No, no, it was not at all the famous Crocodile that walked along the Nevsky! - after all, that Crocodile, as you, of course, know, lived and was, but this one just lived and was. This a big difference!

In addition, this Crocodile walked a little (he swam more often), did not smoke any cigarettes (and he did the right thing, it is very harmful!) And spoke only crocodile.

In a word, it was a real Crocodile, and he lived in real Africa, in a big river, and, as a real Crocodile should be, everything about him was terrible: a terrible tail and a terrible head, a terrible mouth and VERY TERRIBLE TEETH! (Only his legs were short, but the Crocodile thought they were TERRIBLY short.)

And the worst thing: he never brushed his VERY TERRIBLE TEETH: neither before meals, nor after meals (he also had a TERRIBLE appetite!), neither in the morning, before breakfast, nor in the evening, washing himself before going to bed (To wash himself, which is true, then True, I never forgot, but when you live in a river, it's not such a big merit, right?)

And it is not surprising that one fine day (as they say, although for the Crocodile, believe me, this day was not at all beautiful!), It is not surprising that one day the Crocodile got a toothache.

And how! SCARY!

To tell the truth, only one tooth got sick, but it seemed to the Crocodile that all his teeth hurt at once. Because in the tooth it pricked and ached, and it seemed to drill like a gimlet and, in addition, shot!

The crocodile just couldn't find a place for itself!

He threw himself into the water and dived to the very bottom, hoping that the cool water would make him feel better, and at first he seemed to feel better, but then his tooth began to ache twice as much!

Like a madman, he jumped ashore, onto the hot sand, in the hope that warmth would help him, and at first it seemed to help him, but then! ..

He moaned, he grunted, he whimpered (some people think that all this helps), but he just got worse and worse and worse!

And the worst thing was that there was no one to feel sorry for him: after all, he was a TERRIBLE CROCODILE, and his character was also TERRIBLE, and he offended many in his lifetime, and never, to anyone, under any circumstances did not say a single GOOD WORD!

Beasts and birds, however, came running from all sides, but they stood at a distance and were only surprised, looking at what the Crocodile was doing. And there was something to be surprised, because the Crocodile was spinning, and rushing about, and banging his head on the coastal rocks, and even tried to jump on one leg. But all this did not help him one bit!

And besides, his paws were so short that he could not even pick his teeth (although if he could, it would not help him much!).

And finally, the poor Crocodile, in despair, stretched out under a big, very big banana (it would not fit under a small one) and roared loudly.

Oh oh oh! he cried in a bass voice. “My poor teeth! Oh oh oh! Poor me Crocodile!

Here comes the fun!

Animals and birds laughed and jumped for joy: some shouted: “So you need it!” - others: “Yeah, got caught!”

The monkeys even threw pebbles and sand at him, and the birds were especially merry: after all, they didn’t have any teeth!

Then the Crocodile felt so hurt and offended that tears rolled from his eyes - TERRIBLY big tears!

Look! Crocodile tears! - the motley Parrot shouted and burst out laughing first.

Behind him, those who knew what these words meant, and then everyone else, laughed, and soon there was such a noise and laughter that the little bird Tari - a pretty white bird, a little smaller than a pygali - flew in to see what was the matter.

And when she found out what was the matter, she became very angry.

Shame on you! she called out in her sonorous voice.

And everyone fell silent at once, and it became audible how the Crocodile was moaning:

-- Oh oh oh! My poor teeth! Oh oh oh! How painful!

“Why should we be ashamed of it? - asked some Monkey.

- It's a shame to laugh at the poor Crocodile! - answered the bird Tari. - After all, his teeth hurt! He hurts!

“You might think you know what teeth are!” - snorted Monkey and made a face.

“But I know well what “pain” means! - said the bird Tari. - And I know that if you are hurt, and they laugh at you, it hurts twice as much! You see - the Crocodile is crying!

- Crocodile tears! repeated the Parrot and laughed. But no one supported him.

- You're a parrot! - Tari the bird said contemptuously. - His teeth really hurt, don't they? So the tears are real! The real bitter tears!

Still not real! - said the Crocodile in a terrible bass and suddenly stopped crying. - Oh! he continued in amazement. “It seems to me that I seem to feel better No! Oh oh oh! It just seems to me!

And he cried even louder.

All the same, I don’t feel sorry for him, - said the Monkey. - It’s his own fault, why doesn’t he ever brush his teeth? Take an example from us!

And she immediately began to brush her teeth with a rough twig of the Msvaki tree - it was she who misbehaved with people.

“Why, I didn’t,” groaned the Crocodile, “I didn’t know

that they need to be cleaned!

“And if you knew, would you clean?” - asked the bird Tari.

- If you knew? Of course not! Crocodile whimpered. “How can I brush my teeth when I have such TERRIBLY short legs?”

“Well, if you could, would you clean?” - the bird Tari insisted.

-- Still would! - said the Crocodile. - After all, I am a clean Crocodile and wash my face every day. Although this is not such a big merit. For the one who lives in the river, he added modestly.

And then the bird Tari, a small, white and black bird, a little bigger than a dove and a little smaller than a pygali, did such an amazing thing that everyone gasped. She boldly flew right up to the terrible mouth of the Crocodile, to his very nose, and commanded:

Open your mouth!

The crocodile obediently opened its mouth, and everyone gasped again and took a step back (not less!), because the mouth of the Crocodile was (did you remember?) TERRIBLE, and VERY TERRIBLE TEETH stuck out in it.

But everyone gasped much louder (and many even closed their eyes!) when Tari's bird jumped straight into the crocodile's mouth!

Look, do not try to close your mouth, otherwise we will not succeed! - she said, and the Crocodile, opening his mouth even wider, answered:

- O-E-O! - which was supposed to mean: "Of course!" (Try to say “of course” with your mouth open, just don’t close it in any case, otherwise you won’t succeed)

-- Horrible! - the bird called Tari after half a minute. - It's just scary what's going on here! This is not a mouth, but some kind of - The bird stuttered, she wanted to say "swamp", but was afraid to offend the Crocodile. - What is there just not here! she went on. “Even leeches!” And black, and green, and with red stripes! Yes, it was time to brush your teeth!

