All books are about: “Boy star pictures…. Books with pictures: "Boy-Star" by O. Wilde with ill. Denis Gordeeva from Rosman Publishing House Illustrations for the story boy star

The three-volume Collected Works of the English writer Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) is the most complete published in Russian. The famous esthete and dandy of the end of the last century, who amused everyone with his extravagance and admired with his paradoxes, a man who pursued beauty and sensual pleasures, but in the end knew humiliation and imprisonment, Wilde became a symbolic figure for the decadence of the late 19th century. The fairy tale "The Boy Star" was published in the second collection of Wilde's fairy tales "The Pomegranate House" in 1891 with a general dedication ...

A fairy tale for a star Irina Shcheglova

Lenka fell in love! In the class, everyone was happy to discuss the details. And Lenka followed Nikita with such an enthusiastic expression on her face that it even became somehow awkward for her. She spoke only about Nikita, was interested only in him and thought, in my opinion, only about him. After that ill-fated evening, when I left them alone, Lenka's roof completely went off ... Well, what should I do now? Best friend dreams of my boyfriend!

Bunny bird. Chukchi and Eskimo folk ... Author unknown - Epics, myths, legends and tales

Each nation has its own fairy tales, each nation loves, remembers and protects its fairy tales. Those that are collected in this book are invented by the Chukchi and Eskimos. Among the Chukchi and Eskimo tales, there are many tales about animals. Of course, in fairy tales, birds and animals are not ordinary animals, but fabulous ones. They talk, they live and act like the people who invented these tales. At first, the tales were only told. Then they were recorded. And retold it for the children. Drawings for fairy tales were made by the People's Artist of the RSFSR, laureate of the State Prize of the RSFSR ...

Fairy Tales in broad daylight Viktor Vitkovich

The collection "Tales in broad daylight" combines three tales of the writers Vitkovich V.S. and Yagdfeld G.B. created by human hands. "Fairy Tale in broad daylight" introduces children to the adventures of the boy Mitya, who, with the help of his friends, saves time. The third tale - "The Puppet Comedy" - is about a wizard who turned indifferent people into dolls; for sloths and rude people, this was a good lesson. Drawings by E. ...

Tales by Christian Pino

We bring to the attention of the reader the fairy tales of Christian Pino. Pino's heroes: the cheerful god Pan, Marie-Hyacinth with golden sparks in her eyes, the boy Mark, who liked shooting stars, and others - as if they were not fairy-tale heroes who, at the behest of the author, learn to distinguish between good and evil, but you and I. It is not for nothing that the poetic graceful tales of Christian Pinault, the former foreign minister, were published in France in the Ideal Library series, published for children and young people.

Blue Star Alexander Kuprin

"Blue Star" is a true fairy tale, where there is a princess and a knight who saved her from what most often princesses have to save - from herself. A romantic story about the most beautiful of the ugly girls simply cannot leave indifferent either adults or children.

A cage for the violent. Programmable boy. Alexander Tyurin.

Reissue of the hit of the late 80s. Things are terrible, they are natural vampires if we love them very much. The book proves the perniciousness of "materialism" by the methods of a funny sci-fi fairy tale. The text of "The Rampant Cage" and "The Programmable Boy" were aptly modernized for the new edition.

Lucky Star Anna James

An island of paradise, which turned out to be uninhabited ... Handsome businessman, by chance, abandoned on this "dream shore" together with a beautiful pop star ... A plot for Hollywood? Not really ... Because the businessman and the singer eventually return to civilization - and to the usual problems. And now their love is not at all like a Hollywood fairy tale!

South Star Jules Verne

In the novel "South Star" the reader will get acquainted with the fascinating history of the search and the fate of one of the largest diamonds found in the mines of South Africa and which brought a lot of excitement to its owner, the French engineer and inventor S. Mere. Drawings by N. Kononenko

Grigory Oster

His books are equally interesting for parents and children. Everyone laughs, only sometimes - in different places! .. It was Grigory Oster who created the first novel for young children - a masterpiece in all respects. It is called "A Tale with Details". Lucky for you today, you have this book in your hands. Sit next to your child, read aloud to him and enjoy together. Wonderful drawings by the artist Eduard Nazarov.

