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January

Zinka was a young titmouse, and she did not have her own nest. All day long she flew from place to place, jumped on fences, on branches, on roofs - tits are a lively bunch. And in the evening he will look for an empty hollow or some crack under the roof, huddle there, fluff his feathers, and somehow sleep through the night.

But one day - in the middle of winter - she was lucky enough to find a free sparrow's nest. It was placed above the window behind the window. Inside was a whole feather bed of soft down.

And for the first time, after flying out of her native nest, Zinka fell asleep in warmth and peace.

Suddenly at night she was awakened by a loud noise. There was noise in the house, a bright light was shining from the window.

The titmouse got scared, jumped out of the nest and, clinging to the frame with its claws, looked out the window.

There, in the room, there was a large tree, right up to the ceiling, all covered in lights, and snow, and toys. Children were jumping and screaming around her.

Zinka had never seen people behave like this at night before.

But one day - in the middle of winter - she was lucky enough to find a free sparrow's nest. It was placed above the window behind the window. Inside was a whole feather bed of soft down.

And for the first time, after flying out of her native nest, Zinka fell asleep in warmth and peace.

Suddenly at night she was awakened by a loud noise. There was noise in the house, a bright light was shining from the window.

The titmouse got scared, jumped out of the nest and, clinging to the frame with its claws, looked out the window.

There, in the room, there was a large tree, right up to the ceiling, all covered in lights, and snow, and toys. Children were jumping and screaming around her.

Zinka had never seen people behave like this at night before. After all, she was born only last summer and still didn’t know much in the world.

She fell asleep long after midnight, when the people in the house finally calmed down and the light went out in the window.

And in the morning Zinka was awakened by the cheerful, loud cry of sparrows. She flew out of the nest and asked them:

- Are you sparrows screaming? And people made noise all night today and didn’t let me sleep. What happened?

- How? - The sparrows were surprised. - Don't you know what day it is today? After all, today New Year, so everyone is happy - both people and us.

- How is this New Year? – the titmouse did not understand.

- Oh, you yellow-mouthed one! - the sparrows chirped. - But this is the biggest holiday of the year! The sun returns to us and begins its calendar. Today is the first day of January.

– What is this “January”, “calendar”?

- Ugh, how small you are! - The sparrows were indignant. – The calendar is the schedule of the sun for the whole year. The year consists of months, and January is its first month, the tip of the year. It is followed by another ten months - as many as people have fingers on their front paws: February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November. And the very last month, the twelfth, the tail of the year is December. Do you remember?

“No,” said the titmouse. – Where can I remember so much at once! I remembered “nose”, “ten fingers” and “tail”. And they are all called too cleverly.

End of introductory fragment.

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JANUARY

But once - in the middle of winter - she was lucky enough to find a free sparrow's nest. It was placed above the window behind the window. Inside was a whole feather bed of soft down. And for the first time, after flying out of her native nest, Zinka fell asleep in warmth and peace.

Suddenly at night she was awakened by a loud noise. There was noise in the house, a bright light was shining from the window.

The titmouse got scared, jumped out of the nest and, clinging to the frame with its claws, looked out the window. There in the room there was a large tree, right up to the ceiling, all covered in lights, and snow, and toys. Children were jumping and screaming around her.

Zinka had never seen people behave like this at night before. After all, she was born only last summer and still didn’t know much in the world.

She fell asleep long after midnight, when the people in the house finally calmed down and the light went out in the window.

And in the morning Zinka was awakened by the cheerful, loud cry of sparrows. She flew out of the nest and asked them:

Are you sparrows screaming? And people made noise all night today and didn’t let me sleep. What happened?

How? - the sparrows were surprised. - Don't you know what day it is today? After all, today is the New Year, so everyone is happy - both people and us.

How is this New Year? - the titmouse did not understand.

Oh, you yellow-mouthed one! - the sparrows chirped. - Yes, this is the biggest holiday of the year! The sun returns to us and begins its calendar. Today is the first day of January.

What is this “January”, “calendar”?

Wow, how small you are! - the sparrows were indignant. - The calendar is the schedule of the sun for the whole year. The year consists of months, and January is its first month, the tip of the year. It is followed by another ten months - as many as people have fingers on their front paws: February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November. And the very last month, the twelfth, the tail of the year is December. Do you remember?

No, said the titmouse. - Where can I remember so much at once! I remembered “nose”, “ten fingers” and “tail”. And they are all called too cleverly.

“Listen to me,” Old Sparrow said then. - You fly around the gardens, fields and forests, fly and take a closer look at what is happening around you. And when you hear that the month is ending, fly to me. I live here, on this house under the roof. I will tell you what each month is called. You will remember them all one by one.

Well, thank you! - Zinka was delighted. - I will definitely fly to you every month. Goodbye!

And she flew and flew for thirty whole days, and on the thirty-first she returned and told the Old Sparrow everything that she had noticed.

And Old Sparrow said to her:

Well, remember: January - the first month of the year - begins with a cheerful Christmas tree for the guys. Every day the sun begins to rise a little earlier and go to bed later. The light is growing day by day, but the frost is getting stronger, the sky is still in clouds. And when the sun comes out, you, titmouse, want to sing. And you quietly try your voice: “Zin-zin-tyu!” Zin-zin-ty!”

FEBRUARY

The sun came out again, so cheerful and bright. It even warmed up a little, icicles hung from the roofs, and water flowed over them.

“So spring begins,” Zinka decided. She formed herself and sang loudly:

Zin-zin-tan! Zin-zin-tan! Take off your caftan!

“It’s early, little bird,” Old Sparrow told her. - Look how cold it will be. We'll cry some more.

Well, yes! - The titmouse didn’t believe it. “I’ll fly into the forest today and find out what the news is.”

And she flew away.

She really liked the forest: so many trees! It’s okay that all the branches are covered with snow, and whole snowdrifts are piled on the wide legs of the fir trees. It's even very beautiful. And if you jump on a branch, the snow just falls and sparkles with multi-colored sparks.

Zinka jumped on the branches, shook off the snow from them and examined the bark. Her eye is sharp and alert - she won’t miss a single crack.

Zinka pokes the bale with its sharp nose into the crack, gouges the hole wider - and drags some kind of insect from under the bark.

Many insects cram under the bark for the winter - from the cold. Zinka will pull it out and eat it. This is how he feeds. And she herself notices what’s all around.

He looks: a forest mouse jumped out from under the snow. She's shaking and all tousled up.

What are you doing? - Zinka asks.

Ugh, I'm scared! - says the forest mouse.

She caught her breath and said:

I was running in a pile of brushwood under the snow, and suddenly I fell into a deep hole. And this, it turns out, is the bear’s den. There is a bear lying in it, and she has two tiny newborn bear cubs. It’s good that they were fast asleep and didn’t notice me.

With his strong faceted nose, he breaks large pieces of bark and takes out fat larvae. Titmouse also gets something after him.

Zinka flies after a woodpecker and rings a cheerful bell through the forest:

Every day everything is brighter, more and more cheerful, more and more fun!

Suddenly there was a hissing sound all around, drifting snow ran through the forest, the forest began to hum, and it became dark in it, like in the evening. Out of nowhere, the wind blew, the trees swayed, snowdrifts flew from the spruce paws, snow fell, curled - a blizzard began.

Zinka calmed down, curled up into a ball, and the wind kept tearing her from the branch, ruffling her feathers and freezing her little body under them. It’s good that the woodpecker let her into his reserve hollow, otherwise the titmouse would have disappeared.

The blizzard raged day and night, and when it subsided and Zinka looked out of the hollow, she did not recognize the forest, it was all covered with snow. Hungry wolves flashed between the trees, getting stuck up to their bellies in loose snow. Below under the trees lay branches broken off by the wind, black, with stripped bark.

Zinka flew down to one of them to look for insects under the bark. Suddenly, from under the snow - a beast! He jumped out and sat down. He himself is all white, his ears with black dots are held straight up. He sits in a column, his eyes bulging at Zinka.

Zinka lost his wings from fear.

Who are you? - she squeaked.

I'm a hare. I'm a hare. And who are you?

Ah, hare! - Zinka was delighted. - Then I'm not afraid of you. I'm a titmouse.

Although she had never seen hares before, she heard that they don’t eat birds and are afraid of everyone.

Do you live here on earth? - Zinka asked.

This is where I live.

You'll be completely covered in snow here!

And I'm glad. The blizzard covered all traces and carried me away - so the wolves ran nearby, but they didn’t find me.

Zinka also became friends with the hare. So I lived in the forest for a whole month, and everything was: it was snowing, then there was a blizzard, and sometimes the sun would come out - it would be a fine day, but it was still cold.

She flew to the Old Sparrow, told him everything she noticed, and he said:

Remember: blizzards and blizzards flew away in February. In February, wolves are fierce, and a mother bear will give birth to cubs in her den. The sun shines more cheerfully and longer, but the frosts are still severe. Now fly to the field.

MARCH

Zinka flew into the field. After all, a titmouse can live wherever you want: if only there were bushes, she would feed herself.

In the field, in the bushes, lived gray partridges - such beautiful field hens with a chocolate shoe on their chest.

A whole flock of them lived here, digging grains out from under the snow.

Where can I sleep here? - Zinka asked them.

“Do as we do,” say the partridges. - Look.

They all took to their wings, scattered wildly, and crashed into the snow! The snow was pouring and fell and covered them. And no one will see them from above, and they are warm there, on the ground, under the snow.

“Well, no,” thinks Zinka, “tits can’t do that. I’ll look for a better place to stay for the night.”

I found a wicker basket abandoned by someone in the bushes, climbed into it, and fell asleep there. And it’s good that I did so. It was a sunny day. The snow above melted and became loose. And at night the frost hit.

