The story of A.N. Tolstoy's Childhood of Nikita (originally titled A Tale of Many Excellent Things) was first published in a separate edition in 1922. The story was written in 1919-1920. In the fall of 1918, he emigrated abroad. In 1920, the writer was still in exile and yearned for Russia very much. Living in Paris and Berlin, Tolstoy shunned the emigre environment and began to delve deeper into the meaning of historical events. Memories of the homeland, of the irrevocable days of childhood, of Russian nature and the appearance of the story was caused. Nikita's Childhood is a work full of captivating lyricism, irresistible charm and truth, the high poetry of folk life, a lively perception of nature, the beauty of the native language. The author devotes all his attention to the embodiment of the poetic principles of the charm of the irreversible period of childhood. The writer said: “For this book I will give all my previous novels and plays! Russian book and written in Russian! " The story was written for the Parisian magazine "Green Stick" - for immigrant children who, like the son of A.N. Tolstoy Nikita, to whom the work is dedicated and whose name the protagonist is named after, badly needed Russian impressions. He was interested in real life, he wanted to rely on the experience of his personal observations: "I started - and it was as if a window opened into the distant past with all the charm, tender sadness and keen perceptions of nature that are in childhood" (Poln. Sobr. Op., Vol. 13, p. 563). Unlike most of Tolstoy's works, the plot, a sequential chain of events, plays almost no role here, because everything in the world is excellent. Children's writer K. Chukovsky wrote about this in 1924: “This is the Book of Happiness, it seems to be the only Russian book in which the author does not preach happiness, does not promise it in the future, but immediately exudes from himself”.

Nikita's Childhood is an autobiographical story. The scene quite accurately reproduces the setting of the small estate of the writer's stepfather A. A. Bostrom, where Tolstoy grew up. Even the name of the estate, Sosnovka, is preserved in the story. Impressions of childhood, A. Tolstoy's memories of the early period of life in the Samara province were included in the content of his work. In one of his autobiographical notes, A. Tolstoy wrote about himself as follows: "I grew up alone, in contemplation, in dissolution, among the great phenomena of earth and sky. July lightning over a dark garden; autumn fogs like milk; dry twig gliding in the wind on the first ice of the pond; winter blizzards, falling asleep in snowdrifts huts to the very pipes; spring sound of waters; cry of rooks that flew to last year's nests; people in the cycle of seasons; birth and death, like sunrise and sunset, like the fate of grain; animals, birds ; boogers with red faces living in the cracks of the earth; the smell of a ripe apple, the smell of a fire in a twilight hollow; my friend Mishka Koryashonok and his stories; winter evenings under a lamp, books, daydreaming ... "(Complete collection of works, vol. 13 , pp. 557–558). Pictures of the Russian winter, boundless snowy plains, ringing spring days, summer harvest, golden autumn replace one another naturally, like the movement of time itself, conveyed in living images. The change of seasons is depicted not as a passive-contemplative movement, but as an active one, affecting all aspects of the existence and activity of people. It is in such an atmosphere that Nikita, the little hero of A. Tolstoy's story, grows and takes shape. Nikita's parents largely repeat the real features of the writer's stepfather and mother. Nikita's mother is called the same as the writer's mother - Alexandra Leontievna. For the image of the teacher, the prototype was a seminar-tutor, Arkady Ivanovich Slovookhotov, who prepared the future writer for admission to a secondary educational institution. Nikita's relationship with the village children - with Mishka Koryashonk and Stepka Karnaushkin, their friendship and friendly games are also autobiographical, as well as a number of details and details. It should be noted that the narration is not conducted in the first person, which makes it possible for the author to really, after many years, evaluate the happy time of his childhood.
Chapter 2. Formation of Nikita's character in the story "Nikita's Childhood"
§ 2.1. Parental love is the basis for raising a child
"Nikita's Childhood" tells about the childhood of a Russian boy from a noble landowner family, once rich and noble, but already on the verge of ruin, living out his last days in the village. In the depiction of the formation of the character of the protagonist A.N. Tolstoy puts in the first place the very reality surrounding the child.

From the very first pages of the story, we see what a benevolent, normal environment surrounded Nikita, how his first idea of \u200b\u200blife took shape. "It was so quiet in the warm office that a barely audible ringing began in my ears. What extraordinary stories could be invented alone, on the sofa, under this ringing. White light poured through the frozen glass. Nikita read Cooper ..." So we plunge into the world of Nikita's childhood, a world surrounded by books, classes with a teacher, an atmosphere of kindness and care for a nine-year-old boy. Nikita's relationship with his mother, father, teacher is of such a nature that they bring up a sound mind, frankness and honesty in the boy.