The crocodile, having heard about the leeches, only sighed heavily.

Well, nothing, nothing, - continued the bird Tari, - now we will put everything in order!

And the bird Tari set to work.

Well, here he is - a bad tooth! - she soon shouted cheerfully. - Now we will pull him out! One two Three! Ready!

The crocodile gasped. The bird too.

-- Oh! - she said. - Oh, and under it, it turns out, a new one is growing. How interesting!

- We always do that! - the Crocodile boasted (by the way, this is the absolute truth), but since he did not forget for a second that he could not close his mouth, he only succeeded: U-A-A-E-A-S-A-E!

And not everyone understood what he wanted to say.

In five minutes everything was ready.

The animals and birds were extremely astonished when they saw that the bird Tari flew out of the crocodile's mouth safe and sound, and it seemed that they could not be more surprised, but still they had to be even more surprised, because the first words that the Crocodile uttered, closing finally fall, were like this:

Thank you very much, dear bird! It's much, much, much easier for me!

And then all the animals and birds themselves opened their mouths, as if they wanted Tari the bird to brush their teeth too. But this, of course, is not so (especially since, as you know, birds do not have any teeth!). They were simply surprised to the very, very last extreme, because a REAL SCARY CROCODILE SAID A REAL KIND WORD FOR THE FIRST TIME IN LIFE!

“What nonsense,” the bird Tari said modestly. “No thanks, especially since there were leeches - first class!” Especially those with red stripes! If you want, I'll brush your teeth every day!

- I don't want to! .. - said the Crocodile.

-- Agreed! - said the bird Tari, and the monkeys suddenly clapped their hands, all the other animals jumped and stamped their hooves, and the birds sang their most cheerful songs, not knowing why

And from that very day, the Tari bird is called Ma-Tari-Kari, which in crocodile language means: “A small bird that makes big good deeds»

And if you go to Africa, you will be able to see with your own eyes how Ma-Tari-Kari brushes the teeth of the Crocodile and warns him of danger (after all, sometimes the Crocodile is in danger! ..)

Some, however, call her the Crocodile Watchman for this, or even the Crocodile Toothpick, but Ma-Tari-Kari is not offended: she says that since they became friends, the character of the Crocodile has become not so TERRIBLE.

Well, it's quite possible.

Publications in the Literature section

Literary relatives of "Crocodile" by Korney Chukovsky

In the fairy-tale world of Korney Chukovsky, the crocodile is everywhere - both in Africa and in Petrograd. Why this image is so often found in the work of Chukovsky and what kind of "crocodile-containing" works inspired the poet - Kultura.RF understands.

Vladimir Suteev. Illustration for Korney Chukovsky's fairy tale "Crocodile" ("Old, old fairy tale")

He walked the streets, spoke Turkish

The first Crocodile brought Chukovsky all-Union fame. The poem for children "Crocodile", which was later published with the subtitle "An old, old fairy tale", was written in 1915 and, according to contemporaries, turned the idea of \u200b\u200bchildren's poetry upside down. “Chukovsky's fairy tale completely canceled the previous weak and motionless fairy tale of icicles, cotton-wool snow, flowers on weak legs. Children's poetry opened. A path was found for further development”, - wrote literary critic Yuri Tynyanov.

“I wrote twelve books and no one paid any attention to them. But once I wrote jokingly "Crocodile", and I became famous writer. I'm afraid that "Crocodile" knows by heart the whole of Russia. I'm afraid that on my monument, when I die, "Author of Crocodile" will be inscribed.
Korney Chukovsky

Chukovsky said that he composed the fairy tale almost by accident. The writer was traveling on a train with his 11-year-old son Nikolai, who suddenly developed a fever. Trying to entertain a sick child, Chukovsky began to recite at random, in a shamanic way:

Once upon a time there was a crocodile...
He walked along the Nevsky...

This is how the first part of the story came about. “My only concern was to divert the attention of the child from the attacks of the disease that tormented him. Therefore, I was in a terrible hurry: there was no time to think, pick up epithets, look for rhymes, it was impossible to stop even for a moment. The whole bet was on speed, on the fastest alternation of events and images, so that the sick little boy did not have time to moan or cry. So I chattered like a shaman", the author recalled.

Korney Chukovsky. Photo: kartinkinaden.ru

Korney Chukovsky. Photo: ergojournal.ru

Korney Chukovsky. Photo: optim-z.ru

The first edition of Crocodile was different from the one we know today. In it, the Crocodile walked along Nevsky Prospekt (now - along the streets) and spoke German, not Turkish. German During the First World War, it was practically officially banned for use in Russia. Chukovsky's contemporaries recalled that in Petrograd one could see posters with the text: "It's forbidden to speak German". Therefore, later the writer replaced German with a politically neutral, but betraying the exotic foreignness of the Crocodile to the city, the Turkish language.

A big crocodile walked the streets

While the children enthusiastically listened to the entertaining tale, literary critics, critics and even politicians were looking for hidden meanings in it. And they found - a lot of allusions, roll calls and inappropriate parodies.

The predecessors of Chukovsky's "Crocodile" are considered to be the Crocodile from a popular street song, as well as the character of Nikolai Agnivtsev's poem "The Crocodile and the Negress":

Folk city song
“A big crocodile walked the streets
She, she was green.

Nikolai Agnivtsev, "Crocodile and the Negress"

amazingly cute
Once upon a time there was a crocodile -
So four yards, no more! ..
And yes she lived
Also very cute
A black woman named Molly.

Crocodile and Dostoevsky

Chukovsky's children's fairy tale also had older predecessors. Fyodor Dostoevsky dedicated the satirical tale “Crocodile. An Extraordinary Event, or a Passage within a Passage. In this work, the official, who was in the stomach of a crocodile, deduced a whole theory that crocodiles were created to swallow people: “For, suppose, for example, you are given the opportunity to arrange a new crocodile - naturally, the question arises to you: what is the main property of a crocodile? The answer is clear: swallow people. How to achieve a crocodile with a device so that it swallows people? The answer is even clearer: by making it empty.”. What then remained for Chukovsky's Crocodile? Not only in the "Old, Old Tale", but also in other works, he effectively swallowed watchdog, policeman, washcloth, Barmaley and even the Sun.