In the morning Zinka woke up, waiting - where are the partridges? They are nowhere to be seen. And where they dived into the snow in the evening, the crust glitters - an ice crust.

Zinka realized what kind of trouble the partridges were in: now they are sitting, as if in prison, under an icy roof and cannot get out. Every single one of them will disappear under her! What to do here?

But titmouses are a fighting people. Zinka flew onto the crust - and let’s peck at it with his strong, sharp nose. And she continued and made a big hole. And she released the partridges from prison.

They praised her and thanked her! They brought her grains and various seeds:

Live with us, don't fly away anywhere!

She lived. And the sun is brighter day by day, hotter day by day. The snow is melting and melting in the field. And there is so little of it left that partridges no longer spend the night in it: the chalk has become too small. The partridges moved into the bushes to sleep, under Zinka’s basket.

And finally, land appeared in the field on the hills. And how happy everyone was about her!

Not even three days have passed here - out of nowhere, black rooks with white noses are already sitting on the thawed patches.

Hello! You are welcome! The important ones walk around, their tight feathers shining, their noses picking at the ground: dragging worms and larvae out of it.

And soon the larks and starlings came after them and began to sing.

Zinka rings with joy and chokes:

Zing-zing-na! Zin-zin-na! Spring is upon us! Spring is upon us! Spring is upon us!

So with this song I flew to the Old Sparrow. And he told her:

Yes. This is the month of March. The rooks have arrived, which means spring has truly begun. Spring begins in the field. Now fly to the river.

APRIL

Zinka flew to the river.

He flies over the field, flies over the meadow, hears: streams are singing everywhere. The streams are singing, the streams are flowing, everyone is going to the river.

I flew to the river, and the river was terrible: the ice on it had turned blue, water was coming out near the banks. Zinka sees: every day, more streams run to the river.

A stream will make its way through a ravine unnoticed under the snow and from the shore - jump into the river! And soon many streams, rivulets and rivulets crowded into the river - they hid under the ice.

Then a thin black and white bird flew in, ran along the shore, swayed its long tail, and squealed:

Pee-lick! Pee-lick!

What are you squeaking! - asks Zinka. -Why are you waving your tail?

Pee-lick! - answers the thin bird. - Don't you know my name? Icebreaker. Now I’ll swing my tail, and when I crack it on the ice, the ice will burst and the river will flow.

Well, yes! - Zinka didn’t believe it. - You're bragging.

Ah well! - says the thin bird. - P-lick!

And let's swing our tail even more.

Then suddenly there’s a boom somewhere up the river, as if from a cannon! The icebreaker fluttered and, in fright, flapped its wings so much that in one minute it disappeared from sight.

And Zinka sees: the ice has cracked like glass. These are the streams - all that ran into the river - as they strained, pressed from below - the ice burst. It burst and disintegrated into ice floes, large and small.

The river has flown. She went and went, and no one could stop her. The ice floes swayed on it, floated, ran, circled each other, and those on the side were pushed onto the shore.

Immediately, all sorts of water birds swooped in, as if they were waiting somewhere here, nearby, around the corner: ducks, seagulls, and long-legged sandpipers. And, lo and behold, Icebreaker is back, scurrying along the shore with her little legs, shaking her tail.

Everyone squeaks, screams, and has fun. Those who catch a fish dive into the water after them, those who poke their noses into the mud and look for something there, those who catch flies over the shore.

Zin-zin-ho! Zin-zin-ho! Ice drift, ice drift! - Zinka sang. And she flew to tell the Old Sparrow what she saw on the river. And old Sparrow said to her: “You see: first spring comes to the field, and then to the river.” Remember: the month in which our rivers are free of ice is called April. Now fly back into the forest: you will see what will happen there.

And Zinka quickly flew into the forest.

The forest was still full of snow. He hid under bushes and trees, and it was difficult for the sun to reach him there. The rye sown in the fall had long been green in the field, but the forest was still bare.

But it was already fun, not like in winter. Many different birds flew in, and they all fluttered between the trees, jumped on the ground and sang - they sang on the branches, on the tops of the trees and in the air.

The sun now rose very early, went to bed late and shone so diligently for everyone on earth and warmed so much that life became easy. The titmouse no longer had to worry about lodging for the night: he would find a free hollow - good, he wouldn’t find it - and so he would spend the night somewhere on a branch or in the thicket.

And then one evening it seemed to her as if the forest was in fog. A light greenish fog enveloped all the birch, aspen, and alder trees. And when the next day the sun rose over the forest, on every birch tree, on every branch, like little green fingers appeared: the leaves began to bloom.

This is where the forest festival began.

The nightingale whistled and clicked in the bushes.

Frogs purred and croaked in every puddle. Trees and lilies of the valley were blooming. May beetles buzzed among the branches. Butterflies fluttered from flower to flower. The cuckoo crowed loudly.

Zinka’s friend, the red-capped woodpecker, doesn’t even bother that he can’t sing: he will find a drier twig and drum on it with his nose so dashingly that the ringing drumbeat can be heard throughout the forest.

And wild pigeons rose high above the forest and performed dizzying tricks and loops in the air. Everyone had fun in their own way, depending on how they knew how.

Zinka was curious about everything. Zinka kept up everywhere and rejoiced along with everyone.

In the mornings at dawn, Zinka heard someone’s loud screams, as if someone was blowing trumpets somewhere beyond the forest. She flew in that direction and now she sees: a swamp, moss and moss, and pine trees growing on it.

And there are such big birds walking in the swamp that Zinka has never seen before - as tall as rams, and their necks are long, long. Suddenly they raised their necks like trumpets, and how they blew and howled:

Trrrru-rru-u! Trrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

They completely stunned the titmouse. Then one spread his wings and his fluffy tail, bowed to the ground to his neighbors and suddenly began to dance: he began to mince, minced with his legs and walked in a circle, all in a circle; first he will throw out one leg, then the other, then he will bow, then he will jump, then he will squat - it’s hilarious!

And others look at him, gathered around, flapping their wings at once. There was no one for Zinka to ask in the forest what kind of giant birds these were, and she flew to the city to the Old Sparrow.

And Old Sparrow said to her:

These are cranes; the birds are serious, respectable, and now you see what they are doing. Because the cheerful month of May has come, and the forest is dressed, and all the flowers are blooming, and all the birds are singing. The sun has now warmed everyone and given bright joy to everyone.

JUNE

Zinka decided: “Today I’ll fly to all places: to the forest, and to the field, and to the river... I’ll look at everything.”

First of all, I visited my old friend - the red-capped woodpecker. And when he saw her from afar, he shouted:

Kick! Kick! Away, away! This is my domain!

Zinka was very surprised. And she was deeply offended by the woodpecker: here’s a friend for you!

I remembered field partridges, gray, with a chocolate shoe on their chest. I flew to their field, looking for partridges - there are none in the old place! But there was a whole flock. Where did everyone go?

She flew and flew across the field, searched and searched, and with the effort of one she found a cockerel: sitting in the rye, and the rye was already high, screaming:

Chir-vik! Chir-vik!

Zinka - to him. And he told her:

Chir-vik! Chir-vik! Chichire! Let's go, get out of here!

How so! - the titmouse got angry. - How long ago did I save you all from death - released you from an icy prison, and now you won’t let me anywhere near you?

Chir-vir! - the partridge cockerel was embarrassed. - True, she saved me from death. We all remember this. But still, fly away from me: now the time is different, this is how I want to fight!

It’s good that the birds have no tears, otherwise Zinka would probably cry, she’s so offended, she’s so bitter! She turned around silently and flew to the river.

Flying over the bushes, suddenly from the bushes - a gray beast! Zinka shied away to the side.

I did not recognize? - the beast laughs. - But you and I are old friends.

And who are you? - asks Zinka.

I'm a hare. Belyak.

What kind of hare are you when you are gray? I remember a hare: he is all white, only there is black on his ears.

It’s me who is white in winter: so that I won’t be visible in the snow. And in the summer I'm gray.

Well, we started talking. Nothing, they didn’t quarrel with him.

And then Old Sparrow explained to Zinka:

This is the month of June - the beginning of summer. All of us birds have nests at this time, and in the nests are precious eggs and chicks. We do not allow anyone near our nests - neither enemy nor friend: even a friend may accidentally break an egg. Animals also have cubs, animals also will not let anyone near their hole. One hare without worries: he lost his kids all over the forest, and forgot to think about them. But bunnies need a mother hare only in the first days: they drink mother’s milk for several days, and then they cram the grass themselves. Now,” added Old Sparrow, “the sun is at its strongest, and his working day is the longest. Now everyone on earth will find something to fill their little ones’ bellies with.

JULY

“Six months have passed since the New Year’s tree,” said Old Sparrow, “exactly six months.” Remember that the second half of the year begins in the midst of summer. And now the month of July has come. And this is the most good month both for chicks and animals, because there is a lot of everything around: sunlight, warmth, and various delicious food.

Thank you,” said Zinka.

And she flew away.

“It’s time for me to settle down,” she thought. - There are a lot of hollows in the forest. I’ll borrow whatever free time I like, and I’ll live in it as my own home!”

I thought about it, but it wasn’t so easy to do it. All the hollows in the forest are occupied. There are chicks in all nests. Some still have tiny ones, naked, some with fluff, and some with feathers, but they are still yellow-mouthed, squeaking all day long, asking for food.

The parents are busy, flying back and forth, catching flies, mosquitoes, catching butterflies, collecting worm caterpillars, but they themselves do not eat: they carry everything to the chicks. And nothing: they don’t complain, they still sing songs.

