The works of Anne Hogarth for children to read. Muffin and his cheerful friends. Tale of a barrel. Gulliver's Travels Jonathan Swift
Ann Hogarth, Marjorie Poppleton, Eileen Arthurton
Muffin and him cheerful friends
An Hogarth
Muffin and his cheerful friends
Donkey Muffin is one of the favorite heroes of English children. He was born in puppet theater Anne Hogarth and her husband Ian Bussell. From there he moved onto London television screens. And then his portraits appeared on children’s toys, on wallpaper, on plates, and on cups. And not only Muffin, but also his cheerful friends - Peregrine the penguin, Oswald the ostrich, Katie the kangaroo and others. You will get acquainted with the adventures of these heroes in our book.
Mafin is looking for treasure
It was a wonderful spring day, and the donkey Mafin was happily running around the garden, looking for something to do. He had already tried on all his ceremonial harnesses and blankets, ate breakfast, watched the carrots grow in the beds, and now dreamed of some miracle happening.
And the miracle happened.
The wind suddenly brought a crumpled piece of paper from somewhere. The leaf hit Mafin right on the forehead and got stuck between the ears.
Mafin took it off, carefully unfolded it and began to examine it - first from one side, then from the other.
Then he suddenly realized that he had not been breathing for a long time from excitement, and he let out the air with such force as if he were not a donkey, but a steam locomotive.
- What a thing!.. But this is a treasure! Buried treasure. And this is the plan of the place where it is hidden.
Muffin sat down and stared at the piece of paper again.
- Yeah! I guessed it! - he exclaimed. – The treasure is hidden under a large oak tree. I’ll run and dig it up now.
But at that moment a heavy sigh was heard behind Mafin. The donkey quickly turned around and saw the penguin Peregrine, who was also closely examining the plan.
- Yeah, a treasure! - whispered Peregrine. – You don’t have to guess for a long time here. There is no doubt: this is a map of the South Pole. The treasure is buried there! I’ll grab my skis and an ice pick and hit the road!
“Map of the South Pole? - Mafin repeated to himself. - South Pole? Hardly! I still think the treasure is buried under the oak tree. Let me take another look at the plan.”
Peregrine began to examine the map through a magnifying glass, and Muffin lay down on his stomach and stretched out his muzzle: he thought that it was better to examine the map while lying down.
“Oak,” whispered Mafin.
– South Pole, muttered Peregrine.
Suddenly someone's shadow fell on the map. It was the little black Wally who came up.
- But this is the state of Louisiana in America! - he exclaimed. - I was born there. I’ll immediately pack my things and go after the treasure! Just wondering what is the best way to get there?
All three of them stared at the map again.
- Louisiana! Wally was happy.
“The South Pole,” Peregrine muttered.
“Oak,” whispered Mafin.
Suddenly all three jumped in place because pebbles crunched from behind. It was Oswald the ostrich. Stretching his long neck, he looked at the map and smiled.
– Of course, this is Africa! - he said. – I once lived there. I'm heading out this very minute. Just first you need to remember the plan well.
- This is Louisiana! – Wally exclaimed.
- No, South Pole! - Peregrine objected.
- Oak! Oak! - Mafin insisted.
“Africa,” Oswald whispered. “That’s it,” he said, “I’m taking the plan with me!” “He craned his neck and grabbed a piece of paper with his beak.
At that same second, Wally grabbed it with his brown hand, Peregrine stepped on the corner of the card with a webbed paw, and Muffin grabbed the other corner with his teeth.
And suddenly, out of nowhere, puppy Peter came rushing in, flapping his ears and wagging his tail.
- Thank you, Mafin! Thanks Oswald! Thank you Wally and Peregrine! – he cried, out of breath from running so fast.
Everyone forgot about the map in surprise.
- Thanks for that? - asked Mafin.
- Yes, because you found my piece of paper! - said Peter. “She flew out of my mouth, and I already decided that she was gone.”
- Your piece of paper? - Peregrine muttered.
- Well, yes, but I really wouldn’t want her to get lost. After all, without her I won’t be able to find my treasure!
-What treasure?! - Muffin, Oswald, Wally and Peregrine exclaimed at once.
– Don’t you understand what is drawn here? Here is the path in our garden. Here are the bushes. And here is the flowerbed. And this is where I buried my favorite bone.
And Peter ran away, carefully holding the piece of paper in his teeth.
- Bone! - Mafin groaned.
- Flowerbed! – Oswald sighed.
- Bushes! - Peregrine grumbled.