Japanese fairy tales (adaptation for children by N. Hoza) Undefined Undefined

Japanese fairy tales. Arranged for children by N. Hoza. Drawings by N. Kochergin. L .: Children's literature, 1958 Scan, OCR, SpellCheck, Formatting: Andrey from Arkhangelsk, 2008 Taken from http://publ.lib.ru/ARCHIVES/H/HODZA_Nison_Aleksandrovich/_Hodza_N._A..html

Coventry Boy Graham Joyce

Although the story "The Boy from Coventry" can be taken as a separate work, it is included in the novel "The Facts of Life". Joyce explains: "The Boy from Coventry" describes the night of November 14, 1940, when Coventry, a town in the center of England, was swept off the face of the earth in one long, relentless fascist raid. By the way, I was born in Coventry. ”“ The Boy from Coventry ”was first published in The Third Alternative, issue 32.

The Star Thieves Edmond Hamilton

The Star Thieves is a story that dates back to the early days of Hamilton's career and the dawn of the science fiction genre. The work was first published in Weird Tales magazine in February 1929. It is clear what influence this piece of adventure fiction has had on comics, television series (in particular, Star Trek) and later on films such as Star Wars. Such literature already existed then, in 1929, dynamic, large-scale, a little awkward and somewhat absurd, filled with amazing images. There are many rough edges here, ...

Boy with a saber Ivan Naumov

Russians, French, Italians - they came to a foreign land to protect the civilian population from ... the peaceful population of their neighbors. This story is about people who must choose between life and death, fighting in a foreign land, in a foreign war. And while a neighbor kills a neighbor, they try to remain human. Naumov Ivan Sergeevich - prose writer. Genus. in 1971 in Moscow. Optical engineer. Works in the field of transportation of dangerous goods. Graduated from the Higher Literary Courses (2006, E. Sidorov's seminar). Multiple winner of literary competitions. The story "Boy with a saber" ...

My Life Ernest Seton-Thompson

The collection of the famous naturalist writer includes his fictional autobiography "My Life", the exciting adventure story "Little Savages" and the best of the widely known stories about nature ("The Boy and the Lynx", "In the Footsteps of the Deer", "Royal Analostanka", "Chink "," Bingo "," Snap "," Winnipeg Wolf "," Street Singer "). Addressed to a wide range of readers. Biographical story. The story "My Life" tells how the future famous naturalist and writer went to his vocation: the events and observations of childhood, communication ...

Collected Works (Volume 3) Vera Panova

This volume includes works of "small prose" VF Panova - stories and stories of 1949-1972: - Clear Bank (Story) - Seryozha: Several stories from the life of a very young boy (Story) - Valya (Story) - Volodya (Story ) - A leaflet with Lenin's signature (Story) - A boy and a girl (A film story) - Three boys at the gate (Story) - A workers' settlement (A film story) - Sisters (Story) - A synopsis of the novel. - About Mitya and Nastya. An attempt to look into the core of the bud. - Sergey Ivanovich and Tanya (Byl) _______________ Compilation and preparation of the text by A. Ninov and N. Ozerova-Panova. ...

The visit of the shifted pheasant (Collection) Vladimir Savchenko

Vladimir Ivanovich Savchenko was born in 1933. Graduated from the Moscow Power Engineering Institute. He began writing science fiction as a student. The first stories published were Into the Stars and The Awakening of Dr. Bern. "The Visit of a Shifted Fazianka" is a collection of the writer's works created in different years. However, all these stories and stories, at first glance, are very different, invariably full of the romance of adventure and the excitement of scientific research!

Seeker. 1963. Issue # 3 William Irish

On the 1st page of the cover: drawing for the story of V. Zhuravleva "Flying in the Universe". On the 2nd page of the cover: a drawing by P. Pavlinov for the story "Believe the beacons!" By Y. Popkov and V. Smirnov. On the 4th page of the cover: Steps of the Seven-Year Plan. Photo by V. Dunin from the "Seven-Year Plan in Action" exhibition.

ESID - loyalty testing machine Stanislav Lem

The first publication by S. Lem in Russian. Drawings for the story - E. Vedernikov. The title is exactly what it says - "loyalty". According to Ushakov's dictionary (1935-1940), this is the main correct option, in the TSB dictionary (1969-1978) it is already a valid second spelling option. © fantlab.ru

Long-awaited news of the collection series "Masters of Illustration"!