Zinka is bored alone. “Let me,” he thinks, “let me help someone feed the chicks. They will thank me."

I found a butterfly on a spruce tree, grabbed it in its beak, and is looking for someone to give it to. He hears little goldfinches squeaking on an oak tree, their nest is on a branch there. Zinka quickly went there - and stuck the butterfly into one goldfinch’s gaping mouth. The goldfinch took a sip, but the butterfly did not climb: it was too big and painful.

The stupid chick tries, chokes, but nothing comes of it. And he began to choke. Zinka screams in fright, doesn’t know what to do. Then the goldfinch arrived. Now - once! - she grabbed the butterfly, pulled it out of the goldfinch’s throat and threw it away.

And Zinke says:

Get out of here! You almost killed my chick. Is it possible to give a little one a whole butterfly? She didn’t even tear off her wings!

Zinka rushed into the thicket and hid there: she was both ashamed and offended. Then she flew through the forest for many days - no, no one would accept her into their company!

And every day, more children come to the forest. All with baskets, cheerful; They go and sing songs, and then they disperse and collect berries: both in their mouths and in baskets. The raspberries are already ripe.

Zinka keeps spinning around them, flying from branch to branch, and the titmouse and the boys are having more fun, even though she doesn’t understand their language, and they don’t understand hers.

And it happened once: one little girl climbed into a raspberry field, walked quietly, took berries. And Zinka flutters through the trees above her. And suddenly he sees: a big scary bear in a raspberry field. The girl is just approaching him, but she doesn’t see him.

And he doesn’t see her: he’s also picking berries. He will bend the bush with his paw and into his mouth.

“Now,” Zinka thinks, “a girl will stumble upon him - this monster will eat her! We must save her, we must save her!”

And she screamed from the tree in her own way, in the titmouse’s way:

Zin-zin-wen! Girl, girl! There's a bear here. Run away!

The girl didn’t pay any attention to her: she didn’t understand a word. And the scary bear understood: he immediately reared up and looked around: where is the girl? “Well,” Zinka decided, “the little one has disappeared!”

And the bear saw the girl, dropped on all four paws - and how he would run away from her through the bushes!

Zinka was surprised: “I wanted to save the girl from the bear, but I saved the bear from the girl!” Such a monster, huh little man fears!"

Since then, when meeting children in the forest, the titmouse sang to them a ringing song:

Zin-zan-le! Zan-zin-le!

Who gets up early

He takes mushrooms for himself,

And sleepy and lazy

They go after the nettles.

This little girl, from whom the bear ran away, always came into the forest first and left the forest with a full basket.

AUGUST

After July, said Old Sparrow, comes August. The third - and, mind you, this is the last month of summer.

“August,” Zinka repeated. And she began to think about what she should do this month.

Well, she was a titmouse, and titmouses cannot sit in one place for a long time. They would flutter and jump around, climb branches up and down, upside down. You can't think of that much.

I lived in the city for a while - it was boring. And without even noticing, she found herself in the forest again.

She found herself in the forest and wondered: what happened to all the birds there? Just now everyone was chasing her, they didn’t let her close to themselves or their chicks, and now all she hears is: “Zinka, fly to us!”, “Zinka, here!”, “Zinka, fly with us!”, “Zinka, Zinka, Zinka!

He looks - all the nests are empty, all the hollows are free, all the chicks have grown and learned to fly. Children and parents all live together, fly in broods, and no one sits still, and they no longer need nests. And everyone is happy to have a guest: it’s more fun to wander around in company.

Zinka will pester one, then another; He will spend one day with tufted titmice, another with puffy chickadees. Lives carefree: warm, light, as much food as you want.

And then Zinka was surprised when she met a squirrel and talked to it. He looks - a squirrel has descended from a tree to the ground and is looking for something in the grass.

She found a mushroom, grabbed it in her teeth, and marched back up the tree with it. She found a sharp twig there, poked a mushroom at it, but there was no eating it: she galloped on. And again to the ground - look for mushrooms.

Zinka flew up to her and asked:

What are you doing, squirrel? Why don't you eat mushrooms and stick them on twigs?

What do you mean why? - the squirrel answers. - I collect it for future use and dry it for storage. Winter will come - you will be lost without a supply.

Here Zinka began to notice: not only squirrels - many animals collect supplies for themselves. Mice, voles, and hamsters carry grains from the fields into their burrows and fill their pantries there.

Zinka also began to hide something for a rainy day; will find tasty seeds, peck them, and what is unnecessary will be shoved somewhere in the bark, in a crack.

The nightingale saw this and laughed:

What, titmouse, do you want to make supplies for the whole long winter? This way it’s time for you to dig a hole too.

Zinka was embarrassed.

What do you think, he asks, in winter?

Whoops! - the nightingale whistled. - When autumn comes, I will fly away from here. I’ll fly far, far away, to where it’s warm in winter and roses bloom. It's as filling as it is here in the summer.

“But you’re a nightingale,” says Zinka, “what do you mean: today you sang here, and tomorrow – there.” And I'm a titmouse. Where I was born, I will live there all my life.

And I thought to myself: “It’s time, it’s time for me to think about my house! Now people are out in the field, harvesting grain and taking it away from the field. Summer is ending, ending..."

SEPTEMBER

Now what month will it be? - Zinka asked the Old Sparrow.

Now it will be September,” said Old Sparrow. - The first month of autumn.

And it’s true: the sun no longer burned so much, the days became noticeably shorter, the nights longer, and it began to rain more and more often.

Then one evening the wind died down and the clouds cleared from the sky. In the morning, Zinka did not recognize the field: it was all covered in silver, and thin, thin silver threads floated through the air above it.

One such thread, with a tiny ball at the end, landed on a bush next to Zinka. The ball turned out to be a spider, and the titmouse, without thinking twice, pecked at it and swallowed it. Delicious! Only the nose is covered in cobwebs.

In the forest, the leaves have already begun to turn yellow, red, and brown. Bird families-broods were already gathering into flocks, and flocks into flocks. They wandered more and more widely through the forest: they were preparing to take off.

Every now and then, flocks of birds completely unfamiliar to Zinka would suddenly appear from somewhere - long-legged motley waders, unprecedented ducks. They stopped at a river, in swamps; During the day they feed, rest, and at night they fly further - in the direction where the sun is at noon. Flocks of marsh and water birds were flying from the far north.

Once Zinka met in the bushes in the middle of a field a cheerful flock of tits just like herself: white-cheeked, with a yellow breast and a long black tie right up to the tail. The flock flew across the field from forest to forest.

Before Zinka had time to get to know them, a large brood of field partridges flew up from under the bushes with noise and screaming. There was a short, terrible thunder - and the titmouse, sitting next to Zinka, fell to the ground without a squeak. And then two partridges, turning over their heads in the air, hit the ground dead.

Zinka was so frightened that she remained sitting where she was, neither alive nor dead.

When she came to her senses, there was no one near her - no partridges, no tits. A bearded man with a gun approached, picked up two dead partridges and shouted loudly:

Aw! Manyunya!

Running past the bush, she saw a titmouse falling from a branch on the ground, stopped, bent down, and took it in her hands. Zinka sat in the bush without moving.

The girl said something to her father, the father gave her a flask, and Manyunya sprinkled water on the titmouse from it. The titmouse opened her eyes, suddenly fluttered up and hid in a bush next to Zinka.

Manyunya laughed cheerfully and skipped after her father as he left.

OCTOBER

Hurry, hurry! - Zinka hurried the Old Sparrow. - Tell me what month it is, and I will fly back to the forest: I have a sick friend there.

And she told the Old Sparrow how a bearded hunter knocked a titmouse sitting next to her from a branch, and the girl Manyunya sprinkled water and revived her.

Having learned that new month, the second month of autumn, called October, Zinka quickly returned to the forest.

Her friend's name was Zinziver. After being hit with a pellet, the wings and legs still did not obey him well. He barely reached the edge. Then Zinka found a nice nest for him and began to carry caterpillar worms there for him, like for a little one. And he was not small at all: he was already two years old, and that means he was a whole year older than Zinka.

A few days later he completely recovered. The flock with which he flew disappeared somewhere, and Zinziver remained to live with Zinka. They became very good friends.

And autumn has already come to the forest. First, when all the leaves were colored in bright colors, he was very handsome. Then the angry winds blew. They tore off yellow, red, brown leaves from branches, carried them through the air and threw them to the ground.

Soon the forest thinned out, the branches were exposed, and the ground beneath them was covered with colorful leaves. The last flocks of wading birds arrived from the far north, from the tundra. Now new guests arrived from the northern forests every day: winter was already beginning there.

Not all angry winds blew in October, and not all it rained: there were also fine, dry and clear days. The cool sun was shining welcomingly, saying goodbye to the falling asleep forest. The leaves that had darkened on the ground then dried out and became hard and brittle. Here and there, mushrooms peeked out from under them - milk mushrooms, boletus.

But good girl Zinka and Zinziver never met Manyunya in the forest again.

The titmice loved to go down to the ground, jump on the leaves, and look for snails on mushrooms. One day they jumped up to a small mushroom that was growing between the roots of a white birch stump. Suddenly, on the other side of the stump, a gray animal with white spots jumped out.

Zinka started to run away, and Zinziver got angry and shouted:

Ping-ping-cherr! Who are you?

He was very brave and flew away from the enemy only when the enemy rushed at him.

Ugh! - said the gray spotted animal, squinting his eyes and trembling all over. - How you and Zinka scared me! You can’t stomp on dry, crunchy leaves like that! I thought it was a fox running or a wolf. I'm a hare, I'm a white hare.