- But we didn’t even realize! Wally whispered.
And all four, heartbroken, went home. But they were quickly consoled when they saw that tea and sweet cookies were waiting for them.
Muffin bakes a pie
Standing in front of the mirror, Mafin put on his chef's hat on one side, tied on a snow-white apron and walked into the kitchen with an important air. He decided to bake a pie for his friends - not just any pie, but a real holiday pie: with eggs, apples, cloves and various decorations.
He laid out everything he needed on the kitchen table. It turned out that such a pie requires a lot: a cookbook, a bowl, butter, eggs, sugar, apples, cinnamon, cloves, and a lot of other things.
“Now, if they leave me alone and no one bothers me, I’ll bake a nice pie!”
But as soon as he said this, a loud buzzing sound was heard outside the window and a bee flew into the room. She had a very important view, and in her paws she carried a jar of honey.
“Our queen sent me!” - said the bee, bowing. “She heard that you are going to bake a sweet cake, and therefore she respectfully asks you to take some honey.” Try how wonderful this honey is!
“Certainly,” said Mafin. - Thank your queen. But the recipe doesn't say anything about honey. It says: “Take sugar...”
- Hey! – the bee buzzed angrily. “Her Majesty the Queen Bee will not accept refusal.” All the best pies are made with honey.
She buzzed so annoyingly that Muffin agreed to take honey and put it in the dough.
– I will convey your gratitude to Her Majesty! - said the bee and, waving its paw, flew out the window.
Mafin sighed with relief.
- OK! - he said. “I hope such a drop of honey won’t harm the pie.”
- Yes, yes, my boy! Are you baking a pie? Good-r-good.
It was Poppy the parrot. She flew through the window and sat down on the table.
- So-so. Very good. But you need fresh eggs! I just laid an egg in this cup for you. Take it, and everything will be fine, my dear!
Muffin was horrified, but he always tried to be polite to Poppy, because Poppy was very old and irritable.
“Thank you, Poppy,” he said. - Just please don’t worry: I already have eggs for the pie. Chicken eggs.
Mafin is looking for treasure
It was a wonderful spring day, and the donkey Mafin was happily running around the garden, looking for something to do. He had already tried on all his ceremonial harnesses and blankets, ate breakfast, watched the carrots grow in the beds, and now dreamed of some miracle happening.
And the miracle happened.
The wind suddenly brought a crumpled piece of paper from somewhere. The leaf hit Mafin right on the forehead and got stuck between the ears.
Mafin took it off, carefully unfolded it and began to examine it - first from one side, then from the other.
Then he suddenly realized that he had not been breathing for a long time from excitement, and he let out the air with such force as if he were not a donkey, but a steam locomotive.
- What a thing!.. But this is a treasure! Buried treasure. And this is the plan of the place where it is hidden.
Muffin sat down and stared at the piece of paper again.
- Yeah! I guessed it! - he exclaimed. - The treasure is hidden under a large oak tree. I’ll run and dig it up now.
But at that moment a heavy sigh was heard behind Mafin. The donkey quickly turned around and saw the penguin Peregrine, who was also closely examining the plan.
- Yeah, a treasure! - whispered Peregrine. - You don’t have to guess for a long time here. There is no doubt: this is a map of the South Pole. The treasure is buried there! I'll grab my skis and an ice pick and hit the road!
“Map of the South Pole? - Mafin repeated to himself. - South Pole? Hardly! I still think the treasure is buried under the oak tree. Let me take another look at the plan.”
Peregrine began to examine the map through a magnifying glass, and Muffin lay down on his stomach and stretched out his muzzle: he thought that it was better to examine the map while lying down.
“Oak,” whispered Mafin.
“The South Pole,” muttered Peregrine.
Suddenly someone's shadow fell on the map. It was the little black Wally who came up.
- But this is the state of Louisiana in America! - he exclaimed. - I was born there. I’ll immediately pack my things and go after the treasure! Just wondering what is the best way to get there?
All three of them stared at the map again.
- Louisiana! - Wally was happy.
“The South Pole,” Peregrine muttered.
“Oak,” whispered Mafin.
Suddenly all three jumped in place because pebbles crunched from behind. It was Oswald the ostrich. Stretching his long neck, he looked at the map and smiled.
- Of course, this is Africa! - he said. - I once lived there. I'm heading out this very minute. Just first you need to remember the plan well.
- This is Louisiana! - Wally exclaimed.
- No, South Pole! - Peregrine objected.
- Oak! Oak! - Mafin insisted.