Nikita's family and the home environment in the house were always very kind and dear, it was clear how all family members take care of Nikita and everyone is trying to give a piece of their love to the boy, to raise him as a good person. All family members are very different in character, temperament, many have different views on life, but, despite this, this is a friendly loving family. On the example of Nikita's parents who are sincerely loving each other, one can see how much family education means for the formation of a child's character. Nikita's father is cheerful, with a subtle sense of humor, combined with extraordinary intelligence, kindness and spiritual nobility, happy with his wife, who is very different from him. She is a well-mannered, intelligent, stately woman with tender beauty, who, in the spirit of folk traditions, embodies the image of the keeper of the family hearth. The prototype of this image was A. Tolstoy's mother. Nikita's mother misses her husband very much when he leaves, worries about him with all her heart and worries that Nikita might forget him. One day, his father's life hung in the balance of death when he nearly died in a ravine during a spring flood. This misfortune showed the cohesion of the family, care for each other, that common thing that unites a real family - love. Sometimes conflicts arose between the boy's parents over the extravagance of her husband, sometimes there were disagreements in Nikita's upbringing, the mother was very anxious about her son and was too worried about him and saw in him only a little boy, and the father insisted on raising a man in the child - a brave, strong hardened. But at the same time they went towards each other and found a common solution that did not harm Nikita, but, on the contrary, developed him. For example, the episode with Klopik. Mother was very afraid that it was too early for Nikita to ride a horse on his own: he might break, he might not cope with an unbroken horse. The father, on the contrary, was convinced that only in this way, when Nikita was introduced to independence, closeness to the life of the people, to participation in a common cause, one could raise a strong, strong man.

Nikita's family was always very hospitable and glad to guests. One of these visits of guests became a real event in the life of Nikita, then he met his first love. The house has always loved the holidays. One of the brightest was the wonderful New Year. The author's love for the traditions of the old noble way of life is felt in the description of preparations for the holiday, home-made crafts, ornaments, persistent needles, waiting for long-awaited gifts, a lush table with treats, round dances around the tree with invited village children. So vividly, visibly noted by A.N. Tolstoy details of the children's preparations for the new year.

In this house, even ordinary workers are treated very well, despite the fact that there is a master and peasants. Nikita's father is a very simple person in communication and behavior, he was friendly with the servants, and they respected the owners, tried to please them, paid with loyalty and care. The carpenter Pakhom, who makes a bench for Nikita, a sensible boy, a backup Mishka Koryashonok, a teacher Arkady Ivanovich, arouse sympathy. The most authoritative person, Nikita, considers Mishka Koryashonka, who works in the barnyard, as a caretaker. This is a serious and judicious guy who, in imitation of adults, speaks with feigned indifference. "Nikita looked at Koryashonok with great respect." Although Mishka is small, but in his remarks, advice and actions, the Russian mindset and Russian character are already clearly visible. Another acquaintance of Nikita is the swirling, snub-nosed and big-mouthed Styopa Karnaushkin with a "spoken fist". The company of Nikita's village friends is supplemented by Semka, Lyonka, Artamoshka the Menshoy, Nil, Vanka Cherny Ushi and Bobylev's nephew Petrushka. Nikita spins all day in the courtyard, by the well, in the coach shed, in the room, in the threshing floor ... For him, the judgments of Mishka Koryashonka are most understandable. But less important is what the carpenter Pakhom, the worker Vasily, the stooped Artyom said or did. Nikita is curious about the life of the village, peasant children, peasant occupations, not understanding the difficulties and hardships of village life, but at the same time spontaneously, instinctively not separating himself from it, feeling like something inextricably linked with the village.

§ 2.2. Friendship with the village guys

Nikita communicated with village children, and in the traditions of village childhood there was always a confrontation between one courtyard and another, fights, snow battles, playing war - all this also made up his childhood, a happy childhood, tempered his character, subjected him to tests.