Korney Chukovsky, "Crocodile"
Crocodile chuckled
And swallowed the poor man
I swallowed it with boots and a saber.

Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crocodile. An Extraordinary Event, or a Passage within a Passage"
“... Since I am dressed in cloth, and I have boots on my feet, the crocodile, obviously, cannot digest me”

It is known for certain that Chukovsky was familiar with the work of Dostoevsky. The writer himself recalled that he once annoyed Ilya Repin to the extreme by reading this tale. Dostoevsky's "Crocodile" was very disliked by the progressive public, because they saw in it an evil satire on Nikolai Chernyshevsky, the "martyr of the regime" exiled to Siberia.

Crocodile and "Mtsyri"

Fedor Konstantinov. Mtsyra's head. Illustration for the poem "Mtsyri". 1956

Pyotr Konchalovsky. Storm. Illustration for the poem "Mtsyri". 1920s

Mikhail Vrubel. Daemon. Illustration for the poem "Mtsyri". 1890

Chukovsky himself pointed out that Lermontov's poem "Mtsyri" was parodied in "Crocodile". The rhythms and motives of "Mtsyri" are recognized when the Crocodile tells his relatives about the sad fate of animals in city zoos. There are many similar passages in the poems.

Korney Chukovsky, "Crocodile"
Oh, this garden, terrible garden!
I would be glad to forget him.
There, under the whips of the watchmen
Many animals suffer...
Find out dear friends
My soul is shaken
I saw so much grief there
That even you, Hippo,
And then he would howl like a puppy,
We are every day and every hour
From our prisons they called you
And they waited, believed that here
Liberation will come.

Mikhail Lermontov, Mtsyri
And at the hour of the night, a terrible hour,
When the storm scared you
When, crowding at the altar,
You lay prostrate on the ground
I ran.
You listen to my confession
Came here, thank you.
Everything is better in front of someone
Lighten my chest with words;
Long time ago I thought
Look at the distant fields
Find out if the earth is beautiful
Find out for freedom or prison
We will be born into this world.

However, later Chukovsky noticed that this "Lermontov" monologue of the Crocodile is completely devoid of dynamics, eventfulness, and therefore children listen to him with the least interest.

"Poor Lyalechka" and Nekrasov

Nikolai Nekrasov was one of Chukovsky's favorite poets and the subject of his literary studies. It is not surprising that the epic style of Nekrasov was reflected in the poems of Chukovsky himself. In particular, contemporaries rightly compared Lyalechka's dangerous adventure from Crocodile with Nekrasov's Ballad of Two Great Sinners.

Korney Chukovsky, "Crocodile"
Snakes, jackals and buffaloes
Everywhere hiss and growl.
Poor, poor Lyalechka!
Run without looking back!
Lyalechka climbs a tree,
She pressed the doll to her chest.
Poor, poor Lyalechka!
What is it ahead?
Lyalechka jumped from a tree,
The monster jumped towards her.
Grabbed poor Lyalechka
And quickly ran away.

Nikolai Nekrasov, “Who is living well in Rus'”
There were twelve robbers
There was Kudeyar - ataman,
Many robbers shed
The blood of honest Christians,
The hermit measured the monster:
Oak - three girths around!
I went to work with a prayer
Cuts with a damask knife
Just pan bloodied
Fell head on the saddle
A huge tree collapsed
The echo shook the whole forest.

The continuity was so bright that even Nadezhda Krupskaya noticed it. This comparison proved fatal for Krokodil: the authorities considered it inappropriate to parody the revolutionary poet, and the tale was not published for a long time.

A furious reptile - down with Petrograd

Vladimir Kanivets. Illustration for the fairy tale "Cockroach".

Vladimir Suteev. Illustration for the fairy tale "Moidodyr".

Frame from the filmstrip "Fly-Tsokotuha". 1963

As the Crocodile is subjected to persecution and insults in Petrograd, so the poem about him turned out to be objectionable in the Soviet Union. At first, Krupskaya branded Krokodil "bourgeois nonsense". Chukovsky was charged with a number of fantastic accusations: the Crocodile turned out to be a bourgeois and a monarchist, and the poem itself was a parody of Nekrasov. Later, the tradition of looking for malicious intentions in children's fairy tales was picked up by other "guardians of the pedagogical order." "Crocodile" and "Cockroach", according to critics, disorientated children because they gave incorrect information about the life of animals; "Moidodyr" allegedly developed superstitions and fears; and "Fly-sokotukha" was declared a petty-bourgeois fairy tale.

“With the“ Crocodile ”it was even easier: they announced publicly (in newspapers and at crowded meetings) that I depicted in this fairy tale - what would you think? - The rebellion of General Kornilov. The fact that "Crocodile" was written a year before the rebellion was raised did not cancel this implausible legend "- recalled Korney Ivanovich in the book "From two to five." He also said that for the "Crocodile" interceded famous writers and scholars: a letter on the "rehabilitation" of the poem to the State Academic Council signed by Alexei Tolstoy, Konstantin Fedin, Yuri Tynyanov, Samuil Marshak, Mikhail Zoshchenko and others. Unfortunately, the protest did not affect the fate of the tale: "Crocodile" was not published from the late 1920s until the mid-1950s. The defenders of the fairy tale were called the "Chukovsky group", that is, they were included in the lists of unreliable people.

Suddenly meet my good, my beloved crocodile

The crocodile became a cross-cutting character in Chukovsky's work, the poet even called his fairy tales "My crocodiliads." The crocodile appeared in his other poems at least four more times, and his appearance was always effective and dramatic. Most often, the Crocodile was the main antagonist ("The Stolen Sun", "Crocodile"), but in an "episodic" role he could also become the hero's savior (Moydodyr, Barmaley).

In Barmaley, Crocodile turns out to be the savior of children:

Happy, happy, happy, happy kids
She danced, played around the fire:
"You us
You are us
Saved from death
You freed us.
you are good time
saw us
oh kind
Crocodile!"

In Moydodyr, the Crocodile is more respectable than ever - and again swallows something:

Suddenly towards my good,
My favorite crocodile.
He is with Totosha and Kokosha
Walked along the alley
And a washcloth, like a jackdaw,
Like a jackdaw, swallowed.

