fairy tales about mice perform not only a learning function. The tiny character is an analogue of an unconscious, moody child. He does not like the singing of any of the nannies, only the cat captivates him with his purr. However, behind a beautiful voice and appearance there is a terrible threat.
In the final, the mouse pays for his stupidity. We see the sad end in many folk tales: they ate the bun, the golden egg was broken, the tower broke, the Snow Maiden melted. Telling similar stories, our ancestors taught children to empathize with others, think about the consequences of their actions, not trust the first comer and obey their elders.
The Tale of the Clever Mouse
However, many children do not want to put up with the death of a beloved character. This ending also bothers adults. Moreover, from the height of their experience, they see the guilt of a mouse-mouse in what happened. Her short-sighted and irresponsible indulgence in the whims of her son led to tragedy. In this sense, the plot is sometimes more traumatic for parents. After all, they represent themselves in the place of a mother who has lost a child.
The innuendo of history, apparently, did not give rest to S. Ya. Marshak himself. After 30 years, he wrote a sequel to the tale. She came out in 1955. The cat takes the mouse to the den, where it offers to play cat and mouse. But the animal manages to escape. On his way home he meets many forest predators: ferret, hedgehog, owl. They all want to play with him, but these are dangerous games. The little mouse understands that they want to eat it, so it prudently hides and runs away. The ending of the new fairy tale is happy: a wiser character returns safely to his mother.
The image of Ivan the Fool
Both mouse tales are built on the principle of folklore. As in the first part, we see a cumulative composition. The image of the protagonist echoes the character of folk tales - Ivan the Fool. Usually, he is the youngest and most unconscious son, whom the older brothers can easily deceive. So the mouse Marshak at first was stupid, naive, gullible.
However, getting into a critical situation, the hero grows wiser, shows ingenuity, resourcefulness. Now the animal serves as a positive example, showing the kids that they should not trust strangers. And, of course, he is lucky. Fairy-tale Ivan easily solves complex riddles, catches a firebird, takes out young apples. The mouse, however, manages to escape from all the predators and return to its mother unscathed.
Good and bad finals
The tale of mouse shows that whims and gullibility can lead to tragedy. But caution and mind will allow us to emerge victorious from any misfortune. The main thing is not to lose the presence of spirit. In childhood, when the worldview is just being formed, it is important to show the baby: life can be difficult, but there is a way out of any situation. So you educate an optimist who is ready to go forward, achieve success, despite the defeat.
However, many children prefer the tale of a stupid mouse. And not because they are pessimists. It's just that this story has more humor, liveliness, less didacticism. Kids are not yet aware of what death is. For them, the disappearance of the mouse is a fair and honest ending. If you are picky, you will be punished.
The tale about Marshak’s mice is a kind of warning. The same as "Gingerbread Man", "Little Red Riding Hood", "Seven Little Kids". It is recommended that they be read to children from two years old. Their goal is not to scare the baby, as parents think, but to save them from disaster. Here, the concepts of "friends or foes" are distinguished, and safety lessons are given in an accessible form. Do not avoid them. Whether we like it or not, our children live in the real world, where sometimes vigilant villains meet.