Not true! - Zinka shouted to him from the tree. - White hare is gray in summer, white in winter, I know. And you're kind of half-white.

So it’s neither summer nor winter now. So I am neither gray nor white. - And the hare whined: - I’m sitting by a birch stump, trembling, afraid to move. There is no snow yet, but tufts of white fur are already falling out of me. The ground is black. I’ll run along it during the day - now everyone will see me. And the dry leaves crunch so terribly! No matter how quietly you sneak, there’s just thunder from under your feet.

You see what a coward he is,” Zinziver said to Zinka. - And you were afraid of him. He is not our enemy.

NOVEMBER

An enemy - and a terrible enemy - appeared in the forest the following month. Old Sparrow called this month November and said that it was the third and last month of autumn.

The enemy was very scary because he was invisible. Small and large birds, mice, and hares began to disappear in the forest. As soon as an animal gapes, as soon as a bird lags behind the flock - it doesn’t matter whether it’s night or day - and lo and behold, they are no longer alive.

No one knew who this mysterious robber was: an animal, a bird or a man? But everyone was afraid of him, and all the forest animals and birds talked about him. Everyone was waiting for the first snow to identify the killer from the footprints around the torn victim.

The first snow fell one evening. And the next morning, one little hare was missing from the forest. We found his paw. Right there, on the already melted snow, there were traces of large, terrible claws. These could be the claws of an animal, they could also be the claws of a large bird of prey. But the killer left nothing else: not a feather, not a hair of his own.

“I’m afraid,” Zinka said to Zinziver. - Oh, how I'm afraid! Let's quickly fly away from the forest, from this terrible invisible robber.

They flew to the river. There were old hollow willows where they could find shelter.

You know,” said Zinka, “the place is open here.” If a terrible robber comes here, he cannot sneak up here as unnoticed as in a dark forest. We will see him from afar and hide from him.

And they settled across the river.

Autumn has already come to the river. The willow willows have fallen off, the grass has turned brown and drooped. Snow fell and melted. The river was still running, but in the morning there was ice on it. And with every frost it grew. There were no waders along the banks. Only the ducks remained. They quacked that they would stay here all winter if the river was not completely covered with ice. And the snow fell and fell - and never melted anymore.

As soon as the titmice began to live peacefully, suddenly there was alarm again: at night, a duck sleeping on the other side, on the edge of its flock, disappeared unknown where.

“It’s him,” Zinka said, trembling. - It's invisible. He is everywhere: in the forest, in the field, and here on the river.

There are no invisible people, said Zinziver. - I'll track him down, just wait!

And all day long he hovered among the bare branches on the tops of old willow willows: looking out from the tower for a mysterious enemy. But I didn’t notice anything suspicious.

And then suddenly - on the last day of the month - there was a river. The ice covered it at once - and never melted again. The ducks flew away at night.

Here Zinka finally managed to persuade Zinziver to leave the river: after all, now the enemy could easily cross to them across the ice. And all the same, Zinka had to go to the city: to find out from the Old Sparrow what the new month is called.

DECEMBER

The titmice flew to the city. And no one, not even Old Sparrow, could explain to them who this invisible terrible robber was, from whom there was no salvation either day or night, neither big nor small.

But calm down, said Old Sparrow. “Here in the city, no invisible person is afraid: even if he dares to come here, people will shoot him right away.” Stay live with us in the city. The month of December has already begun - the tail of the year. Winter has come. And in the field, and on the river, and in the forest, it is now hungry and scary. And people always have shelter and food for us little birds.

Of course, Zinka happily agreed to settle in the city and persuaded Zinziver. At first, however, he did not agree, he swaggered around and shouted:

Ping-ping-cherr! I'm not afraid of anyone! I'll find the invisible one!

But Zinka told him:

That’s not the point, but here’s the thing: New Year will be soon. The sun will start to look out again, everyone will rejoice at it. But no one can sing him the first spring song here in the city: sparrows can only chirp, crows can only croak, and jackdaws can make noise. Last year I sang the first spring song to the sun here. And now you must sing it.

Zinziver will shout:

They began to look for a room for themselves. But it turned out to be very difficult. In the city it’s not like in the forest: here even in winter all the hollows, birdhouses, nests, even the cracks behind the windows and under the roofs are occupied. In that sparrow nest behind the window where Zinka met the Christmas tree last year, a whole family of young sparrows now lived.

But even here Zinka was helped by Old Sparrow. He told her:

Fly to that house over there, with the red roof and garden. There I saw a girl who was still picking something in a log with a chisel. Isn't she preparing a nice little nest for you - the titmice?

Zinka and Zinziver immediately flew to the house with a red roof. And who was the first thing they saw in the garden, on the tree? That terrible bearded hunter who almost shot Zinziver to death.

The hunter pressed the nest box to the tree with one hand, and held a hammer and nails in the other. He leaned down and shouted:

So, what?

And from below, from the ground, Manyunya answered him in a thin voice:

So good!

And the bearded hunter firmly nailed the hollow to the trunk with large nails, and then climbed down from the tree.

Zinka and Zinziver immediately looked into the nest and decided that they had never seen a better apartment: Manyunya hollowed out a cozy deep hollow in the log and even put soft, warm feathers, down and wool in it.

The month flew by; no one bothered the titmice here, and Manyunya brought them food every morning on a table specially attached to a branch.

And just before the New Year, another important event happened - the last of this year: Manyunin’s father, who sometimes went out of town to hunt, brought an unprecedented bird, which all the neighbors came running to see.

It was a huge snow-white owl, so snow-white that when the hunter threw it into the snow, the owl could only be seen with great difficulty.

“This is our evil winter guest,” father explained to Manyuna and the neighbors, “a polar owl.” She sees equally well both day and night. And from her claws there is no escape for a mouse, a partridge, a hare on the ground, or a squirrel in a tree. It flies completely silently, but you can see for yourself how difficult it is to notice when there is snow all around.

Of course, neither Zinka nor Zinziver understood a word from the bearded hunter’s explanation. But they both understood perfectly well who the hunter had killed. And Zinziver shouted so loudly: “Pin-pin-cherr! Invisible! - that immediately all the city sparrows, crows, and jackdaws flew from all the roofs and courtyards to look at the monster.

And in the evening Manyuni had a Christmas tree, the children screamed and stomped, but the titmice were not at all angry with them for this.

Now they knew that the New Year comes with a Christmas tree decorated with lights, snow and toys, and with the New Year the sun returns to us and brings many new joys.

Bianki V., fairy tale "Sinichkin's calendar"

Genre: literary tale about animals

The main characters of the fairy tale "Sinichkin's Calendar" and their characteristics

Zinka. A young, lively, cheerful and inquisitive tit.
Zinziver. Zinka's friend, also a tit. He was wounded by a hunter, but recovered quickly.
Old sparrow. Smart, observant, knows everything.
Manyunya. The little girl who went to the forest to pick mushrooms before anyone else. Loves birds and animals and takes care of them.
Manyuni's father. Hunter. But he is a kind man.

The shortest summary of the fairy tale "Sinichkin's calendar" for reader's diary in 6 sentences

Zinka the titmouse learns from the old sparrow about the existence of a calendar and decides to find out what happens in each month of the year.
She flies into the forest and to the river, makes new friends, watches how the snow melts and nature awakens.
In the summer, Zinka flies into the forest and fields, walks with the guys and saves the bear from Manyuni.
Zinka meets Zinziver, who was almost killed by Manyuni's father when he was shooting partridges.
Zinka and Zinziver live together in the forest and are terribly afraid of an invisible killer.
The titmice move to the city, live in a nest box that Manyunya made, and finally see the invisible killer - a white polar owl.

The main idea of the fairy tale "Sinichkin's calendar"
Any time of year, any month is beautiful in its own way. Nature has no bad seasons.

What does the fairy tale "Sinichkin's calendar" teach?
The fairy tale teaches us to love nature, to take care of birds and animals, plants and mushrooms. Teaches you to be attentive and observant. Teaches you to admire the beauty of living nature. Teaches the signs and characteristics of each season.

Review of the fairy tale "Sinichkin's calendar"
I really liked the Sinichkin Calendar. Little Zinka worked hard all year, making her calendar and it turned out to be interesting and exciting. I learned a lot about how animals and birds live in forests and fields in different time of the year. I learned what dangers await them and how they hatch their chicks. I am very glad that Zinka has found a true friend.

Proverbs for the fairy tale "Sinichkin's calendar"
The titmouse is not a big one, but also a bird.
There is no summer twice a year.
There will be winter, there will be summer.
There is no winter that does not end.
In autumn, the sparrow has a feast.