His appearance becomes a turning point in the tale: after meeting with him, the dirty girl is immediately re-educated. The motive of re-education" is generally characteristic of Chukovsky's "crocodile" tales.

Only once the Crocodile appears in the fairy tales of Chukovsky as a chthonic mythological monster, equally far from the city streets and from the human image - in the fairy tale "The Stolen Sun":

And in the Big River
Crocodile
lies,
And in his teeth
Not a fire burns -
The sun is red
Sun stolen.

He took Sudashishka off the hook and threw it into the water.
As the pike perch will start - and "thank you" did not say! Mindless with joy
it is seen.
But only from that very day did the fish in the rivers-seas become noticeable
diminish.
And once all the fish gathered for advice.
- What, - they say, - is the reason? Then we are neither a beast, nor a bird, nor a man
touched, and now they are not dragged by the court! Confess who taught them!
Sudashka had to repent.
- So and so, - he says, - I, the fool, blabbed! Do what to me
you want - I'm to blame!
The fish wanted to put him to death for this, yes, thanks, Kambala -
There is no smarter fish in the world than her - dissuaded.
- This, - he says, - will not help grief anyway. And now we have Sudak
scientist - will be silent! Here it is better, let's and we will all forward the language for
hold with your teeth so that neither people, nor birds, nor animals are any more of our
fish tricks were not learned.
So we decided.
Since then, all the fish have taken water in their mouths, and neither with people nor with
they don't talk to animals, they don't talk to birds.
They only talk to each other.
And that is quiet.

Ma-Tari-Kari

Once upon a time there was a Crocodile.
No, no, it was not at all the famous Crocodile that

WALKED ON THE NEVSKY! -

After all, that Crocodile, as you, of course, know, lived and was, but this one simply
lived-was. That's a big difference!
In addition, this Crocodile walked a little (he swam more often), did not smoke any
cigarette (and he did it right, it's very harmful!) and spoke only
in crocodile.
In a word, it was a real Crocodile, and he lived in a real
Africa, in a big river, and, as it should be for a real Crocodile, he has everything
it was terrible: a terrible tail and a terrible head, a terrible mouth and VERY
SCARY TEETH! (Only his paws were short, but the Crocodile believed
They are VERY short.)
And the worst thing: he never brushed his VERY SCARY TEETH: not
before meals, not after meals (he also had a TERRIBLE appetite!), not in the morning,
before breakfast, or in the evening, washing before going to bed ... (Washing it, that
true, true, never forgot, but when you live in a river, it's not like that
great merit, right?)
And it is not surprising that one fine day (as they say, although for
Crocodile, believe me, this day was not at all beautiful!), it is not surprising that in
One fine day Crocodile got a toothache.
And how! SCARY!
To tell the truth, only one tooth fell ill, but it seemed to the Crocodile that
all my teeth hurt at once. Because in the tooth it pricked and ached, and like a gimlet
drilled, and in addition shot!
The crocodile just couldn't find a place for itself!
He threw himself into the water and dived to the very bottom, hoping that from the cool water
he will feel better, and at first he seemed to feel better, but then the tooth
started whining twice as hard!
Like a madman, he jumped ashore, onto the hot sand, in the hope that
warmth will help him, and at first it seemed to help him, but then! ..
He moaned, he grunted, he whimpered (some say
helps), but he only got worse and worse and worse!
And the worst thing was that there was no one to feel sorry for him: after all, he was
A TERRIBLE CROCODILE, and his character was also TERRIBLE, and he offended many
in his lifetime, and never, to anyone, under any circumstances, said
one GOOD WORD!
Beasts and birds, it is true, fled from all sides, but they stood at a distance
and they were only surprised, looking at what the Crocodile was doing. And there was something to be surprised
because the Crocodile twirled, and rushed about, and bumped his head on the coastal
rocks, and even tried to jump on one leg. But all this is not a bit for him
did not help!
And besides, his paws were so short that he could not
even pick his teeth (although if he could, it would not help him much!).
And finally, the poor Crocodile, in despair, stretched out under a large, very large
banana (it would not fit under a small one) and roared loudly.
- Oh oh oh! he cried in a bass voice. - My poor teeth! Oh oh oh! Poor me
Crocodile!
Here comes the fun!
Animals and birds laughed and jumped for joy; some shouted: "So you and
necessary!" - others: "Yeah, gotcha!"
Monkeys even threw pebbles and sand at him, and especially had fun
birds - because they did not have any teeth!
Then the Crocodile felt so hurt and offended that from his eyes rolled
tears - TERRIBLY big tears!
- Look! Crocodile tears! - shouted the motley Parrot and burst out laughing
first.
Behind him laughed those who knew what these words mean, and there
the rest, and soon there was such a noise and laughter that the little bird Tari -
a pretty little white bird, bigger than a pigeon and smaller than a pygali -
came to see what was going on.
And when she found out what was the matter, she became very angry.
- Shame on you! she called out in her sonorous voice.
And everyone fell silent at once, and it became audible how the Crocodile was moaning:
- Oh oh oh! My poor teeth! Oh oh oh! How painful!
Why should we be ashamed? - asked some Monkey.
- It's a shame to laugh at the poor Crocodile! - answered the bird Tari. - After all
his teeth hurt! He hurts!
You might think you know what teeth are! - snorted Monkey and
made a face.
- But I know well what it means - "it hurts"! - said the bird Tari. - AND
I know that if it hurts you, and they laugh at you, it hurts twice as much! You
see - the crocodile is crying!
- Crocodile tears! repeated the Parrot and laughed. But no one
did not support.
- Parrot you! - Tari the bird said contemptuously. - You talk, but you don't
understand what you're saying! These are not crocodile tears!
- How so? Is the crocodile crying? - Parrot was surprised.
- Oh you! - said the bird Tari. - His teeth really hurt.
right? So the tears are real! The real bitter tears!
- Still not real! - said the Crocodile in a terrible bass and suddenly
stopped crying. - Oh! he continued with astonishment. - I think that
I seem to feel better... No! Oh oh oh! It just seems to me!
And he cried even louder.
“All the same, I don’t feel sorry for him,” said Monkey. - It's his own fault.
why does he never brush his teeth? Take an example from us!
And she immediately began to brush her teeth with a rough branch of the M'svaki tree -
She was the one who sobbed people.
- Why, I, - groaned the Crocodile, - I didn’t know that they were needed
clean!..
- And if you knew, would you clean? - asked the bird Tari.
- If you knew? Of course not! - Crocodile whimpered. - How can I
brushing my teeth when I have such TERRIBLY short legs?
- Well, if you could, would you clean? - the bird Tari insisted.
- Still would! said Crocodile. - After all, I am a clean Crocodile and everyone
day I wash. Although this is not such a big merit. For the one who lives in
river,” he added modestly.
And then the bird Tari, a small, white and black bird, a little tall
more of a dove and a little less of a piebald, did such an amazing thing,
that everyone gasped. She boldly flew straight to the terrible mouth of the Crocodile, to
his very nose, and commanded:
- Open your mouth!
The crocodile obediently opened its mouth, and everyone gasped again and took a step back.
(no less!) because the mouth of the Crocodile was (did you remember?) TERRIBLE, and in
She had VERY TERRIBLE TEETH sticking out.
But everyone gasped much louder (and many even closed their eyes!) when the bird
Tari jumped straight into the crocodile's mouth!
- Look, do not try to close your mouth, otherwise we will not succeed! -
she said, and the Crocodile, opening his mouth even wider, answered:
- Oh-ee-oh! - which was supposed to mean: "Of course!" (Try to say
"of course" with your mouth open, but in no case do not close it, otherwise
nothing will work for you...)
- Horrible! - shouted the bird Tari after half a minute. - Just
It's scary what's going on here! This is not a mouth, but some kind of ... - The bird stuttered,
she wanted to say "swamp", but was afraid to offend the Crocodile. - What is there
just no! she continued. - Even leeches! Both black and green and
red stripes! Yes, it was time to brush your teeth!
The crocodile, having heard about the leeches, only sighed heavily.
- Well, nothing, nothing, - continued the bird Tari, - now we will bring everything
in order!
And the bird Tari set to work.
- Well, here he is - a bad tooth! - soon she shouted cheerfully. - Now we
let's get him out! One two Three! Ready!
The crocodile gasped.
The bird too.
- Oh! - she said. - Oh, and under it, it turns out, a new one is growing! How
Interesting!
- It always happens with us! - Crocodile boasted (by the way, this is a real
true), but since he did not forget for a second that the mouth must not be closed,
then it turned out for him only: U-A-A-E-A-S-A-E!
And not everyone understood what he wanted to say.
In five minutes everything was ready.
The animals and birds were extremely astonished when they saw that the bird Tari
fluttered out of the crocodile's mouth safe and sound, and it seemed stronger
they could not be surprised, but still they had to be even more surprised, because
that the first words that the Crocodile uttered, closing its mouth at last, were
such:
Thank you very much, dear bird! I'm much, much
much easier!
And then all the animals and birds themselves opened their mouths, as if they wanted the bird
Tari brushed their teeth too. But this, of course, is not so (especially since birds,
as you know, there are no teeth!). They were just surprised to the very, very
the last extreme because a REAL SCARY CROCODILE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN LIFE
SAID A REAL GOOD WORD!
- What trifles - modestly said the bird Tari. - Not worth it
gratitude, especially since the leeches were - the first grade! Especially these in
red stripe! If you want, I'll brush your teeth every day!
- I would not want to! .. - said the Crocodile.
- Agreed! - said the bird Tari, and the monkeys suddenly clapped their
hands, all the other animals jumped and stamped their hooves, and the birds sang their
the funniest songs, without knowing why...
And from this very day, the Tari bird is called Ma-Tari-Kari, which is on
crocodile language means: "A little bird that makes big good
affairs"...
And if you are very lucky and you go to Africa, you can
to see with your eyes how Ma-Tari-Kari brushes the Crocodile's teeth and warns him
about danger (after all, sometimes the Crocodile is in danger!).
Some, however, call her the Crocodile Watchman for this, or even
Crocodile Toothpick, but Ma-Tari-Kari is not offended: she says that, with
since they became friends, Crocodile's character has become not the same
SCARY.
Well, it's quite possible.