A book for a young reader is not a notebook of sheets with lines of words. A book is always a great journey from the nursery to the vast world of incredible adventures.

In the new collection series of classic children's literature and fairy tales of the Rosmen publishing house, this world becomes tangible even before reading the first paragraphs thanks to the magnificent illustrations, the authors of which are Denis Gordeev, Alexander Mikhnushev, Vladimir Dovgyalo, Yasen Guzelev, Petar Messelgia, Dominik Gröbner, Eva Van, Bernard Oberdieck - become the traveler's guides.

Opens series book "Boy Star" classics of english literature Oscar Wilde with illustrators of one of the most prominent Russian book graphic artists Denis Gordeeva, who is known to readers of all ages for his works on The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien, the works of Alexander Dumas, Boris Akunin and many other classical and modern authors.

The book includes two tales of Oscar Wilde - "Boy Star" and "Young King".

The storyteller Wilde is as colorful and precise in detail as the playwright Wilde, whether he is describing a beautiful image of the young King or the suffering through which the arrogant Star goes. Denis Gordeev's brush creates pictures from Wilde's words, which become full co-creators of the story being told. The beauty in Gordeev's illustrations really delights, and the terrible becomes truly frightening. The artist Denis Gordeev does not try to soften the intonation of the writer, does not change accents, but creates a real world, with the details of the era described and its picturesque characters.

It was winter. There was a fierce cold ...

The great pine forest is frozen; the snow enveloped him in a thick blanket and hung in intricate shreds on the branches of the trees. The Ice King ordered the Mountain Stream to stop, and he, hanging in the air, became motionless.

Birds and animals were chilly and did not know how to better shelter from the cold.

What unbearable weather ... Phew! - said the Wolf, raising his tail and sneaking between the bushes,

Kuit! smokes! smokes! - the green Linnet moaned plaintively. - The earth froze: a white shroud was put on it ...

The earth has put on a wedding dress, she must be getting married ... - said to each other the gentle Turtle Doves, not knowing what to do with their pink paws numb from the cold.

If you say nonsense, I'll eat you, ”Wolf told them angrily.

In my opinion, does it really matter why it's cold, ”the Green Woodpecker pointed out admonishingly. - After all, your reasoning will not be warmer ...

Nobody objected to the woodpecker. And he was right.

In fact, the cold was incredible. Little Squirrels were freezing even in the hollow. Rubbing their muzzles against each other, they still could not heat up. The rabbits were also chilly, although they lay in their burrows in glomeruli. Only horned owls and owls did not complain about the weather: they were very warmly dressed. Moving their round red eyes, they echoed with each other and shouted to the whole forest:

Tu-vit! tu-woo! Tu-vit! tu-woo! that's so nice weather!

At this cold time, two woodcutters were returning home. They walked in a pine forest, shrinking from the cold. More than once they fell and sank into a deep snowdrift, from where they crawled out white, showered with snow. Slipping somehow, they dropped their bundles of brushwood, and they untied. It took a lot of work to tie them back with numb hands. Soon they got lost and were terribly afraid, because the snow was already stretching out its icy embrace to them. After a long wandering, they finally reached the edge of the forest and saw the lights of their village flashing in the distance. This made them so happy that they became cheerful. As soon as they approached the village, they remembered their terrible poverty, and their hearts were filled with sadness.

Yes, - said one of them, - life does not make us happy: it belongs only to the rich. Indeed, it would not be so bad if we died in the forest.

That's right, ”the comrade replied. - The world is divided too unfairly: some have a lot, while others have too little.

As soon as the woodcutter spoke these words, a bright star flashed in front of him. Sliding obliquely to the horizon, she fell. It seemed to the woodcutters that the star fell near the willows, not far from them.

Hey! Isn't it a treasure! cried one woodcutter.

And both comrades set off in a race to the place where, as it seemed to them, the star fell.

Soon one woodcutter was ahead of his comrade. Having run through the willows, he really saw a large golden bundle in the snow. Bending down to him, the woodcutter noticed that it was a cloak of gold cloth folded several times over.

Go quickly and watch the fallen treasure! - shouted the woodcutter to his comrade.

Probably there are gold coins, - said the lumberjack who approached.