Read summary, a brief retelling of the fairy tale "Sinichkin's calendar"
January.
Zinka was a very young titmouse, born in the summer and not yet having her own nest. She flew everywhere all day, and at night she settled down wherever she needed.
And then one day she settled down for the night in a sparrow’s nest above the window of the house. And at night I woke up from loud noise and screams. Zinka looked out the window and saw that people, adults and children, were dancing around the decorated Christmas tree.
In the morning the sparrows made noise and Zinka asked why everyone was making noise, people at night, sparrows during the day. The old and wise Sparrow explained to her that today is the first day of the new year, the month of January has begun. Zinka didn’t know what a calendar was or how many months there were in it, and Sparrow told her everything. And he advised him to fly for a whole month and take note of everything, and when he heard that the month was ending, fly straight to him and tell him everything. And he will tell Zinka what month it is and what it is called.
Zinka listened to Sparrow, flew for a whole month, and when Sparrow returned, he explained to her that it was the month of January. In which the day is already there, but the frost is still getting stronger. And when the sun shines through, the titmice rejoice and sing.
February.
February came and it started dripping from the roofs. Zinka was happy and decided that spring had come, but the Old Sparrow disappointed her, saying that there would still be many frosts.
Zinka flew into the forest to get insects from under the bark. She met a mouse, who told her about the den and the cubs, and became friends with the woodpecker. A woodpecker let a titmouse into its hollow when suddenly a snowstorm began.
In the morning Zinka flew out of the hollow and didn’t recognize the forest, everything was covered in snow. And here is the white hare. It turns out he lives on the ground and rejoices in the snow, because the snow hides his traces.
Zinka returned to the Old Sparrow, and he told her to remember that February is the month of blizzards, and the mother bear gives birth to cubs.
March.
Zinka flew into the field and met partridges there. The partridges offered her to spend the night under the snow, but Zinka did not like such an overnight stay. She found an abandoned basket and spent the night in it.
And in the morning the frost hit, the field was covered with a crust of ice. The partridges are in trouble. But Zinka made a hole for them with her sharp beak. The partridges came out and thanked Zinka.
Zinka remained with the partridges. And the sun is shining brighter, and now the earth has already appeared. And there the rooks have arrived, walking along the black earth.
The old sparrow told Zinka that - in March, spring begins and the rooks arrive.
April.
Zinka flew to the river. And there the ice turned blue, rises, and water from under the ice comes onto the shore. Cheerful streams run into the river and every day there are more of them.
A small bird flew to the river and began wagging its tail. This is an icebreaker, swing its tail and it will crack on the ice. The ice broke. It was the water that backed him up from below.
Birds, large and small, immediately flew in and rejoiced. Some fish, some fly near the shore. But the water is flowing, no one can stop it.
The old sparrow said that in April spring comes to the rivers.

May.
Zinka flew into the forest. And there the snow still lies under the trees, but it’s warm and the sun rises earlier and earlier, warming everyone, keeping everyone warm. And then one day Zinka saw the first leaves and a real forest festival began.
Everything is blooming and fragrant, the birds are happy, they are singing merry songs. Although the woodpecker can’t sing, he drums merrily.
And one day Zinka heard a loud sound and flew to see who was screaming like that. I flew to the swamp, and there were huge birds, with long necks and on long legs, They scream and dance.
The old sparrow said that these were cranes and that in May the forest dresses up and the flowers bloom.
June.
Zinka decided to visit her old friends. She flew to the woodpecker, and the woodpecker swore at her and drove her away. Zinka was offended and flew to the partridges.
But the partridges are also chasing her. Zinka tried to reassure them, reminded them how she saved their lives, and the partridges seemed to feel ashamed, but they say the time is different, now they want to fight.
Zinka flies, sees a gray beast, smiles at her. It turned out that it was an old friend of hers - a white hare, only the color of its skin had changed.
The Old Sparrow said that in June the birds are old, they look after the nests and take care of their testicles, that’s why they don’t let anyone near them. And only the hare has freedom, he released the bunnies and forgot. The bunnies only need the hare for the first two or three days, and then they look for the grass themselves.
July.
Zinka wanted to find her nest, settle down, but no matter where she went, all the nests and hollows were occupied, chicks were squeaking everywhere.
Zinka wanted to help feed the chicks, she caught a butterfly and is looking for someone to give it to. I found a nest with goldfinches. She gave one a butterfly, but it was too big for the chick. He chokes and cannot swallow. Well, mom flew in, took the butterfly away and told Zinka that she had given the whole insect to the little chick.
And then Zinka started going with the guys to pick berries and mushrooms. The guys don’t seem to understand her, but it’s more fun with them.
And then one day Zinka saw a bear in a raspberry field. And nearby a girl was picking raspberries. Zinka decided to save the girl and screamed, but the girl did not understand her. But the bear understood, heard about the girl, stood up, looked around and ran away.
Zinka laughed, she thought to save the girl from the bear, but it turned out that she had to save the bear from the girl.
And that girl always came to the forest before other children and left with a full basket.
August.
The old sparrow said that August is the last month of summer and Zinka decided to fly into the forest again. And everyone there is happy to see her, everyone invites her to visit. The chicks have already grown up, learned to fly, and Zinka is welcome in every nest.
Zinka lived with some, then with others. I saw Squirrel pricking mushrooms onto twigs and making supplies for the winter. I looked closer and it turns out that many birds and animals do the same thing.
Zinka decided to stock up on supplies too. I started hiding the seeds. And the nightingale saw this and laughed and said that then Zinka should make a hole.
Zinka asked what the nightingale would do in winter, and he said that he would fly away to warmer climes.
But Zinka had no intention of flying anywhere, where she was born was where she would live.
September.
September is the first month of autumn, announced the Old Sparrow.
Zinka flew to the fields and saw how people were harvesting bread, and the fields were becoming completely empty. Transparent cobwebs with spiders flew over the fields and Zinka ate one - it was delicious. So the spiders are looking for a new place for themselves.
Then the birds began to gather in flocks and fly away. Several times Zinka saw ducks and other large migratory birds.
And one day I met a flock of tits similar to her, which flew from grove to grove. Just as Zinka was about to meet them, two partridges took off, thunder was heard and the partridges fell to the ground, and next to one titmouse.
A man came up and picked up the partridges and called Manyunya. The same girl who always found the most mushrooms came running. I saw a fallen titmouse, picked it up, warmed it up and let it go. And the titmouse flew up onto the bush next to Zinka.

October.
Zinka's new comrade's name was Zinziver. One pellet hit him and the wings still did not obey him well.
Zinka found a hollow for Zinziver and brought him food there. Zinziver was two years old, he was a year older than Zinka.
He soon recovered and they became great friends.
And in the forest, at first everything turned golden, but then the winds blew and carried away the leaves from the trees. More and more migratory birds were arriving from the north, because winter was in full swing there. There were also milk mushrooms and boletus here and there.
One day, near a large mushroom, Zinka was frightened by a gray animal with white spots. But it turned out to be a hare whose winter coat had already begun to appear. He sat and trembled with fear, because he became clearly visible to predators.
November.
In November, a terrible enemy appeared in the forest. Suddenly small birds and animals began to disappear. Moreover, no one saw this enemy, as if he were invisible. Everyone was very afraid of an unknown enemy.
One day the first snow fell and in the morning they found a torn little hare, near which traces of huge claws were visible. Zinka invited Zinziver to fly away, and they decided to move to the river. There the place is open and no enemy will sneak up unnoticed.
It was snowing more and more often, and ice began to form on the river. There were only ducks left here, and then one day one of them disappeared. The invisible enemy showed itself again.
Zinziver decided to track down the enemy and kept watch for days, but did not see anything suspicious.
And Zinka offered to fly to the city, especially since she still needed to see the Old Sparrow.
December.
The old sparrow himself did not know what kind of terrible enemy was killing the birds in the forest. But he said that titmice have nothing to fear in the city. And living here, close to people, is easier. You can always find food.
And Zinka persuaded Zinziver to stay in the city. Because the New Year was approaching, which everyone would rejoice at. And she invited Zinziver to sing the first song to the sun in the new year.
Zinka and Zinziver began to look for a house for themselves, but all the places were occupied. It’s good that the Old Sparrow directed them to a house with a red roof. He saw a girl making a nest for birds there.
Having arrived there, the titmice immediately saw the same bearded hunter who killed the partridges. He hung a nest box on a tree and consulted with the girl Manyunya about whether it was right or high.
Zinka and Zinziver really liked the new house and they stayed to live in it.
Already closer to the new year, Manyuni's father brought a huge white bird from the forest - a polar owl. He explained to the girl that this was a rare and terrible guest in their forests. An owl flies silently, but it is impossible to notice it.
Zinka and Zinziver did not understand the hunter’s explanations, but realized that this was the same invisible killer. They called all the birds in the area to look at the scary bird.
And in the evening Manyuni had a Christmas tree, the children were screaming and making noise. But the titmice were not at all angry with them. They knew that after the New Year the sun returned.

Drawings and illustrations for the fairy tale "Sinichkin's calendar"

SINICHKIN CALENDAR

JANUARY

Zinka was a young Titmouse, and she did not have her own nest. All day long she flew from place to place, jumped on fences, on branches, on roofs - tits are a lively bunch. And in the evening he will look for an empty hollow or some crack under the roof, huddle there, fluff up his feathers, and somehow sleep through the night.

But one day - in the middle of winter - she was lucky enough to find a free sparrow's nest. It was placed above the window behind the window. Inside was a whole feather bed of soft down.

And for the first time, after flying out of her native nest, Zinka fell asleep in warmth and peace.

Suddenly at night she was awakened by a loud noise. There was noise in the house, a bright light was shining from the window. The titmouse got scared, jumped out of the nest and, clinging to the frame with its claws, looked out the window.

There, in the room, there was a large Christmas tree, right up to the ceiling, all covered in lights and snow and toys. Children were jumping and screaming around her.

Zinka had never seen people behave like this at night before. After all, she was born only last summer and still didn’t know much in the world.

She fell asleep long after midnight, when the people in the house finally calmed down and the light went out in the window.

And in the morning Zinka was awakened by the cheerful, loud cry of sparrows. She flew out of the nest and asked them:

- Are you sparrows screaming? And people made noise all night today and didn’t let me sleep. What happened?

- How? - The sparrows were surprised. - Don't you know what day it is today? After all, today is the New Year, so everyone is happy - both people and us.

- How is this New Year? – Titmouse didn’t understand.

- Oh, you yellow-mouthed one! - the sparrows chirped. - But this is the biggest holiday of the year! The sun returns to us and begins its calendar. Today is the first day of January.

– What is this – “January”, “calendar”?