Hermit and Rose

I

In the Blue Sea there lived a little Cancer. And he lived very badly, so
it’s bad that he couldn’t understand why the sea is called Blue - it’s for him
it looked very, very gray...
Yes, it was very strange!
After all, the sea was really blue, blue, and it was so fun to live in it.
and interesting! Pisces (it's only before people thought they couldn't
speak!) even composed a cheerful song about how good life is at sea:

Nobody and nowhere!
Nobody and nowhere!
Didn't live happier
Than fish in water!
Neither the people
Neither the animals
Not a bird
No snake -
No one lives better anywhere!
Yes, nobody and nowhere!
No, nobody and nowhere
I did not live more cheerfully than fish in the water! -

And they sang it from morning to night. Starfish and shone, wise
Dolphins and those frolicked like children, and poor Cancer sat, huddled in
some crack, and grieved.
But he had everything that a real cancer needs for a complete
happiness: ten legs and bulging eyes, long, long mustaches and powerful
pincers. But he didn’t have a shell - his body was very soft ...
Maybe that's why everyone who had such a shell, and many others,
hurt him, pinched him, bit him, or even tried to eat him...
And he sang a sad, sad song:

Oh, there's a lot of room in the sea
And there is a lot of water in it,
But there is no less grief in it,
No less trouble!