Nikita never had problems in communication due to different social status, on the contrary, he believed that his village friends would never replace him with a single noble boy, as he was convinced after talking with a second-grade schoolboy Viktor, who was visiting Nikita on Christmas. Victor also made friends with the villagers, tried to be his own, but he did not. But Nikita was his own among the guys, he was not afraid to walk

Literary reading grade 4 (Perspective)

Lesson topic: A. Tolstoy. Nikita's Childhood. The meaning of the story
The purpose of the lesson: continue work on the work, practice the skill of fluent expressive reading: teach how to divide the text into parts; make a plan; develop students' speech, memory, thinking.
Lesson objectives:

Learn to define a learning task;

Teach to plan the implementation of an educational task;

Create a favorable emotional mood;

Recall the content of the story;

Form the ability to work with text;

Continue work on the development of speech, memory, critical thinking;

Form the ability to work in a group.

List of equipment for the lesson:

Literary reading. 4th grade. Textbook. for general education. organizations complete with audipril. to the electron. carrier. At 2h. Part 1 / L.F. Klimanova, L.A. Vinogradskaya, M.V. Boykin; Grew up. acad. Sciences, Ros. acad. education, publishing house "Education". - 4th ed. - M .: Education, 2014 .-- 158 p. : ill. - (Academic school textbook) (Perspective);

Phonogram of the song "The Island of Childhood" performed by M. Boyarsky;

Workbooks in a cage for literary reading,
student plan cards.

Planned results

Subject:

Determine what mood the read works create.

Give characteristics to literary characters based on the work read.

Metasubject:

Define the educational task of the lesson.

Plan the implementation of educational activities in accordance with the assigned educational task.

Carry out a logical action analysis highlighting essential and insignificant features.

Carry out a logical comparison action according to the specified and independently selected criteria.

Carry out a logical action generalization.

Communicate your position to others, arguing for it.

Personal:

Compare your character traits with the character traits of literary heroes;

Assess your character traits;

Determine which features are main and defining;

Motivate to learning activities;

Develop cooperation skills in different situations.
During the classes:
1. Organizational moment
2. Speech workout
What is childhood?
Childhood is sweetness
This is when even
Rain and cold for joy.
Childhood is a fairy tale
Cheburashka with Gena,
Everything around is beautiful
Unusual.
(Reading in a buzzing way, slowly, with acceleration, expressive)
-What can you say about such a period of a person's life as childhood?- Who has heard the expression "childhood island"?
- How do you understand him?
- Close your eyes, sit comfortably. I invite you on a journey to the "island of childhood".
(One verse and chorus of the song "Island of Childhood" performed by M. Boyarsky sound.)
- What emotions did you have?
- Why this particular song I took for a lesson?
3.Self-determination to activity
- Today we continue our conversation about the work of A. Tolstoy "Nikita's Childhood". Try to formulate the objectives of the lesson.
4.Work on the topic of the lesson
a) At home, you read the work of A. Tolstoy. Let's start the lesson withvocabulary work .
Cartwright -shed for carriages and other carriages.
Workbench - machine for carpentry work.
Hood -a hat with two long ends that are wrapped around the neck.Prairie - the vast North American steppe.
-Choosesynonyms to the wordsgloomy, save .
-Chooseantonyms to the wordsgrow old, work .
b) Reading aloud the first part of "Sunny Morning". Determination of the main idea of \u200b\u200bthis part.
c) Working in pairs. Coming up with questions about the content to classmates.
5.Exercise minute
6. Continuation of work on the topic.
a) Reading the second part of the work "Arkady Ivanovich" in roles.
- Follow through the text what kind of relationship Nikita had with his mother, with the teacher.

b) Reading the third part "Snowdrifts" by students "until the first mistake."
c) Conversation.
-What was Nikita's mood?
- What made him such a mood?
- Did Nikita want to deceive the teacher?
Why did the boy see so much on the street? Does he love his native land?- What mood did Nikita feel on the bench? What words did the author use to convey his impressions?
-What winter fun do you like? Are your parents involved?
-Why does Nikita climb to the very cape and dig a cave?-Determine the main idea of \u200b\u200bthis part.
d) Reading the "Mysterious Letter" part "chain"
-What letter did everyone expect?
-What do you think it is about? (Children's assumptions)
e) Work with a deformed plan (cards). Recovery. Work in pairs.
* Air pinched in the nose.
* On crispy steps.
* Snow capes over Chagra.
* The bench itself went down the mountain.
* Figurine of Arkady Ivanovich.
* Snow cave.
* Dialogue between the teacher and Nikita.
7. Reflection.
-Choose a sentence and continue.
-Today in the lesson I learned ...
-In this lesson I would praise myself for ...
-After the lesson, I wanted ...
-Today I managed to ...
8. Lesson summary.
-What is the meaning of this work? What does the author teach us?
9. Homework.
Prepare a retelling of the part "Snowdrifts" according to the restored plan. Come up with a sequel related to the mysterious letter.