“Africa,” Oswald whispered. “That’s it,” he said, “I’m taking the plan with me!” - He craned his neck and grabbed a piece of paper with his beak.
At that same second, Wally grabbed it with his brown hand, Peregrine stepped on the corner of the card with a webbed paw, and Muffin grabbed the other corner with his teeth.
And suddenly, out of nowhere, puppy Peter came rushing in, flapping his ears and wagging his tail.
- Thank you, Mafin! Thanks Oswald! Thank you Wally and Peregrine! - he cried, out of breath from running fast.
Everyone forgot about the map in surprise.
- Thanks for that? - asked Mafin.
- Yes, because you found my piece of paper! - said Peter. “She flew out of my mouth, and I already decided that she was gone.”
- Your piece of paper? - Peregrine muttered.
- Well, yes, but I really wouldn’t want her to get lost. After all, without her I won’t be able to find my treasure!
- What treasure?! - Muffin, Oswald, Wally and Peregrine exclaimed at once.
- Don't you understand what is drawn here? Here is the path in our garden. Here are the bushes. And here is the flowerbed. And this is where I buried my favorite bone.
And Peter ran away, carefully holding the piece of paper in his teeth.
- Bone! - Mafin groaned.
- Flowerbed! - Oswald sighed.
- Bushes! - Peregrine grumbled.
- But we didn’t even realize! - Wally whispered.
And all four, heartbroken, went home. But they were quickly consoled when they saw that tea and sweet cookies were waiting for them.
Muffin bakes a pie
Standing in front of the mirror, Mafin put on his chef's hat on one side, tied on a snow-white apron and walked into the kitchen with an important air. He decided to bake a pie for his friends - not just any pie, but a real holiday pie: with eggs, apples, cloves and various decorations.
He laid out everything he needed on the kitchen table. It turned out that such a pie requires a lot: a cookbook, a bowl, butter, eggs, sugar, apples, cinnamon, cloves, and a lot of other things.
- Now, if they leave me alone and no one bothers me, I will bake a nice pie!
But as soon as he said this, a loud buzzing sound was heard outside the window and a bee flew into the room. She looked very important, and in her paws she was carrying a jar of honey.
- Our queen sent me! - said the bee, bowing. “She heard that you are going to bake a sweet cake, and therefore she respectfully asks you to take some honey.” Try how wonderful this honey is!
“Certainly,” said Mafin. - Thank your queen. But the recipe doesn't say anything about honey. It says: “Take sugar...”
- Hey! - the bee buzzed angrily. - Her Majesty the Queen Bee will not accept refusal. All the best pies are made with honey.
She buzzed so annoyingly that Muffin agreed to take honey and put it in the dough.
- I will convey your gratitude to Her Majesty! - said the bee and, waving its paw, flew out the window.
Mafin sighed with relief.
- OK! - he said. - I hope such a drop of honey will not harm the pie.
- Yes, yes, my boy! Are you baking a pie? Good-r-good.
It was Poppy the parrot. She flew through the window and sat down on the table.
- So-so. Very good. But you need fresh eggs! I just laid an egg in this cup for you. Take it, and everything will be fine, my dear!
Muffin was horrified, but he always tried to be polite to Poppy, because Poppy was very old and irritable.
“Thank you, Poppy,” he said. - Just please don’t worry: I already have eggs for the pie. Chicken eggs.
Poppy was very angry: how dare he think that chicken eggs better than parrots!
- I'm not joking at all, young Mafin! - she shouted angrily. - The best pies always contain parrot eggs. Do as I tell you and don't argue! - And, leaving the cup with the egg, she flew away, muttering something angrily under her breath.
“Okay,” Muffin decided, “one small egg cannot harm the pie. Let it go into the dough along with honey. And then I’ll do everything from the cookbook.”
And Mafin went to the buffet for sugar. But then a cheerful laugh was heard, and, turning around, Muffin saw two little Indians, Wally and Molly. They fussed around the bowl of dough: throwing a little of this, a little of that, a pinch of this, a piece of that into it and stirring the dough, without even looking at the cookbook.
- Listen! - Mafin shouted angrily. - Who makes the pie, you or me? I have a special recipe and you'll ruin everything!
But Wally and Molly just laughed.
“Don’t be angry, Mafin,” they chattered. - We are born cooks, and everything works out naturally for us. We don't need cookbooks, scales, or measurements. We add a little bit of everything and stir it well to make it tasty. There you go, Muffin! Wonderful! Now put it in the oven and it will turn out to be a magnificent pie. Goodbye, Mafin!