All grief is that you lack firmness, - he once said to him
his distant relative Uncle Crab, who always walks sideways. - In our
time can't be so soft!
And as proof, he pinched poor Cancer hard.
- Oh! shouted Cancer. - Hurt!
"It's for your own good," said Uncle Crab, very pleased. - My
the matter, of course, is a side, but if I were you, I would try to acquire
some decent armor.
And he quickly - sideways - sideways - got out to the side. After all, the pincers
The hermit was like a real cancer and even, perhaps, stronger ...
Yes, I forgot to tell you that the cancer was called the Hermit, just
because, as you know, he always hid either in caves, or in minks, or under
pebbles so that it is less pinched.
The first one called him Sea Horse Hermit - he is a famous mocker -
and the Parrot-Pisces (there are some!) picked up his words, and soon in all Blue
the sea and on land, no one else called our cancer, like the Hermit Crab.
"Well," thought the Hermit, when the pain subsided a little, "the pinch
was not bad, but the advice, perhaps, too! I really should
think about it well."
As you can see, the Hermit knew how not only to grieve, but also to think, and this
means he was a very, very smart cancer!
And there were a lot of shells lying around. And so, thinking carefully,
he decided this: "The most suitable place for cancer is, of course, a shell; and
the most suitable tenant for a sink is, of course, cancer. And when the cancer comes
into the sink, no one will pinch him, or I don’t understand anything either in those or in
others!"
And so he knocked on the first shell he came across and tried to explain
all this to her master, but an angry Mollusk looked out from there and, without listening to him,
said:
- Nonsense! I'm busy! - and firmly slammed the doors of his
shells.
- The most suitable place for cancer is a sink, - continued
The hermit knocked on the second shell, but also looked out
angry-angry Mollusk and said:
- Nonsense!
And he also slammed the sash in front of his nose (although the noses of crayfish, like you
you know it doesn't).
And when he knocked on the third sink, no one looked out from there,
because there was no one there, and - oh joy! - it turned out to be
suitable sink: not too big and not too small - well, just
just right!
"Yes, we are just made for each other," thought the Hermit, thrusting his
soft body in the shell. - What better! Now you can't pinch me!"
And he was not even offended when the Sea Horse circling nearby
neighed thinly (which meant that he was going to make a joke) and said:
- Gee-gi-gi! Our Hermit has completely gone into his shell!
And the Parrot Fish, who, to tell the truth, have nothing to do with this joke.
understood, picked it up and carried it all over the Blue Sea ...
Well, when you have everything you need for complete happiness, you can
endure the joke. Right?

II

But strange thing! Although no one (not even Uncle Crab), no one else could
pinch or bite our Hermit (even for his own benefit), he, apparently,
after all, something was missing for complete happiness ... Otherwise, why not the sea
still seemed to him quite, quite grey? And why would he keep singing
your sad song

Ah, there is a lot of space in the sea,
But can't be found
Nowhere like this place
Where Cancer would be happy! ..

One day he, unable to resist, said flying nearby
Rybka:
- How strange to live in the Gray Sea! I heard that there is White in the world
sea, and Black, and Yellow, and even Red, but no one has ever heard of
Gray sea...
- Grey! laughed the Flying Fish. - What is it gray? It
azure, turquoise, emerald, blue, cornflower blue! It's bluer!
The bluest thing in the world!
And she hurried after her girlfriends, who fluttered out onto
surface to once again admire the blue waves with white crests.
- Whoever you ask, everyone says: "blue". Strange! - muttered about
himself a hermit. Why am I the only one who doesn't see this? I'm the only one!
“That’s why,” someone’s voice suddenly rang out, and the Hermit,
startled, he hid for a moment in his shell.
And looking out from there, he saw ... - who would you think? - the kindest
the wisest of all sea wizards. Yes, yes, you are not mistaken: it was
Dolphin.
- Precisely because you are alone! Dolphin said. - Find yourself a friend - and
then you will see! Good luck, and think about my words!
And Dolphin (like all wizards, he liked to speak in riddles) swerved
tail and swam about his business.
And the Hermit (as you remember, he knew how not only to be sad, but also to think)
began to think...
And he thought:
"The dolphin said: "It is precisely because you are alone." Well, of course, when I
I will find a friend, I will no longer be alone ... But what will I see? .. Well, of course, I will see,
that the sea will turn blue... And probably, then everything will be just fine!
So, you need to look for a friend. The grief is that I don't know who these are.
friends, and where they live, and what they look like... Well, when I find
true friend, I immediately recognize this, because the sea will become
blue-blue!"
With these words, the Hermit set off to look for a friend, and, speaking in
Indeed, this is where our fairy tale began!

III

And I have to tell you that it's not easy to find a true friend
even at the bottom of the sea. Especially if you don't know what it looks like...
The hermit visited both the shallows and the depths, and he saw many
outlandish creatures, creatures and even monsters, but he did not find a friend between them.
On the shallows, he met Skat and asked him if he was a friend. And Skat
who lies at the bottom all day and lies in wait for gaping fish, said
to him:
- Oh, of course, of course, I'm your friend! Come quickly to me, and we will never
let's part! - and opened a monstrous mouth ...
Fortunately, our Hermit, as you well know, was very smart, he
realized that Skat was looking not for a friend, but for prey, and quickly swam away, but
the disappointed Skat murmured a terrible song to himself:

Where to hurry at the bottom of the sea?
Here you can crawl.
Friends, moderate your agility:
Crawling is safer than swimming...

He was right in his own way, because it is much easier for Stingray to catch that prey,
that crawls than the one that swims...
In the depths of the sea, where eternal darkness reigns, the Hermit saw some
bright point, and he, delighted, swam to her, and it turned out to be
a deep-sea fish with such a difficult name that she does not even know it herself.
And, seeing the Hermit, she began to beckon him with her luminous fishing rod, and badly
he would have to if he were tempted by the bait, because the mouth of this
there were no less fish than Stingray ...
He met Holothuria and tried to talk to her, but the cowardly
The frightened holothurian turned inside out and fired its own
viscera, because she mistook the Hermit for an enemy, and the Holothurians
always pay off enemies like that ...
He tried to befriend beautiful medusa, but she turned out to be completely
stupid, and poisonous in addition, and he barely managed to dodge her poisonous
tentacles.
In a word, no matter how much he searched, he did not find anything: some were afraid of him,
others laughed at him, and others tried to eat him, and, of course, not
neither one nor the other nor the third can be considered true friends!
And finally, very tired and very, very sad, he sat down to rest and
said:
- So I went around the whole bottom of the sea and did not find a friend anywhere. And sea
still grey. It will probably always be gray for me. Ah, if I
I could have drowned myself!