“Ugh, how small you are,” the sparrows were indignant. – The calendar is the schedule of the sun for the whole year. The year consists of months, and January is its first month, the tip of the year. It is followed by another ten months - as many as your toes: February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November. And the very last month, the twelfth, the tail of the year is December. Do you remember?

“No,” said Titmouse. – Where can I remember so much at once! I remembered “nose”, “ten fingers” and “tail”. And they are all called too cleverly.

- Well, thank you! – Zinka was delighted. – I will definitely fly to you every month. Goodbye!

And she flew - and flew for thirty whole days, and on the thirty-first she returned and told the Old Sparrow everything that she had noticed. And Old Sparrow said to her:

- Well, remember: January - the first month of the year - begins with Merry Christmas tree at the guys. Every day the sun begins to rise a little earlier and go to bed later. The light is growing day by day, but the frost is getting stronger. The sky is all over clouds. And when the sun comes out, you, Titmouse, want to sing. And you quietly try your voice: “Zin-zin-tyu!” Zin-zin-ty!”

Page 2 of 12

FEBRUARY

The sun came out again, so cheerful and bright! It even warmed up a little, icicles hung from the roofs, and water flowed over them.

“So spring begins,” Zinka decided. She was delighted and sang loudly:

- Zin-zin-tan! Zin-zin-tan! Take off your caftan!

“It’s early, little bird,” Old Sparrow told her. - Look how cold it will be. We'll cry some more.

- Well, yes! – Titmouse didn’t believe it. “I’ll fly into the forest today and find out what the news is.”

And she flew away.

She really liked the forest: so many trees! It’s okay that all the branches are covered with snow, and whole snowdrifts are piled on the wide legs of the trees. It's even very beautiful. And if you jump on a branch, the snow just falls and sparkles with multi-colored sparks.

Zinka jumped on the branches, shook off the snow from them and examined the bark. Her eye is sharp and alert - she won’t miss a single crack. Zinka pokes the bale with its sharp nose into the crack, gouges the hole wider - and drags some kind of insect from under the bark.

Many insects cram under the bark for the winter - from the cold. He will pull it out and eat it. This is how he feeds. And she herself notices what’s all around.

Looks: The Forest Mouse jumped out from under the snow. She's shaking and all tousled up.

- What are you doing? - Zinka asks.

- Ugh, I got scared! - says the Forest Mouse.

She caught her breath and said:

“I was running in a pile of brushwood under the snow, and suddenly I fell into a deep hole. And this, it turns out, is the bear’s den. The Bear is lying in it, and she has two tiny newborn bear cubs. It’s good that they were fast asleep and didn’t notice me.

Zinka flew further into the forest. I met a woodpecker, a red-capped bird. I became friends with him. With his strong faceted nose, he breaks large pieces of bark and takes out fat larvae. The titmouse also gets something from him. Zinka flies after the Woodpecker, ringing a cheerful bell through the forest:

– Every day is brighter, brighter, brighter!

Suddenly there was a hissing sound all around, a drift of snow ran through the forest, the forest began to hum, and it became dark in it, like in the evening. Out of nowhere, the wind blew, the trees swayed, snowdrifts flew from the spruce paws, snow fell, curled - a blizzard began. Zinka calmed down, curled up into a ball, and the wind kept tearing her from the branch, ruffling her feathers and freezing her little body under them.

It’s good that the Woodpecker let her into his spare hollow, otherwise the Titmouse would have disappeared.

The blizzard raged day and night, and when it subsided and Zinka looked out of the hollow, she did not recognize the forest: it was so covered with snow. Hungry wolves flashed between the trees, getting stuck up to their bellies in loose snow. Below under the trees lay branches broken off by the wind, black, with stripped bark.

Zinka flew down to one of them to look for insects under the bark.

Suddenly, from under the snow - a beast! He jumped out and sat down. He himself is all white, his ears with black dots are held straight up. He sits in a column, his eyes bulging at Zinka.

Zinka lost his wings from fear.

- Who are you? – she squeaked.

- I'm a hare. I'm a hare. And who are you?

- Oh, hare! – Zinka was delighted. “Then I’m not afraid of you.” I'm Titmouse.

Although she had never seen hares before, she heard that they don’t eat birds and are afraid of everyone.

– Do you live here, on earth? – Zinka asked.

- This is where I live.

“But you’ll be completely covered in snow here!”

- And I’m glad. The blizzard covered all traces and carried me away - so the wolves ran nearby, but they didn’t find me.

Zinka also became friends with the Hare.

So I lived in the forest for a whole month, and everything was: either snow, or blizzard, or even the sun would come out - it would be a fine day, but it was still cold.

She flew to the Old Sparrow, told him everything she noticed, and he said:

– Remember: blizzards and blizzards flew away in February. In February, wolves are fierce, and the Bear cubs will be born in her den. The sun shines more cheerfully and longer, and the frosts are still severe. Now fly to the field.

Page 11 of 12

NOVEMBER

An enemy—and a terrible enemy—appeared in the forest the following month. Old Sparrow called this month November and said that this was the third and last month of autumn.

The enemy was very scary because he was invisible. Small and large birds, mice, and hares began to disappear in the forest.

As soon as an animal gapes, as soon as a bird lags behind the flock - it doesn’t matter whether it’s at night or during the day - lo and behold, they are no longer alive.

The first snow fell one evening. And the next morning, one Little Hare was missing from the forest.

We found his paw. Right there, on the already melted snow, there were traces of large, terrible claws. These could be the claws of an animal, or the claws of a large bird of prey. But the killer left nothing else: not a feather, not a hair of his own.

“I’m afraid,” Zinka said to Zinziver. - Oh, how afraid I am! Let's quickly fly away from the forest, from this terrible invisible robber.

They flew to the river. There were old hollow willows where they could find shelter.

“You know,” Zinka said, “this place is open.” If a terrible robber comes here, he cannot sneak up here as unnoticed as in a dark forest. We will see him from afar and hide from him.

And they settled across the river.

As soon as the titmice began to live peacefully, suddenly there was alarm again: at night, the duck, sleeping on the other side of the flock, disappeared into an unknown location.

“It’s him,” Zinka said, trembling. - It's invisible. He is everywhere: in the forest, in the field, and here on the river.

“There are no invisible people,” said Zinziver. - I'll track him down, just wait!

And all day long he hovered among the bare branches on the tops of old willow willows: looking out from the tower for a mysterious enemy. But I didn’t notice anything suspicious.

And then suddenly - on the last day of the month - there was a river. The ice covered it all at once and never melted again. The ducks flew away at night.

Here Zinka finally managed to persuade Zinziver to leave the river: after all, now the enemy could easily cross to them across the ice. And still, Zinka had to go to the city: to find out from the Old Sparrow what the new month is called.

Page 12 of 12

DECEMBER

The titmice flew to the city.

And no one, not even Old Sparrow, could explain to them who this invisible, terrible robber was, from whom there was no escape, day or night, big or small.

“But calm down,” said Old Sparrow. “Here in the city, no invisible person is afraid: even if he dares to come here, people will shoot him right away.” Stay live with us in the city. The month of December has already begun - the tail of the year. Came; schmuck. And in the field, and on the river, and in the forest, it is now hungry and scary. And people always have shelter and food for us little birds.

Of course, Zinka happily agreed to settle in the city and persuaded Zinziver. At first, however, he did not agree, he swaggered around and shouted:

- Pin-pin-cherr! I'm not afraid of anyone! I'll find the invisible one! But Zinka told him:

“That’s not the point, but here’s the thing: New Year will be soon.” The sun will start to look out again, everyone will rejoice at it. But no one can sing him the first spring song here in the city: sparrows can only chirp, crows can only croak, and jackdaws can make noise. Last year I sang the first spring song to the sun here. And now you must sing it.

Zinziver will shout:

But even here Zinka was helped by Old Sparrow. He told her:

- Fly over there to that house - there - with a red roof and a garden. There I saw a girl who was still picking something in a log with a chisel. Isn’t she preparing a nice little nest for you – the titmice? Zinka and Zinziver immediately flew to the house with a red roof. And who was the first thing they saw in the garden, on the tree? That terrible bearded hunter who almost shot Zinziver to death.

The hunter pressed the nest box to the tree with one hand, and held a hammer and nails in the other. He leaned down and shouted:

- So, what?

And from below, from the ground, Manyunya answered him in a thin voice:

- So good!

And the bearded hunter firmly nailed the hollow to the trunk with large nails, and then climbed down from the tree.

Zinka and Zinziver immediately looked into the nest and decided that they had never seen a better apartment. Manyunya hollowed out a cozy deep hollow in the log and even put soft, warm feathers, down and wool in it.

A month flew by unnoticed, no one bothered the titmice here, and Manyunya brought them food every morning on a table specially attached to a branch.

It was a huge snow-white owl, so snow-white that when the hunter threw it into the snow, the owl could only be seen with great difficulty.

“This is our evil winter guest,” father explained to Manyuna and the neighbors, “a polar owl.” She sees equally well both day and night, and from her claws there is no escape for a mouse, a partridge, a hare on the ground, or a squirrel in a tree. It flies completely silently, but you can see for yourself how difficult it is to notice when there is snow all around.

And in the evening Manyuni had a Christmas tree, the children screamed and stomped, but the titmice were not at all angry with them for this. Now they knew that the New Year comes with a Christmas tree decorated with lights, snow and toys, and with the New Year the sun returns to us and brings many new joys.

Page 3 of 12

MARCH

Zinka flew into the field.

After all, a titmouse can live wherever you want: if only there were bushes, she would feed herself.

In the field, in the bushes, lived gray partridges - such beautiful field hens with a chocolate horseshoe on their chests. A whole flock of them lived here, digging grains out from under the snow.