The comrades sat down near the cloak and began to unfold it, anticipating a pleasant section of gold.

Yes, there is something soft and warm, - said the woodcutter suddenly, unfolding his cloak.

What a bitter disappointment! - they exclaimed at once, when instead of gold they saw a sleeping child.

The lumberjacks quickly covered the child with their cloak and thought sadly.

Yes, we are unlucky, ”one said to the other. - Where are we going to get this child? We'll have to leave it here. Let's go home soon, we must feed our children, not strangers.

I cannot leave the child here to perish: this is not good, said another woodcutter. “I feed half a dozen mouths out of an empty pot as you do, but I’ll take this baby home anyway.”

And the woodcutter, gently wrapping the child in a cloak, lifted him up and went home.

After all, this is madness! a comrade who was walking behind him said to him.

But, on reflection, he began to marvel at his kindness.

When they arrived in the village, the comrade said to the woodcutter carrying the child:

This cannot be done, replied the woodcutter. - The cloak does not belong to you or to me: it is the property of the child.

And he said goodbye to his friend and went to the house.

His wife was very happy about his arrival, freed him from a bundle of brushwood, shook off the snow from him and then only noticed the package in his hands.

What it is? she asked.

And this is a child; I found him in the woods and brought him to you so that you would take care of him as well as of our children.

And the husband, unfolding his cloak, opened the sleeping child to his wife.

Are your children not enough for you? - said his wife reproachfully. - How are we going to feed and educate him when there is no strength to keep our children? Who can guarantee that this child will not bring us misfortune!

This child should bring us happiness: it is the Star-Child, - answered the woodcutter and began to talk about the wondrous find.

But it was difficult for the wife to calm down; she grumbled that food was already in short supply, and then there was a strange child.

God cares not only about people, but even about birds; look: he feeds them in winter, - said the woodcutter.

How? - exclaimed the wife. “You don’t even know that birds die of hunger in winter?” Be ashamed and remember that it is winter now!

The woodcutter stood near the open door and did not budge.

A harsh wind blew through the open door. The woodcutter's wife became cold and she said to her husband:

Close the door, a sharp wind is blowing in the room!

Where there is a hard heart, it is always cold, - answered the woodcutter.

The wife silently sat down by the fire.

After a few minutes, she looked at her husband. There were tears in her eyes. The husband noticed this, went up to her and gave her the child. Taking him in her arms, she carried him to the crib where her youngest son slept.

The next morning, the woodcutter hid the golden cloak and amber chain that hung around the child's neck in a chest.

We must keep it for the time being, ”he said to his wife.

The Star Child was raised in the family of a woodcutter. It sat at the same table with his children and played with them.

As time went. The Star Boy became more and more beautiful. Everyone was amazed at his beauty: he was gentle and white, he had beautiful curls, coral lips and eyes like violets.

Realizing his superiority and his beauty, the Star Boy became proud. And in his pride, he became cruel and proud. He disdained the children of the woodcutter and other village children, considering himself noble, born of the Star, and theirs - low in origin. He began to command children and call them his servants. He also despised the poor, the crippled, the blind, and in general the weak and unfortunate. Not having the slightest pity for them, he threw stones at them, drove them onto the high road and threatened them not to appear next time. Evil mocking the weak, the Boy-Star loved only himself, his beauty. Often he went down to the stream on the priest's estate and admired the reflection of his beautiful face in its water.

The Woodcutter and his wife often reprimanded the Star Boy for his cruel treatment of the weak and crippled. They taught him compassion.

The old priest more than once called him to him and instructed:

Child, treat all living with love. Don't bring suffering into God's world. Do not even offend a fly, because, like you, it is a creature of the Creator, and therefore is your sister. God gave the birds freedom. It's not good to catch them on the net just for fun. Remember that you are not the owner of even an earthworm or a mole. God created them and assigned each of them his place on earth. Each creature glorifies its Creator.

The Star Boy listened to these instructions in silence. Bowing his head, he either frowned or grinned. But as soon as he returned to his comrades, he again commanded everyone and again became cruel. All the children obeyed him, because he was dexterous, handsome, knew how to whistle, play the flute and dance. Children always obediently did everything that he ordered them. When he tortured the mole, gouging out his eyes, the children laughed. When he threw stones at the blind or at the lepers, they helped him. His cruelty infected them.