IV

And then he heard someone with a heavy sigh, like an echo, repeated
his words:
- Oh, if I could, I would drown myself ...
The hermit looked around (or rather, simply moved his eyes around - after all
he has them, as you remember, on stalks) and did not see anyone. Nobody but
Roses, Sea Roses. But Sea Roses learned people call them
anemones), although they are not flowers, they cannot sigh!
But the sigh was repeated, and then a sob was heard. But all around
there was no one but the Rose, the Sea Rose.
- Are you crying? asked the Hermit in surprise.
He almost added: "Do you know how?" - but held on in time.
Rosa did not answer, but as she began to cry even louder,
in fact, there was no need for an answer.
- Why are you crying? Has anyone offended you? asked the Hermit
(after all, not only the body, but also his heart was soft).
- Nobody dares to offend me! Rose said. - No one in the whole sea
dare to touch me!
And she proudly straightened up and even stopped crying.
"Then why are you crying?" the Hermit asked her so affectionately that
Rosa also softened and answered him:
- I'm just sad. And I'm sad because this sea is so gray,
gray! Now, if I found a friend, everything would be different. But I can't
walk, and all that remains for me is to stand here and mourn ...
The hermit wanted to tell her that he had walked all over the bottom of the sea and nowhere
found a friend, but he felt sorry for upsetting poor Rosa, especially since she was
so beautiful.
And he said to her:
- I just also walk along the bottom of the sea and look for a friend. If you want, let's go
together, and maybe, if we are very, very lucky, everyone will find
friend, and then the sea will turn blue, and we will not be sad at all.
“But I can’t walk,” said Rose, and her petals sadly
drooped.
- Well, this is a small grief, - said the good Hermit. - If you want,
I can carry you! It will only please me!
Rosa was scared to leave her place, even though she felt bad
lived there ... It always happens!
But the Hermit spoke to her so kindly, and seemed to her so kind, that
she agreed.
And so the Hermit helped her to get down from the stone and sit on his shell, and
they are on their way!
Oh, how Rosa's head began to spin - after all, she had not known before that
means to move, and it seemed to her that everything around her was rushing furiously
in a round dance: and stones, and algae, and oysters that have grown to the bottom, and sea urchins.
She even turned pale, but from pride she did not make a sound - yes, she was very,
very proud!
And after a few minutes she got used to it (especially since the Hermit, to say
in all conscience, I didn’t go so fast) and began to loudly admire everything that
saw around.
- Oh, how good! she admired. How easy it is to breathe when not
you stand still! Oh, what colorful fish! What are their names? And who is that shining?
Sea Stars, that's how! I didn't think they were so pretty! And what's that? And this
Who? Oh what a great trip!
And the Hermit barely had time to answer her questions. Indeed, many times
saw everything she admired so much, but (after all, he was very kind) thought about
herself: “Let her rejoice, poor thing! Soon she will get tired of all this, just like me ...
To tell the truth, I am very pleased to hear how happy she is! Interesting,
if I found a friend, would we rejoice with him or not?
And he thought about how sad it was that he would never, never find
friend; and suddenly Rosa, who had been silent for a minute, asked, as if
guessing his thoughts:
“When are we going to look for friends?”
And then the Hermit could not resist and told her the whole truth; how he searched
friend all over the bottom of the sea and saw creatures, creatures and even monsters, but
I didn't find a friend anywhere...
“Perhaps there are no friends at all,” he said.
sad - and it is better not to look for them?

V

Not true! Rose said. - There are friends in the world, I'm sure, but not
you only found them because you didn't know where to look for them.
- And do you know? asked the Hermit.
- I know! True friends live in Scarlet City. They built it themselves
and they live there and are friends, and for them the sea is always, always blue! And you know
they say that these friends are my sisters or brothers, or some kind of
relatives, so we must go to them, and they will be very happy with us!
"Won't they pinch us... for our own good?" - asked
The hermit, who at the word "relatives" remembered Uncle Crab.
“I hope not,” said Rose proudly, “because I told you that
no one dares to touch me! If I don't want it, she added,
remembering that the Hermit had touched her when he helped her up
on the sink.
The hermit wanted to say that this was very comforting to him, although he himself,
alas, they pinched many times, but did not have time, because at that moment in front of them
Uncle Crab appeared in person.
- Good morning, nephew, - he threw casually and wanted to pass
sideways about his business (crabs always have a lot of things to do), but then he noticed Rosa
and widened his eyes in surprise. - And what is this? he asked and waved
with his thick claw towards Rosa.
It cannot be said that he was too well brought up!
- It's not what, but who! It's Rose, the Hermit explained. - We go with her to
Scarlet city to look for friends!
Uncle Crab was even more surprised - his eyes were on long, long
the stalks are completely out.
“My business, of course, is the side,” he said, “but still I owe you
say something. First, the Scarlet City is beyond the seven seas, so you
you won't get there! Secondly, it is not really called the Scarlet City, but
otherwise, so you won't find it! Thirdly, there are also no
friends, so you're looking for him in vain! In a word, you're about to commit a stupid
deed! And even more stupid - to carry such a burden with you. And he showed again
at Rosa with his thick claw.
The rose turned pale with resentment, and its petals shrank.
And then Uncle Crab had to be even more surprised, because the Hermit
(after all, you have not forgotten that he was very kind) for the first time in his life he got angry.
- Don't you dare offend Rosa! he shouted and rushed at Uncle Crab.
Uncle Crab barely managed to dodge. But still managed.

Once upon a time there was a Crocodile.

No, no, it was not at all the famous Crocodile that

WALKED ON THE NEVSKY! —

after all, that Crocodile, as you, of course, know, lived and was, but this one simply lived and was. That's a big difference!

In addition, this Crocodile walked a little (he swam more often), did not smoke any cigarettes (and he did the right thing, it is very harmful!) And spoke only crocodile.

And the worst thing: he never brushed his VERY TERRIBLE TEETH: neither before meals, nor after meals (he also had a TERRIBLE appetite!), neither in the morning, before breakfast, nor in the evening, washing himself before going to bed ... (He wash, which is true, it’s true, I never forgot, but when you live in a river, it’s not such a big merit, right?)

And it is not surprising that one fine day (as they say, although for the Crocodile, believe me, this day was not at all beautiful!), It is not surprising that one day the Crocodile got a toothache.