While in exile in France and immensely dreaming of returning to his homeland, Count Alexei Nikolaevich Tolstoy created his most poetic work, "Nikita's Childhood".

The idea of \u200b\u200ban autobiographical work

He lived on the estate of his stepfather A. A. Bostrom, whom he loved like his own father, near Samara, in the Sosnovka estate. The main character, the boy Nikita, was endowed by the writer with his own rich imagination and impressionability. The writer created the images of his parents as his own. Moreover, Nikita's mother is called the same as the mother of Alexei Tolstoy - Alexandra Leontievna. The image of the teacher Arkady Ivanovich was created based also on a real person - a tutor Arkady Slovookhotov. The author, without renaming, introduced into the canvas the narratives of his childhood friends - Mishka Koryashonka and Styopka Karnaushkin. The story "Nikita's Childhood" is rich in various characters. The summary of the work can be very briefly expressed as the reader's immersion in the fairy-tale world of childhood.

The fascinating world of Nikita

The work provides a detailed description of the house itself, its outbuildings, barns and stables, a garden, a pond, a dam.

A childishly enthusiastic description is given of its mysterious rooms and the tight bounds of old books in the library. This house keeps family legends about great-grandfather Afrikanych Afrikanych, exhausted He, according to the stories of Nikolina's mother, led a strange way of life. I read and wrote at night, and slept during the day. Grandfather abandoned the farm, the courtyards fled from him, grass grew in the fields ...

The work "Nikita's Childhood" is decorated with many colorful and luscious scenes of contemplation of nature. The summary of the story can be reduced to this unity of the boy with nature. He not only feels himself to be a part of it, but also perceives it through the images he has dreamed up. For example, the starling in Nikita's perception is endowed to such an extent that he received the nickname Zheltukhin. The main character calls the cat only as Vasily Vasilich, he poeticizes both his stepfather's horses and every bird he sees, be it a bright oriole or a vocal lark.

The beginning of the story

With the chapter "Sunny Morning", "Nikita's Childhood" begins. The summary of the story is about games with village children in the midst of the charm of snowdrifts that cover the huts to the very chimneys; crazy stream of spring waters; a dark garden illuminated by July lightning; September fogs, thick as milk. The boy saw how the whole life of people in the middle of this repeating round dance of the seasons passes organically and naturally, and birth and death are like the rising and setting of the sun.

The specific children's logic of the narrative in this work cannot but be noted by the summary we have written. Tolstoy's "Childhood of Nikita", while working on it, brought him into a special enthusiastic nostalgic mood, which he himself noted in his memoirs. Very reverently, the author tells the story of how he, who is not indifferent to his sister Lilya, together with her, discovered in the empty room of the estate a ring that his great-grandfather once gave to his beloved. The ring lay inside a vase with lion heads, which had stood on the wall clock for several decades. Moreover, Lilya herself (Nikita put a ring on her finger) surprisingly resembled a great-grandmother, whose portrait in an Amazon with a veil hung on the wall in a secret room. Alexey Tolstoy wrote about this episode sincerely.

An autobiographical work

What will we notice if we select from the author's narration about the most romantic year in the life of the protagonist a concise, summary? Tolstoy's "Nikita's Childhood", following the rules of the genre, continued the tradition of Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy ("Childhood, Adolescence, Youth"), M. Gorky ("Childhood", "In People."), S. Aksakov ("Childhood of Bagrov's Grandson" ).

All of these books are valuable for adults, especially parents. They are autobiographical and help to understand how the child thinks, explain the motives of his actions. However, if we talk about the author's style of these artistic autobiographies, then it should be pointed out that Alexei Tolstoy is the only one of all the aforementioned classics who narrated about childhood from the third person.

Boy's poetry of the seasons

The description of spring and the awakening nature is also included in the summary of the book "Nikita's Childhood", as it occupies a significant place in the book. After all, the main character identifies himself with nature, sincerely considering, at the behest of his soul, that all the natural resources around are his own. He is delighted with tens of thousands of streams from the snow melting in March in the steppe. He, enjoying himself, breathes deeply with the spring "sharp and clean" air. And the icebreaker on the river seemed to be something very significant, when it showed its violent temper, rising over the dam, and noisily falling into the whirlpools.