It happened as a poor beggar to pass through the village where the Boy-Star lived. She was in torn clothes and barefoot. There were bloody bruises on her legs from walking on the flint road. Broken and exhausted, she sat down by the chestnut tree. Noticing her, the Boy-Star shouted to his peers:

Look, there is a beggar in rags sitting under that tree. We need to drive this freak out of there. Let's go!

He ran closer to the beggar and, swearing, threw a stone at her. When the beggar saw him, horror was reflected in her eyes and she did not take her eyes off the Star Boy. But he started throwing stones at her again. Seeing this, the woodcutter ran out of the shed where he was chopping wood, and angrily said to the receptionist:

Indeed, there is no pity in your heart and you are cruel! What wrong has this woman done to you, and why are you beating her?

The Star Boy looked at him proudly and said angrily:

I am not obliged to give you an explanation of my actions. You are not my father to order!

It is true, - answered the woodcutter, - but nevertheless I took pity on you and saved you from death when you froze near the forest; and then he raised you.

The last words of the woodcutter so struck the beggar woman that she screamed and fainted. The woodcutter rushed to her and carried her to his house. The woodcutter's wife revived her, fed her and calmed her down.

Having recovered a little, the woman asked the woodcutter:

You said that this boy froze to death near the forest and you found him. Has it not been ten years since that?

Yes, that was ten years ago, replied the woodcutter.

Was he not wrapped in a cloak of gold cloth and was there an amber chain around his neck? the woman asked quickly.

Yes, he was wrapped in a cloak and had an amber chain around his neck, ”the woodcutter replied.

And he took from the chest a gold cloak and an amber chain and showed them to the woman.

As soon as the woman saw the cloak and the chain, she burst into tears of joy and exclaimed:

Right! This is my son, whom I lost in the forest ... Be kind, go after him: I was looking for him all over the world.

The woodcutter immediately went out and, finding the Star Boy, said to him:

Go home: your mother has come to you.

The Star Boy was terribly surprised. He happily ran home, but when he saw the beggar, he cried out indignantly:

Apart from this beggar, there is no one here. Show my mother!

Then the woman shyly said to him:

Your mother is me ...

How? You are my mother! the Star Boy shouted angrily. - You have to go crazy to talk like that! Who would believe you that I was the son of such a filthy beggar. I don't want to see you anymore: get out of here!

What I say is true, ”the woman said. “You are my son, who was kidnapped from me by robbers and then thrown away. The signs are true: a golden cloak and an amber chain ... Come with me, my son, I love you and you will be my consolation!

And the woman fell to her knees and held out her hands to him.

But the Star Boy gave her a scornful look and said sharply:

If you really are my mother, then you better not bring me any shame. Until now, they called me the son of a Star, not a beggar. Get out of here: I don't want to see you!

My dear son, ”the woman said pleadingly,“ I have suffered so much in search of you that I can hardly bear this new suffering. Kiss me goodbye before leaving!

You are so ugly that I would rather kiss a snake or a toad, but not you, ”the Star Boy replied and turned away from the woman.

Crying bitterly, the woman went into the forest and disappeared. And the Star Boy returned to his comrades.

But then something strange happened ... When the children saw the Star Boy, they began to taunt him, saying:

Ooh! How disgusting you are, like a toad or a snake! We will not play with you. Get out of here!

And the children drove him away.

The Star Boy was terribly surprised by this. "What does it mean?" he thought and decided to go to the stream and look at himself in the mirror of its waters.

But when he came to the stream and looked at his reflection, his face was distorted with horror. He saw that his face was like a toad, and his body was like a snake. He had a flat gray face, green eyes, and snake-colored skin on his body.

The Star Boy fell to the ground and burst into tears.

Oh, I'm unhappy! he exclaimed. - Now I realized that I was punished for my cruelty. And even I renounced my mother. I will now search for her in the world and until then I will not rest until I find her.

At this time, someone put a hand on his shoulder and gently said:

Do not Cry! It doesn't matter that you become ugly. I will not laugh at you. Only you stay with us.

He turned around and saw the woodcutter's little daughter beside him.

No, I have to get out of here, - he answered. - I am punished for my cruelty and must find my mother and beg her forgiveness.