-Where can I sleep here? – Zinka asked them.

“Do as we do,” say the partridges. - Look here. They all took to their wings, scattered wildly, and crashed into the snow!

The snow was loose - it fell and covered them. And no one will see them from above, and they are warm there, on the ground, under the snow.

“Well, no,” thinks Zinka, “tits can’t do that. I’ll look for a better place to stay for the night.”

I found a wicker basket abandoned by someone in the bushes, climbed into it, and fell asleep there.

And it’s good that I did so.

It was a sunny day. The snow above melted and became loose, and at night the frost hit.

In the morning Zinka woke up and looked, where are the partridges? They are nowhere to be seen. And where they dived into the snow in the evening, the crust glistens - an ice crust.

Zinka realized what kind of trouble the partridges were in: now they are sitting, as if in a prison, under an icy roof, and cannot get out. Every single one of them will disappear under her! What to do here? But titmouses are a fighting people.

Zinka flew onto the crust - and let’s peck at it with his strong, sharp nose. And she continued, making a big hole. And she released the partridges from prison.

They praised her and thanked her!

They brought her grains and various seeds.

– Live with us, don’t fly away anywhere!

And finally, land appeared in the field on the hills. And how happy everyone was about her!

Not even three days have passed here - out of nowhere, black rooks with white noses are already sitting on the thawed patches.

- Hello! You are welcome!

The important ones walk around, their tight feathers shining, their noses picking at the ground: dragging worms and larvae out of it.

And soon the larks and starlings came after them and began to sing.

Zinka rings with joy and chokes:

- Zin-zin-na! Zin-zin-na! Spring is upon us! Spring is upon us! Spring is upon us!

So with this song I flew to the Old Sparrow. And he told her:

- Yes. This is the month of March. The rooks have arrived, which means spring has truly begun. Spring begins in the field. Now fly to the river.

Page 4 of 12

APRIL

Zinka flew to the river.

He flies over the field, flies over the meadow, hears: streams are singing everywhere. Streams are singing, streams are flowing - everyone is going to the river.

I flew to the river, and the river was terrible: the ice on it had turned blue, water was coming out near the banks.

Zinka sees: every day, more streams run to the river.

The stream will make its way through the ravine unnoticed under the snow and from the shore - jump! - into the river. And soon many streams, streams and streams crowded into the river - they hid under the ice.

Then a thin black and white bird flew in, ran along the shore, swayed its long tail, and squealed:

- P-lick! Pee-lick!

-What are you squeaking? – asks Zinka. - Why are you waving your tail?

- P-lick! - answers the thin bird. - Don't you know my name? Icebreaker. Now I’ll swing my tail and when I crack it on the ice, the ice will burst and the river will flow.

- Well, yes! – Zinka didn’t believe it. - You're bragging.

- Ah well! - says the thin bird. - P-lick!

And let's swing our tail even more.

Then suddenly there’s a boom somewhere up the river, as if from a cannon! The icebreaker fluttered and, in fright, flapped its wings so much that in one minute it disappeared from sight.

The river has flown. She went and went, and no one could stop her. The ice floes swayed on it, floated, ran, circled each other, and those on the side were pushed onto the shore. Immediately, all sorts of water birds swooped in, as if they were waiting somewhere here, nearby, around the corner: ducks, seagulls, and long-legged sandpipers. And, lo and behold, Icebreaker is back, scurrying along the shore with her little legs, shaking her tail.

- Zin-zin-ho! Zin-zin-ho! Ice drift, ice drift! - Zinka sang.

And she flew to tell the Old Sparrow what she saw on the river.

And Old Sparrow said to her:

– You see: first spring comes to the field, and then to the river.

Remember: the month in which our rivers are free of ice is called April. Now fly back into the forest: you will see what will happen there.

And Zinka quickly flew into the forest.

Page 5 of 12

But it was fun there, not like in winter. Many different birds flew in, and they all fluttered between the trees, jumped on the ground and sang - they sang on the branches, on the tops of the trees and in the air.

The sun now rose very early, went to bed late and shone so diligently for everyone on earth and warmed so much that life became easy. The titmouse no longer had to worry about lodging for the night: he would find a free hollow - good, he wouldn’t - and so he would spend the night somewhere on a branch or in the thicket.

And then one evening it seemed to her as if the forest was in fog. A light greenish fog enveloped all the birches, aspens, and alders. And when the next day the sun rose over the forest, on every birch tree, on every branch, small green fingers appeared: the leaves began to bloom.

This is where the forest festival began.

The Nightingale whistled and clicked in the bushes.

Frogs purred and croaked in every puddle.

Trees and lilies of the valley were blooming. May beetles buzzed among the branches. Butterflies fluttered from flower to flower. The Cuckoo crowed loudly.

Zinka’s friend, the Red-Capped Woodpecker, doesn’t even bother that he can’t sing: he will find a drier twig and drum his nose on it so dashingly that the ringing drumbeat can be heard throughout the forest.

And wild pigeons rose high above the forest and performed dizzying tricks and loops in the air. Everyone had fun in their own way, depending on how they knew how.

Zinka was curious about everything. Zinka kept up everywhere and rejoiced along with everyone.

In the mornings at dawn, Zinka heard someone’s loud screams, as if someone was blowing trumpets somewhere beyond the forest.

She flew in that direction and now she sees: a swamp, moss and moss, and pine trees growing on it. And there are such big birds walking in the swamp that Zinka has never seen before - as tall as rams, and their necks are long, long.

Suddenly they raised their trumpet necks and how they trumpeted and thundered:

- Trrru-rrru! Trrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

They completely stunned the titmouse.

Then one spread his wings and fluffy tail, bowed to the ground to his neighbors and suddenly began to dance: he began to mince, minced with his legs and walked in a circle, all in a circle; First he’ll throw out one leg, then the other, then he’ll bow, then he’ll jump, then he’ll squat – it’s hilarious! And others look at him, gathered around, flapping their wings at once.

There was no one for Zinka to ask in the forest what kind of giant birds these were, and she flew to the city to the Old Sparrow.

And Old Sparrow said to her:

- These are cranes: serious, respectable birds, and now, you see what they are doing. Because the cheerful month of May has come, and the forest is dressed, and all the flowers are blooming, and all the birds are singing. The sun has now warmed everyone and given bright joy to everyone.

Page 6 of 12

JUNE

Zinka decided:

“Today I’ll fly to all places: to the forest, and to the field, and to the river... I’ll look at everything.”

First of all, I visited my old friend, the Red-Capped Woodpecker. And when he saw her from afar, he shouted:

- Kick! Kick! Away, away! This is my domain!

Zinka was very surprised. And she was deeply offended by Woodpecker: here’s a friend for you!

I remembered field partridges, gray, with a chocolate shoe on their chest. She flew to their field, looking for partridges - they weren’t in the old place! But there was a whole flock. Where did everyone go?

She flew and flew across the field, searched and searched, and with the effort of one she found a cockerel: sitting in the rye, and the rye was already high, screaming:

- Chir-vik! Chir-vik!

Zinka to him. And he told her:

- Chir-vik! Chir-vik! Chichire! Let's go, get out of here!

- How so! - Titmouse got angry. “It’s been a long time since I saved you all from death - released you from an icy prison, and now you won’t let me anywhere near you?”

“Chir-vir,” the partridge cockerel was embarrassed. - True, she saved me from death. We all remember this. But still, fly away from me: now the time is different, this is how I want to fight!

It’s good that the birds have no tears, otherwise Zinka would probably cry: she’s so offended, she’s so bitter!

She turned around silently and flew to the river.

It flies over the bushes - suddenly a gray beast comes out of the bushes!

Zinka shied away to the side.

- I did not recognize? - the beast laughs. – After all, you and I are old friends.

- And who are you? – asks Zinka.

- I'm a hare. Belyak.

- What kind of hare are you when you are gray? I remember a hare: he is all white, only there is black on his ears.

- I’m white in winter so that I won’t be visible in the snow. And in the summer I'm gray.

Well, we started talking. Nothing, they didn’t quarrel with him. And then Old Sparrow explained to Zinka:

- This is the month of June - the beginning of summer. All of us, birds, have nests at this time, and in the nests are precious eggs and chicks. We do not allow anyone near our nests - neither enemy nor friend: even a friend may accidentally break an egg. Animals also have cubs, animals also will not let anyone near their hole. One hare without worries: he lost his kids all over the forest and forgot to think about them. But bunnies need a mother hare only in the first days: they drink mother’s milk for several days, and then they cram the grass themselves. Now,” added Old Sparrow, “the sun is at its strongest, and his working day is the longest. Now everyone on earth will find something to fill their little ones’ bellies with.

Page 7 of 12

JULY

- WITH Christmas tree, - said Old Sparrow, - six months have passed, exactly six months. Remember that the second half of the year begins in the midst of summer. And now the month of July has come. And this is the best month for both chicks and animals, because there is a lot of everything around: sunshine, warmth, and a variety of delicious food.

“Thank you,” said Zinka.

And she flew away.

“It’s time for me to settle down,” she thought. – There are a lot of hollows in the forest. I’ll borrow whatever free time I like, and I’ll live in it as my own home!”

I thought about it, but it wasn’t so easy to do it.

All the hollows in the forest are occupied. There are chicks in all nests. Some still have tiny ones, naked, some with fluff, and some with feathers, but they are still yellow-mouthed, squeaking all day long, asking for food.

Zinka is bored alone.

“Let me,” he thinks, “let me help someone feed the chicks.” They will thank me."

I found a butterfly on a spruce tree, grabbed it in its beak, and is looking for someone to give it to.