And then Alexei Tolstoy writes in a childishly enthusiastic way about the oriole's honey trills in May. "Nikita's Childhood" tells us about the steppe eagle floating in the sultry summer sky. A very brief content of this work invariably indicates the connection of the emerging personality of the protagonist with the world around him. Isn't this a defining feature of childhood? Perhaps Alexei Tolstoy brings us to the realization of this nuance?

The boy's need to feel this unity is extremely important to his personality. Therefore, even the teacher Arkady Ivanovich does not scold him when he runs away from class to look at the river. It is no coincidence that the author in the chapter "On the Wagon" used such a romantic comparison: "In the wagon, as if in a cradle, Nikita swam under the stars, looking at distant worlds."

Conclusion

The original title of the work sounded like "A Tale of Many Excellent Things." Obviously, it was written by the author in a single creative impulse, on one inspiration.

The last chapter of the story has a short title - "Departure". Its ending begins with the message that Nikita managed to pass the exam for admission to the second grade. And the book ends with a sad phrase: "This event ends his childhood."

Year of publication of the book: 1922

The book by Alexei Tolstoy "Nikita's Childhood" was first published in 1922 and was dedicated to the writer's son. The work was appreciated by both critics and readers. This allowed the work to get into the modern school curriculum, and also contributed to the adaptation of the book "Nikita's Childhood". The film of the same name was filmed in 1992.

The story "Nikita's childhood" summary

Nikita woke up and remembered that yesterday a familiar man named Pakhom made a special bench for him, on which he can slide down the hill. The boy was very happy and was about to run into the street when his teacher Arkady Ivanovich intercepted him. Therefore, Nikita had to go to breakfast, and then take up lessons. He sat for a long time at mathematics and calligraphy, when it was announced that Arkady Ivanovich had received mail. The man left the room, and Nikita immediately slipped after him and ran to his friends.

The protagonist of Tolstoy's work "Nikita's Childhood" instantly found himself in the courtyard, where he was already met by his comrades from his end of the village, and their enemies, the "Konchansk" guys who lived on the edge of the village, were playing nearby. Nikita immediately began to climb the hill to get off it, when he saw that the teacher was already running after him. Arkady Ivanovich told the student that one of the letters that came in the morning was from his father. It said that he was preparing a huge gift for Nikita. And also the fact that a friend of the mother with her children will come to visit them on holidays. The second letter received by the teacher was from his bride.

When Nikita went to bed, he had a very strange dream. It seemed to him that someone wanted to stop the wall clock. Wanting to prevent this, the boy pushed off and took off. On one of the upper shelves, he saw a beautiful vase, looking into which he wanted to take its contents for himself. However, the old woman in the picture did not let him do it. Then the boy's dream ended. Opening his eyes, Nikita saw that Arkady Ivanovich was standing beside him.

Further in Tolstoy's story "Nikita's Childhood" we can read that the next day after this dream the boy was released for a walk, since the Christmas holidays began. On the street between Nikita's comrades and the "Konchansk" guys, a fight began. The latter began to win, as here the main character pounced on the leader of opponents named Styopa. Then the other boys joined in. They drove the Konchanskiy several more households. Styopa was struck by Nikita's courage, and the guys became friends.

In the evening, guests arrived - Anna Apollosovna with her children - a second-grade student at the gymnasium, Victor, and a nine-year-old girl named Lilya. As Nikita really liked the girl. Even when they were walking in the yard, he noticed that the girl was watching him from the window, and this gave him courage. So the story "Nikita's Childhood" tells how once, in front of Lily's eyes, he even managed to stop a ferocious bull. A little later, the boy received a present from his father - a large boat with two oars. For several days, the whole family was busy preparing for Christmas - they were decorating the Christmas tree, preparing various dishes. The holiday was very emotional - the children danced in a round dance to the accompaniment of Nikita's mother, Alexandra Leontievna. Everyone received their gifts and sat down at a large table. After dinner, Nikita even managed to kiss Lilya.