Having said this, the Star Boy jumped to his feet and ran into the forest. All day he called his mother there, but no one answered him. As the sun went down, he lay down on the grass. Birds and beasts, knowing his cruelty, ran around him; and only one toad was not afraid of him, but the echidna crawled past him without fear.

As the sun rose, he got up, ate the wild berries and ran forward crying. And whoever he came across - whether an animal or a bird - he asked everyone if they had met his mother.

The Mole was the first to meet him. The Star Boy asked him:

You walk underground and hear footsteps passing along the ground. Tell me, have you not heard the steps of a woman passing here and crying?

You gouged my eyes out for fun, and I cannot repay you with kindness for your cruelty, - answered the Mole.

You soar above the treetops and see the whole earth. Tell me, have you seen my mother?

You were so cruel, - answered Linnet, - that you cut off my wings, and now I cannot fly.

Have you not seen my mother?

I will not answer you this question, - said Belka, - because you killed my mother. I am afraid that you are looking for your mother too in order to kill her.

The Star Boy then fell to his knees and with tears in his eyes began to ask forgiveness from God's creations. And again he went to look for a beggar woman.

After going through the forest, he came to some village. But as soon as the village children saw him, they began to throw stones at him and drive him away. No one treated him with regret: both the peasants and the workers laughed at his disgrace and persecuted him, not even giving him an overnight stay. So he wandered around the world for three years, not meeting anywhere mercy or participation. He was treated the same as he had once treated the unfortunate in his days of pride.

One evening he came to the gates of a big city. This city was surrounded by a stone wall. Soldiers stood guard at the gate. When the Star Boy wanted to enter the city, the soldiers blocked his entrance and asked:

Why are you going to the city?

I need to find my mother, - he answered, - let me go: maybe she is there.

But the soldiers began to taunt him, and one of them said:

I don't think your mother will be happy about you. After all, you are uglier than a toad and a snake. Get away from here! Your mother is not in town.

And the soldiers began to push him away from the gate. No matter how he pleaded with them, they remained adamant.

He was about to leave. Suddenly a man in military uniform appeared.

What happened here? he asked the soldiers.

This tramp, the son of a beggar, went into the city, but we did not let him in.

Wait to drive him, - said the man, - let's sell him into slavery. Such an outrage is rare. There will be, perhaps, an eccentric who will buy it. We will drink a cup of sweet wine for this proceeds.

And the man, having detained the Boy-Star, began to offer it for sale to some passers-by.

But nobody bought it.

The Star Boy began to rejoice at this, and the military already wanted to abandon their venture. At this time, an old man with an evil face passed by.

There is a magician (sorcerer), - said one of the soldiers, - let's offer him this freak.

To the proposal of the military, the magician replied:

I agree to buy it for this price. Here's the money.

The magician paid off, took his newly purchased slave by the hand and led him into the city.

They walked along the streets for a long time. Finally we reached a stone wall under the shade of pomegranate trees. There was a small door in the wall. The magician put the ring he had taken off his hand to the door, and it opened. The magician led the Boy-Star along five bronze steps into the garden, where there were many green clay bowls filled with black poppies. Then he tied a silk scarf around the eyes of the Star Boy and pushed him through a door. After the scarf was removed, Star Boy noticed that he was in a dungeon, dimly lit by the light pouring from a glass horn.

The magician put a piece of stale bread and a cup of salt water on the table and said to the Star Boy:

Eat and drink!

While the Star Boy was reinforcing his powers, the mage stepped out unnoticed and chained the door behind him.

The next morning, the magician arrived at the dungeon and, turning to the Boy-Star, said menacingly:

Three gold coins are hidden in the forest near this city: one is made of white gold, the other is of yellow and the third is of red. Today you will go to the forest, find there a white gold coin and bring it to me. By the time the sun sets, you must come to the garden door: there I will wait for you. If you do not bring me this coin, then remember - you will receive a hundred blows. From now on, you are my slave, because I bought you for three cups of wine.

The magician blindfolded the Boy-Star with a scarf and led him through the garden to five bronze steps. Opening the door with his ring, the magician released the Star Boy into the street.