And how! SCARY!

The crocodile just couldn't find a place for itself!

Like a madman, he jumped ashore, onto the hot sand, in the hope that warmth would help him, and at first it seemed to help him, but then! ..

He moaned, he grunted, he whimpered (some people think that all this helps), but he just got worse and worse and worse!

And besides, his paws were so short that he could not even pick his teeth (although, if he could, it would not help him much!).

And finally, the poor Crocodile, in despair, stretched out under a big, very big banana (it would not fit under a small one) and roared loudly.

- Oh oh oh! he cried in a bass voice. “My poor teeth! Oh oh oh! Poor me Crocodile!

Here comes the fun!

Animals and birds laughed and jumped for joy; some shouted: “So you need it!” others: “Yeah, gotcha!”

The monkeys even threw pebbles and sand at him, and the birds were especially merry - after all, they didn’t have any teeth!

Then the Crocodile felt so hurt and offended that tears rolled from his eyes - TERRIBLY big tears!

— Look! Crocodile tears! shouted the Motley Parrot, and was the first to burst out laughing.

Those who knew what these words meant, and then everyone else, laughed behind him, and soon there was such a noise and laughter that the little bird Tari - a pretty white bird, bigger than a dove and smaller than a pygali - flew in to see what was the matter.

And when she found out what was the matter, she became very angry.

- Shame on you! she called out in her clear voice.

And everyone fell silent at once, and it became audible how the Crocodile was moaning:

- Oh oh oh! My poor teeth! Oh oh oh! How painful!

Why should we be ashamed? asked a monkey.

"It's a shame to laugh at the poor Crocodile!" - answered the bird Tari. "He's got a toothache!" He hurts!

You might think you know what teeth are! snorted the Monkey and made a face.

- But I know well what it means - "it hurts"! said the bird Tari. “And I know that if you are hurt, and they laugh at you, it hurts twice as much!” You see the Crocodile is crying!

- Crocodile tears! repeated the Parrot and laughed. But no one supported him.

- Parrot you! said Tari the bird contemptuously. “You are talking, but you don’t understand what you are saying!” These are not crocodile tears!

- How so? Is the crocodile crying? Parrot was surprised.

- Oh you! said the bird Tari. "His teeth really hurt, don't they?" So the tears are real! The real bitter tears!

- Still not real! - said the Crocodile in a terrible bass and suddenly stopped crying. - Oh! he continued with astonishment. - It seems to me ... that it seems to me that it has become easier ... No! Oh oh oh! It just seems to me!

And he cried even louder.

“All the same, I don’t feel sorry for him,” Monkey said. - It's his own fault: why doesn't he ever brush his teeth? Take an example from us!

And she immediately began to brush her teeth with a rough twig of the M'svaki tree - it was she who misbehaved with people.

“Why, I didn’t,” groaned the Crocodile, “I didn’t know that they needed to be cleaned! ..

- And if you knew, would you clean? asked Tari the bird.

- If you knew? Of course not! Crocodile whimpered. How can I brush my teeth when I have such TERRIBLY short legs?

— Well, if you could, would you clean? insisted Tari the bird.

- Still would! Crocodile said. “After all, I am a clean Crocodile and every day I wash my face. Although this is not such a big merit. For one who lives in the river,” he added modestly.

And then the bird Tari, a small white and black bird, a little bigger than a pigeon and a little smaller than a pygali, did such an amazing thing that everyone gasped. She boldly flew right up to the terrible mouth of the Crocodile, to his very nose, and commanded:

- Open your mouth!

But everyone gasped much louder (and many even closed their eyes!) when Tari's bird jumped straight into the crocodile's mouth!

“Look, don’t try to close your mouth, otherwise we won’t succeed!” - she said, and the Crocodile, opening his mouth even wider, answered:

— Oh-ee-oh! - which was supposed to mean: "Of course!" (Try to say “of course” with your mouth open, just don’t close it in any case, otherwise you won’t succeed ...)

- Horrible! the bird called Tari after half a minute. "It's scary what's going on here!" This is not a mouth, but some kind of ... - The bird stammered, she wanted to say "swamp", but was afraid to offend the Crocodile. - What is there just not! she continued. “Even leeches!” And black, and green, and with red stripes! Yes, it was time to brush your teeth!

The crocodile, having heard about the leeches, only sighed heavily.

- Well, nothing, nothing, - continued the bird Tari, - now we will put everything in order!

And the bird Tari set to work.

- Well, here he is - a bad tooth! she soon shouted cheerfully. "Now we'll take him out!" One two Three! Ready!

The crocodile gasped.

The bird too.

- Oh! - she said. - Oh, and under it, it turns out, a new one is growing! How interesting!

- It always happens with us! - the Crocodile boasted (by the way, this is the absolute truth), but since he never forgot for a second that his mouth cannot be closed, he only succeeded: W-A-A-E-A-S-A-E!

And not everyone understood what he wanted to say.

In five minutes everything was ready.

The animals and birds were extremely astonished when they saw that the bird Tari flew out of the crocodile's mouth safe and sound, and it seemed that they could not be more surprised, but still they had to be surprised even more, because the first words that the Crocodile uttered, closing finally fall, were like this:

“Thank you very much, dear bird! It's much, much, much easier for me!

“What nonsense,” said Tari the bird modestly. - No thanks, especially since there were leeches - first class! Especially those with red stripes! If you want, I'll brush your teeth every day!

“I don’t want to!” said the Crocodile.

- Agreed! - said the bird Tari, and the monkeys suddenly clapped their hands, all the other animals jumped and stamped their hooves, and the birds sang their most cheerful songs, without knowing why ...

And from that very day, the Tari bird is called Ma-Tari-Kari, which in the crocodile language means: “A little bird that does great good deeds” ...

And if you are very lucky and you go to Africa, you will be able to see with your own eyes how Ma-Tari-Kari brushes the teeth of the Crocodile and warns him of danger (after all, sometimes the Crocodile is in danger!).

True, some call her the Crocodile Watchman for this, or even the Crocodile Toothpick, but Ma-Tari-Kari is not offended: she says that since they became friends, the character of the Crocodile has become not so TERRIBLE.

Well, it's quite possible.