Throughout the time that Anna Apollosovna was staying here with her children, Nikita spent time with Lilya. He was not even interested in what other boys were doing there. On the contrary, Victor liked walking with the guys in the yard more. They built barricades and fought various battles. But for some reason Nikita was not interested in them. He focused all his attention on the girl. And then one day the main character of Tolstoy's story "Nikita's Childhood" told Leela about his strange dream. She asked if they had such a vase at home that the boy had dreamed about. Thinking it over, Nikita remembered that something similar was in his grandfather's office. Entering the room, the children saw that there was a ring with a small pebble in the vase. Nikita immediately put it on Leela's finger.

When the guests left, Nikita missed Leela very much. He was also saddened by the fact that the holidays were over, and therefore he had to sit down again for lessons. As in the boy did not particularly like algebra, but there was nothing to do - he had to sit at textbooks. Nikita's father Vasily Nikitievich wrote that he would stay late and come home only for Great Lent. The fact is that for several months he has been trying to get an inheritance in Samara, but the matter is progressing terribly slowly, and the man urgently needs to leave for Moscow. Alexandra Leontievna was worried about this. It seemed to her that due to the fact that her husband had been away for so long, Nikita would forget her father. But this is not so - the boy perfectly remembered his cheerful and smiling dad and was waiting for him.

Nikita often remembered Lilya. He walked so sad that Alexandra Leontievna thought that her son was sick. She canceled classes and began to solder him with drugs. As soon as the street got warmer and the rooks flew in, Nikita felt much better.

Later in the story "Nikita's Childhood" a summary tells how one day he heard the news that his father was drowning under the ice. The boy was very scared, but everything ended well - by the evening Vasily Nikitievich was at home. But the incident did not pass without a trace - for several days the man was tormented by fever. But there was no time to be ill for a long time - work was in full swing at home, everyone was preparing for Easter. The parents of the protagonist were so tired during the cleaning and preparation of the holiday dishes that they could not go to the service. Arkady Ivanovich was also not eager to go to matins, as he was upset by the absence of a letter from the bride.

Therefore, he went to serve in the neighboring village of Nikita alone. There he was allowed to stay with his father's friend Pyotr Devyatov. Having reached his destination, the boy quickly became friends with the six sons of Peter Petrovich. A little later, he met his daughter Anna. The girl's brothers complained about her to Nikita and called her sister a sneak. After the service, Anna did not leave Nikita a single step. He realized that she felt for him the same as he felt for Leela. But the boy could not reciprocate.

And now in the work "Nikita's Childhood" came May. The month Nikita celebrated his birthday. On this occasion, Vasily Nikitievich launched a boat presented for Christmas. Together they hung a flag on her, after which his father declared Nikita an admiral. Warm weather set in, and the boy was often allowed to walk all day. On one of these walks, he picked up a small starling, which he later named Zheltukhin. He took him to his house and began to train. The lessons bore fruit - after a while the chick recognized Nikita, constantly spent the night in his house and even learned to speak a little. So until autumn Zheltukhin lived in the boy's house. But with the onset of cold weather, it flew to warmer regions along with other starlings.

Before autumn came yet, Nikita enjoyed his free time. Moreover, the parents decided to teach him to ride. At first, Alexandra Leontievna, of course, worried about her son. But Vasily Nikitievich persuaded his wife. A little later, his father gave Nikita his own horse, which was named Klopik. Summer turned out to be so hot that the grain harvest was in jeopardy. This worried the boy's parents very much. Moreover, the teacher walked around sad because his fiancée would not be able to come, and they would be able to see each other in Samara. Once Zheltukhin flew into the house and shouted: "Storm!" Indeed, a few hours later the village was covered with thick clouds and it started to rain.

But in the work "Nikita's Childhood" the author says that with the appearance of Klopik, Nikita got a new job - he had to travel to a neighboring village to pick up fresh mail. One day he saw that he had received a letter from Lily. In it, the girl wrote that she still remembers Nikita and keeps his gift - a ring with a blue stone. The boy felt so warm in his soul. He remembered the Christmas holidays and couldn't help smiling.

Arriving home, Nikita saw that his parents were quarreling. The fact is that Vasily Nikitievich wanted to go to the fair and sell one of the mares there. But his wife was against such an idea - she was afraid that the man would spend too much money there and buy something unnecessary. Nikita's father often behaved this way. They came to a compromise, and Vasily Nikitievich hit the road. After the fair, he told his son that after all he made a rash purchase - he bought several camels.