He hears little goldfinches squeaking on an oak tree, their nest is on a branch there.

Zinka quickly went there and put a butterfly into one goldfinch’s open mouth.

The goldfinch took a sip, but the butterfly did not climb: it was too big to hurt.

The stupid chick tries, he chokes, but nothing comes of it.

And he began to choke. Zinka screams in fright, doesn’t know what to do.

Then the Goldfinch arrived. Now - once! – she grabbed the butterfly, pulled it out of the goldfinch’s throat and threw it away. And Zinke says:

- Get out of here! You almost killed my chick. Is it possible to give a little one a whole butterfly? She didn’t even tear off her wings!

Zinka rushed into the thicket and hid there: she was ashamed and offended.

Then she flew through the forest for many days - no, no one accepts her into their company!

Zinka keeps spinning around them, flying from branch to branch, and Titmouse and the guys are having more fun, even though she doesn’t understand their language, and they don’t understand hers.

And it happened once: one little girl climbed into a raspberry field, walked quietly, took berries.

And Zinka flutters through the trees above her.

And suddenly he sees: a big scary bear in a raspberry field.

The girl is just approaching him, but she doesn’t see him.

And he doesn’t see her: he’s also picking berries. He will bend the bush with his paw and into his mouth.

“Now,” Zinka thinks, “the girl will stumble upon him, “this monster will eat her!” We must save her, we must save her!”

And she screamed from the tree in her own way, in the titmouse’s way:

- Zin-zin-wen! Girl, girl! There's a bear here. Run away!

The girl didn’t even pay attention to her: she didn’t understand a word.

And the scary bear understood: he immediately reared up and looked around: where is the girl?

“Well,” Zinka decided, “the little one has disappeared!”

And the bear saw the girl, dropped on all four paws - and how he would run away from her through the bushes!

Zinka was surprised:

“I wanted to save the girl from the bear, but I saved the bear from the girl! Such a monster, but he’s afraid of the little man!”

Since then, whenever she met children in the forest, Titmouse sang to them a ringing song:

- Zin-zin-le! Zin-zin-le!

Who gets up early

He takes mushrooms for himself,

And sleepy and lazy

They go after the nettles.

This little girl, from whom the bear ran away, always came into the forest first and left the forest with a full basket.

Page 8 of 12

AUGUST

“After July,” said Old Sparrow, “August comes.” The third and - note this - the last month of summer.

“August,” Zinka repeated.

And she began to think about what she should do this month.

Well, she was a titmouse, and titmouses cannot sit in one place for a long time. They would flutter and jump around, climb branches up and down, upside down. You can't think of that much.

I lived in the city for a bit - it was boring. And without even noticing, she found herself in the forest again.

She found herself in the forest and wondered: what happened to all the birds there?

Just now everyone was chasing her, they didn’t let her close to themselves or their chicks, and now all you can hear is: “Zinka, fly to us!”, “Zinka, here!”, “Zinka, fly with us!”, “Zinka , Zinka, Zinka!

He looks - all the nests are empty, all the hollows are free, all the chicks have grown up and learned to fly. Children and parents all live together, fly in broods, and no one sits still, and they no longer need nests. And everyone is happy to have a guest: it’s more fun to wander around in company.

Zinka will pester one, then another; one day

will spend one with tufted titmice, another with chickadees. He lives carefree: warm, light, as much food as you want.

And then Zinka was surprised when she met Belka and started talking to her.

He looks - a squirrel has descended from a tree to the ground and is looking for something in the grass. She found a mushroom, grabbed it in her teeth, and marched back up the tree with it. She found a sharp twig there, poked a mushroom at it, but she wouldn’t eat it: she galloped on and went back to the ground to look for mushrooms.

Zinka flew up to her and asked:

- What are you doing, Squirrel? Why don't you eat mushrooms and stick them on twigs?

- What do you mean why? - Belka answers. “I collect it for future use and dry it for storage.” When winter comes, you will be lost without supplies.

Here Zinka began to notice: not only squirrels - many animals collect supplies for themselves. Mice, voles, and hamsters carry grain from the field into their burrows and fill their larder there.

Zinka also began to hide something for a rainy day; he will find tasty seeds, peck them, and what is unnecessary will be shoved somewhere into the bark, into a crack.

The nightingale saw this and laughed:

- What, Titmouse, do you want to make supplies for the whole long winter? This way it’s time for you to dig a hole too.

Zinka was embarrassed.

“What do you think about it,” he asks, “in winter?”

- Fut! - Nightingale whistled. – When autumn comes, I’ll fly away from here. I’ll fly far, far away, to where it’s warm in winter and roses bloom. It's as filling as it is here in the summer.

“But you’re a Nightingale,” says Zinka, “what do you mean: today you sang here, and tomorrow – there.” And I'm Sinichka. Where I was born, I will live there all my life.

And I thought to myself: “It’s time, it’s time for me to think about my house! Now people are out in the field, harvesting grain and taking it away from the field. Summer is ending, ending..."

Page 9 of 12

SEPTEMBER

- Now what month will it be? – Zinka asked the Old Sparrow.

“Now it will be September,” said Old Sparrow. - The first month of autumn.

And it’s true: the sun began to burn less, the days became noticeably shorter, the nights longer, and it began to rain more and more often.

First of all, autumn came to the field. Zinka saw how, day after day, people brought bread from the field to the village, from the village to the city. Soon the field was completely empty, and the wind blew through it in the open air. Then one evening the wind died down and the clouds cleared from the sky. In the morning, Zinka did not recognize the field: it was all covered in silver, and thin, thin silver threads floated through the air above it. One such thread, with a tiny ball at the end, landed on a bush next to Zinka. The ball turned out to be a spider, and Titmouse, without thinking twice, pecked at it and swallowed it. Delicious! Only the nose is covered in cobwebs.

And silver threads-webs quietly floated over the field, descended on the crops, on the bushes, on the forest: the young spiders scattered all over the earth. Having left their flying web, the spiders found a crack in the bark or a hole in the ground and hid in it until spring. In the forest, the leaves have already begun to turn yellow, red, and brown. Bird families-broods were already gathering into flocks, and flocks into flocks. They wandered more and more widely through the forest: they were preparing to take off.

Every now and then, flocks of birds completely unfamiliar to Zinka would unexpectedly appear from somewhere - long-nosed motley waders, unprecedented ducks. They stopped at a river, in swamps; During the day they feed, rest, and at night they fly further - in the direction where the sun is at noon. Flocks of marsh and water birds were flying from the far north.

Before Zinka had time to get to know them, a large brood of field partridges flew up from under the bushes with noise and screaming. There was a short, terrible thunder - and Titmouse, who was sitting next to Zinka, fell to the ground without a squeak. And then two partridges, turning over their heads in the air, hit the ground dead. Zinka was so frightened that she remained sitting where she was, neither alive nor dead.

When she came to her senses, there was no one near her - no partridges, no tits.

A bearded man with a gun approached, picked up two dead partridges and shouted loudly:

- Ay! Manyunya!

Running past the bush, she saw a Titmouse falling from a branch on the ground, stopped, bent down, and took it in her hands. Zinka sat in the bush without moving.

The girl said something to her father, the father gave her a flask, and Manyunya sprinkled water on Titmouse from it. The titmouse opened her eyes, suddenly fluttered up - and hid in a bush next to Zinka.

Manyunya laughed cheerfully and skipped after her father as he left.

Page 10 of 12

OCTOBER

- Hurry, hurry! – Zinka hurried the Old Sparrow. “Tell me what month it is, and I’ll fly back to the forest: I have a sick comrade there.”

And she told the Old Sparrow how a bearded hunter knocked the Titmouse sitting next to her from a branch, and the girl Manyunya sprinkled water and revived her.

Having learned that the new month, the second month of autumn, is called October, Zinka quickly returned to the forest.

A few days later he completely recovered. The flock with which he flew disappeared somewhere, and Zinziver remained to live with Zinka. They became very good friends.

And autumn has already come to the forest. At first, when all the leaves were painted in bright colors, it was very beautiful. Then the angry winds blew. They tore off yellow, red, brown leaves from the branches, carried them through the air and threw them to the ground.

Soon the forest thinned out, the branches were exposed, and the ground beneath them was covered with colorful leaves.

The last flocks of wading birds flew from the far north, from the tundra.

Now new guests arrived from the northern forests every day: winter was already beginning there.

But Zinka and Zinziver no longer met the good girl Manyunya in the forest.

The titmice loved to go down to the ground, jump on the leaves, and look for snails on mushrooms.

One day they jumped up to a small mushroom that was growing between the roots of a white birch stump.

Suddenly, on the other side of the stump, a gray animal with white spots jumped out.

Zinka started to run away, and Zinziver got angry and shouted:

- Pin-pin-cherr! Who are you?

He was very brave and flew away from the enemy only when the enemy rushed at him.

- Ugh! - said the gray spotted animal, squinting his eyes and trembling all over. - How you and Zinka scared me! You can’t stomp on dry, crunchy leaves like that! I thought the Fox was running or the Wolf. I'm a Hare, I'm a white hare.

- Not true! – Zinka shouted to him from the tree. - White hare is gray in summer, white in winter, I know. And you're kind of half-white.

- So it’s neither summer nor winter now! And I'm neither gray nor white. - And the hare whined: - Here I am sitting by a birch stump, trembling, afraid to move: there is no snow yet, but tufts of white wool are already creeping out of me. The ground is black. I’ll run along it during the day - now everyone will see me. And the dry leaves crunch so terribly! No matter how quietly you sneak, there’s just thunder from under your feet.

“You see what a coward he is,” Zinziver said to Zinka. - And you were afraid of him. He is not our enemy.