Leaving the city, the Star Boy headed into the forest. The magnificent forest seemed like paradise. In it songbirds sang and beautiful parrots chatted; beautiful flowers were everywhere, giving off a scent of fragrances. But as soon as the Star Boy entered this forest, sharp thorns, evil nettles and spiny thistles attacked him. They stabbed and burned his bare feet and hands, and he endured terrible torment from them.

From early morning until sunset, he looked in the forest for a white gold coin and did not find it. When the sun went down, he went home. Bitter tears flowed from his eyes, as he knew what fate awaited him.

Going out to the edge of the forest, the Star Boy suddenly heard a plaintive cry. Listening, he noticed that the cry was coming from the thicket of the forest. The Star Boy forgot about his grief and rushed into the thicket. There he found a little Hare caught in a hunter's trap. Freeing him from the grip of the trap, Star Boy said:

Although I myself am a slave, I can grant you freedom.

I am very grateful to you, - the Hare answered in an unexpectedly human voice. - You gave me back my freedom and I would like to repay you with something for it.

I have been ordered to find a white gold coin, ”said the Star Boy. “I've been looking for her all day and couldn't find it. Now they'll beat me for it.

Follow me! - answered the Hare, - I know where it is and what will come in handy for you.

The hare led the Boy-Star to the hollow of a large oak tree.

Here in this crevice you will find a coin of white gold, - he said.

The Star Boy rushed to the crevice of the oak tree and found a white gold coin there.

Delighted with the find, he began to thank the Hare.

You pay me excessively for my service! he exclaimed.

No, no, - answered the Hare. - I did the same to you as you did to me: I pay good for good.

And the Hare quickly disappeared, and the Star Boy headed for the city.

At the city gates there was a man stricken with leprosy. His face was covered with gray linen. Pupils peeked out like hot coals through the eyeholes. As the Star Boy passed the leper, the leper loudly struck the bottom of the wooden cup and, ringing the bell, said:

I was expelled from the city, no one has pity for me, and now I am dying of hunger. Give me money - I will be saved.

I cannot help you, - answered the Boy-Star, - because in my pocket there is only one coin and that I must bring to my master. If I don’t bring it, he will beat me down like his slave.

But the leper with such a prayer began to beg the Star Boy to give him the coin, that he finally took pity on him and gave him the white gold coin.

It was hard for him to return to the magician's house. Approaching the door, he noticed that the magician was impatiently waiting for him.

Well, give me a white gold coin! shouted the magician, quickly pushing the Star-Boy through the garden door.

I don’t have it, ”the Star Boy replied.

Here's how! - said the magician ominously and, having pounced on him, began to beat him.

Then he set an empty table in front of him, put an empty cup on it and, saying: "Eat, drink," he again locked him up in prison.

In the morning, the magician came to the dungeon and, angrily knocking his ring on the table, said:

If you don’t find me a yellow gold coin today, I will severely punish you: you will receive three hundred blows.

And he took the Star Boy to the exit and let him out into the street.

The Star Boy went back to the forest and looked for a yellow gold coin. He searched for her all day, but did not find her anywhere.

In the evening he got out of the forest and, crouching at the edge of the forest, began to cry.

What are you crying about? - the Hare, who suddenly ran up, asked him.

Yes, I searched all day for a yellow gold coin and did not find it anywhere, - answered the Boy-Star. “Now my master will cruelly beat me, because I - his slave - did not fulfill the instructions given to me.

Follow me! - said the Hare and ran into the forest to the stream.

There, - he said, - at the bottom of the stream, near the stone is a coin of yellow gold.

I don’t know how to thank you! - exclaimed the delighted Boy-Star.

But you were the first to take pity on me, - the Hare told him and disappeared.

The Star Boy took out a yellow gold coin and hurried to the city. But as soon as he approached the gate, the leper stretched out his hands to him and shouted:

I'm starving, give me money!

But I only have one yellow gold coin. If I don’t hand it over to my master, he will beat me like a slave, ”the Star Boy replied.

The leper begged him to give him the coin. The Star Boy was moved by his complaints and gave him the coin.

Meanwhile, the magician had been waiting for the Star-Boy for a long time. Opening the door for him, he sternly asked:

Got a yellow gold coin?

No, said the Star Boy.

The magician grabbed him and began to beat him. Then he imprisoned him and put heavy iron chains on him.