Wally and Molly ran away, still chirping happily and licking the sweet dough from their sticky brown fingers.
- Now I have nothing to do with this test! - Mafin sighed. - All you have to do is put it in the oven and monitor the correct temperature.
- Temperature? - came the creaky voice of the penguin Peregrine from behind. I didn’t hear you, young Mafin, did you say “temperature”? Do you understand the meaning of this word? Of course not! But I will help you... Don’t worry and let me act!
Poor Muffin had to wait quite a long time while Peregrine fussed around the stove, measuring the temperature, checking the switches, muttering some words Muffin did not understand: “measuring scale”, “mercury”, “overheating”, “heat”. Finally he put the pie in the oven and, slamming the door, deftly turned the switch.
“Well,” said Muffin, “although they didn’t let me make the pie myself, I will decorate it myself.”
He ran into the garden, and then suddenly a brilliant idea came to his mind: shouldn’t he decorate the top of the pie with carrot tops? She is very beautiful and looks like feathers. But when Muffin picked a green bunch of tops from the garden bed, he suddenly noticed a young purple thistle. He picked it too and, cheerful, ran home with his bouquet.
Entering the kitchen, he was stunned. Peregrine was not there, but Oswald the ostrich came. Oswald pulled the pie out of the oven and leaned over it. Muffin hid and watched. Oswald decorated the pie with feathers from his tail... Muffin's nostrils fluttered, and a tear slowly flowed from his right eye. Was this the wonderful pie he dreamed of?
Oswald looked up and saw a donkey.
- Come here, Muffin! - he exclaimed cheerfully. “I found out that you were baking a pie and decided to take a quick look at it.” I'll take it to the table and we'll all drink tea together.
“Okay, Oswald!..” Muffin said sadly, dropping his wonderful bouquet on the floor. - So be it. I'll be right there. I'll just take off my chef's hat...
Then he moved his ears and suddenly discovered that there was no cap on his head. Where could she have gone? He looked out the window, looked under the table and even checked to see if it was in the oven. Disappeared! Mafin sat down out of chagrin.
- Oh! - he said. - I remembered! The hat fell off my head into the bowl, but everyone was so busy preparing my pie that they didn’t notice it, and I forgot to take it out. “You know, Oswald,” he added, “I don’t feel like eating at all.” But I hope you all really enjoy the pie. I'll go for a little walk...
Muffin is unhappy with his tail
Saddened Mafin sat under a cherry tree in the garden. If anyone had watched him at this time, he would have seen him turning his head now to the right, now to the left, stretching his neck with all his might and trying to see his tail.
The tail was long, thin, straight, like a stick, with a small tassel at the end. And Mafin thought sadly that none of his friends had such a pitiful tail.
He stood up and headed to a small pond where Sally the seal was swimming and diving, her black satin skin glistening.
- Oh, Sally! - said Mafin. - What a wonderful tail you have! Not like mine...
“Don’t be discouraged,” Sally said friendly. “If you really want to change your tail, I’ll be happy to lend you my spare one, although it seems to me that yours isn’t so bad.” Quite suitable and even pretty.
Sally dove into the pond and soon emerged with a spare tail. The tail was completely wet because it was stored in a rocky underwater cave. Sally carefully attached it to Muffin on top of his own tail.
- Ready! - said Sally. - This is a very useful tail: you can swim and dive with it.
And before Mafin could thank her, the seal slipped into the water again.
Muffin stood on the shore for a long time, feeling very awkward with such an unusual tail. All the time it seemed to him that the tail was pushing him towards the water, as if it wanted to become wet and shiny again and swim in the pond. And Mafin suddenly took a deep breath and for the first time in his life dived into the water. Although he tried to imitate Sally in everything, nothing worked out. He fell to the bottom like a stone, but a minute later he jumped to the surface, puffing, snorting and blowing bubbles.
“Sally,” he said barely. - Sally! Help! Help! I'm drowning!
Sally quickly swam to him and helped him get ashore.
- Please take your tail back, Sally! - said Mafin when he came to his senses a little. “He would like to sit in the water all his life, but I can’t.” It was very nice of you to lend me your tail, but I'm not sure it would suit me.
Muffin sat for a while on the shore to catch his breath, and then quietly wandered to the penguin Peregrine, who was basking in the sun near his hut and reading a learned book.
- What a lovely, neat little ponytail you have, Mr. Peregrine! - said Mafin. - How I would like to have the same one! It's probably easy to keep clean and tidy.