With the onset of autumn, Vasily Nikitievich again went to Samara. From there he wrote to his wife that the matter with the inheritance had not been resolved. So he will have to spend the winter in the city again. But now he no longer wanted to live separately from his family. The man suggested that Alexandra Leontyevna move to the city and promised to buy her two vases. The woman reluctantly agreed. Arkady Ivanovich was also delighted with such news - after all, in Samara he was to meet with his bride.

In the city, the family was met by a friend of Alexandra Leontyevna with her children. Nikita noticed that Lilya was angry with him for some unknown reason. The girl said that she was offended because she did not receive an answer to her letter. Nikita was terribly ashamed that he had forgotten to write. He asked for forgiveness, and Lilya forgave him. Since then, as the story "Nikita's Childhood" is told, the heroes have begun a new life. The boy was not used to life in the city and at first it seemed to him that he was in a cage. But after a week he was able to pass the exams well, and he was admitted to the gymnasium.

The story "Nikita's childhood" on the site Top books

Tolstoy's story "Nikita's Childhood" is popular to read largely due to the presence of the work in the school curriculum. This allowed the book to take a high place among. And although the interest in the story is seasonal, we will surely see it more than once among

How long have I been waiting for a quality reissue of this wonderful story! It is based on the memories of Alexei Nikolaevich Tolstoy about his own childhood, and the author dedicated it to his son. It begins with a touching dedication: "I dedicate myself to my son Nikita Alekseevich Tolstoy with deep respect." It is the writer's deep respect for the inner world of the little man and his feelings that we see in the book. He managed to penetrate into the essence of the child's experiences, into the very depths of the child's soul, to find such simple, but the most correct words that were able to convey the fragile, touching and to the brim with feelings and sensations, vivid events and impressions, the world of childhood.
This is a wonderful, kind and bright story about one year in the life of a little nine-year-old boy Nikita. It is about childhood joys and sorrows, discoveries and adventures, about growing up, doubts and overcoming one's own fears, about the first manifestation of feelings. In one of the chapters, the boy just turned ten, and his father arranged a “sea” holiday for his son, congratulating him so playfully and sweetly: “I have the honor, Your Excellency, to inform you that according to the Gregorian calendar, as well as according to the calculations of astronomers all over the world , today you are ten years old, in fulfillment of which I have to hand over to you this penknife with twelve blades, very suitable for naval affairs, and also in order to lose it. "

The language of the story is clear and light, the style is beautiful - this is magnificent prose, permeated with a lyrical, poetic sense of beauty. And how magical Tolstoy's descriptions of nature are! Nikita is very attentive to the changes taking place in nature, he feels himself an integral part of it, she bewitches him, makes him happy. This is how Tolstoy describes the moment when Nikita went to see off the village children who were celebrating Christmas in their house: “Nikita went to see the children off to the dam. When he returned home alone, the moon was burning high in the sky, in an iridescent pale circle. The trees on the dam and in the garden were huge and white and seemed to grow, stretch out in the moonlight. To the right the white desert went into incredible frosty haze. On the side of Nikita, a long, large-headed shadow moved its legs. It seemed to Nikita that he was walking in a dream, in an enchanted kingdom. Only in an enchanted kingdom is it so strange and so happy in the soul. "
The book so interestingly and wonderfully describes the life of the estate, the celebration of Easter, Christmas Eve and a children's Christmas tree in a noble house, the fun and games of village children with whom Nikita is friends. Reading is a pleasure!

Illustrations by Nina Alekseevna Noskovich are a good pictorial arrangement of history. They are unusual, dull, they use shades of only three colors - yellow, blue and brown. But they are so intelligent and modest, delicate and romantic. In my opinion, the drawings perfectly convey the lyrical mood of the story and emphasize the difference between the modern world and the world of a noble estate of the 19th century, the perception of people of that culture and the present - of nature, the passage of time, life in general.

The book was made with high quality: hard cover, stitched binding, dense offset, medium-sized, but easy-to-read font. Obsolete words are explained in footnotes at the bottom of the page.
I was somewhat disappointed by the typos, because you always expect only impeccable quality from Rech. On page 43, an unnecessary letter "r" crept into the word "runners", turning them into "creeps", and page 13 somehow did not work out for the proofreader at all - there are two mistakes at once:
"But there is no glass in the case ..."
“The room has two frosty windows; a strange, more ordinary, moon is visible through the glass. "
Because of this, I have to lower the rating of the book.