With the onset of morning, the magician came to the dungeon and said to the Boy-Star:

You must bring a red gold coin today. If you carry out my order, I will set you free, if not, I will kill you.

Going into the forest, the Boy-Star was looking for a red gold coin from morning till night, but in vain. Tired, exhausted, he sank to the ground and burst into tears. And again the little Hare appeared and asked:

What are you crying about?

Nowhere can I find coins made of red gold, - answered the Boy-Star through his tears.

Look back ... In that gorge you will find a red gold coin. Don't cry and be cheerful, - said the Hare.

I don’t know how to thank you! - exclaimed the delighted Boy-Star. “You’re helping me for the third time.”

You were the first to take pity on me, - answered the Hare and ran away.

The Star Boy easily found a red gold coin in the gorge.

When he approached the city gates, the leper again began to ask him for money. The Star Boy at first refused, but then he could not resist and, taking pity on the leper, gave him a coin.

You need me more, ”he said, and with a heavy sigh, he walked through the city.

The magician will kill me, he thought.

As the Star Boy approached the main tower of the city, he was greeted by military guards. She honored him and greeted him. A crowd of townspeople immediately appeared.

How beautiful is our master! There is no one in the world better than him! she exclaimed.

The Star Boy looked at all this with amazement and thought with sorrow:

"They scoff at my ugliness."

The crowd of people grew and grew. Avoiding her, the Star Boy turned into the Royal Square, where the King's palace was. But as soon as he appeared on the square, the gates of the palace opened and the priests and high dignitaries appeared. They went out to meet the Boy-Star and, going up to him, said respectfully:

You are the son of our King and our lord, we salute you!

The astonished Star Boy replied:

You are wrong. I am the son of a beggar, not the son of the King. And I am not beautiful, but ugly.

At this time, the head of the detachment stepped forward and said:

Your Majesty, you are beautiful and you cannot deny it.

The Star Boy moved to his gleaming gold-studded helmet, looked at the reflection of his face in it, and saw that beauty returned to him again. Only the eyes were different: they did not have the old pride and fire of cruelty, but there was something new.

The priests and dignitaries bowed down before him and said:

Our King is old and gives you this crown and scepter. Take them, be our King, and may justice and mercy accompany you.

But I am not worthy to be a king: I have offended my mother and must find her in order to be forgiven, - answered the Boy-Star.

And he turned back to walk. His gaze accidentally fell on the crowd, and among them he noticed a beggar - his mother, and next to her - a leper. With a joyful cry, the Star Boy rushed to his mother, fell on his knees and kissed the wounds on her legs. Sobbing, he said:

Forgive me! When I was proud, I pushed you away. Accept me now, in the days of my humiliation. I need your Love. Forget my hate and don't push your child away!

The beggar was silent.

The Star Boy turned to the leper and stretched out his hands to him, said:

I felt sorry for you three times. Ask my mother to take pity on me once.

But the leper was also silent.

The Star Boy sobbed harder and, turning to his mother, said:

Mother, my suffering is beyond my strength. Forgive me, and I will go to wander the world again.

The beggar put her hand on his head and said quietly:

Stand up! - said the leper.

The Star Boy sat up and looked at his mother and the leper. In their place stood the Queen and the King.

And the Queen said, pointing to the transformed leper:

This is your father. You helped him.

And the King said, pointing to the transformed beggar:

This is your mother. You kissed her wounds.

The King and Queen embraced the Star Boy and kissed him. After that, everyone went to the palace. There, the Star Boy was dressed up in his finest clothes and crowned king. And he began to rule the city.

As a sovereign, he was kind and just. He drove out the evil magician, and gave gifts to the woodcutter and his wife, and took the woodcutter's children to the palace for service.

The Young King could not bear cruelty. He constantly taught his subjects love and mercy. Every poor man could freely turn to the King for help. And the young King helped everyone: he fed the hungry, and clothed the naked.

And peace reigned in that country.

But the glorious reign of the young King was short-lived. The past tormented him and he suffered. But he suffered even more at the sight of human suffering. He died three years later, unable to bear his suffering.

Translated by Yves. P. Sakharova

Illustrations: Kharkiv Y. Boy-star. Part 1 and 2.
Ukrainian studio of newsreel and documentary films. 1986

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