Peregrine was very happy and flattered. He looked affectionately at Mafin. The sun warmed the penguin's back, he had a delicious lunch and enjoyed a book. He wanted to do someone a good service.
“You’re absolutely right, young Mafin,” he said. - I have a really wonderful tail: beautiful, neat, hard-working. I must admit that your tail differs very unfavorably from mine. You know? I'll lend you my spare tail. It will suit you very well.
Peregrine took out his spare tail from the fireproof cabinet, a little smaller than the one he wore himself, and perhaps a little less shiny, but, overall, an excellent tail.
“Here,” he said, adjusting Mafin’s tail. - This tail will be useful to you. This is a pretty smart tail, and it will help you think.
Peregrine took up his book again and stopped paying attention to Mafin.
Soon Mafin became convinced that Peregrine was indeed right when he said what a learned and smart tail he had. The tail made Mafin think about such complex things that within a minute the donkey had a headache. He tried not to think so as not to tire himself, but the tail did not want that. The tail made the donkey think and be serious.
Finally Mafin finally lost all patience.
“Please, Peregrine,” he said meekly, “take your tail.” This is, of course, a wonderful tail, and I am very grateful to you, but it gave me a headache.
“I should have known,” Peregrine said angrily, unhooking Muffin’s tail and putting it in a fireproof cabinet, “that a poor donkey like you could never use a first-class tail like this one!” It was simply ridiculous of me to offer it to you. Get out of here now, I can't waste any more precious time on an ass like you!
Muffin returned under the cherry tree. It cannot be said that now he was completely satisfied with his tail, but he was still convinced that his tail was better than that of Sally and Peregrine.
Suddenly he noticed Oswald the ostrich, who was standing behind a tree. Oswald waited for the cherries to fall into his mouth. We had to wait a very long time, because the tree was still blooming. Finally, the ostrich stopped looking at the branches, closed his mouth, sighed, and then he just noticed Mafin.
- What happened, Mafin? - asked Oswald. -You look so pathetic!
- The tail is tortured! - he answered. - Well, what kind of tail is this! I wish it were made of real fluffy feathers like yours!
The fact is that Oswald was very proud of his tail. This was his only treasure, and he took great care of it. But Oswald was a good-natured man and loved Muffin.
- If you want, Mafin, I can lend you my best, ceremonial tail. It is wrapped in tissue paper. Wait a minute, I'll bring it now.
Oswald galloped away on his long, thin legs and soon returned, carrying a precious fluffy tail in his beak.
“Look,” he said, carefully unwrapping it. - Isn’t it so beautiful? Take care of it and be sure to pick it up when you sit down, otherwise you will wear it out.
He carefully adjusted Muffin's bushy tail. The donkey thanked him warmly and promised that he would treat him with care.
Then Mafin proudly went for a walk, with lovely feathers fluttering from the back of his tail.
But even the ostrich's tail did not suit Mafin. It turned out that he was unbearably ticklish! The soft fluffy feathers almost drove Muffin crazy. He could not walk calmly: he had to jump and jump to escape from the crazy tickling.
- Bad, Oswald! - he shouted, jumping and kicking. - Unhook him quickly! It's so ticklish I'm going crazy!
- Strange! - said Oswald. - I never noticed that he tickled!..
Nevertheless, he unfastened the tail, carefully wrapped it in tissue paper and took it home.
Muffin sat down on the grass, upset. Failure again! Is there really nothing that can be done about the poor tail? Suddenly he heard quick steps on the path. They fell silent around him. Mafin raised his head sadly. In front of him stood the girl Molly - Wally's sister.
- Keep your nose up, Muffin! - she said. - Stupid, what's good about other people's tails? Better to decorate your own. When a mother wants her daughter to have pretty haircut, she ties her a bow. Let's do the same with your tail. Look what ribbon I brought you. Please lift your ponytail, Muffin!
Muffin obediently raised his long white tail and almost twisted his neck, trying to see what Molly was doing.
- Ready! - she screamed a minute later. - Rise up, Muffin, and wave your tail. You'll see how cute he is now.
Muffin obeyed and was very pleased: a red silk bow was tied at the end of his tail. His tail has now become the most beautiful of all the tails in the world!
“Thank you, Molly,” he said. - You are very kind and nice, and you came up with all this so cleverly! Let's go show everyone how beautiful it is!
Muffin galloped off with a proud look, and Molly ran alongside. Muffin was no longer ashamed of his tail. On the contrary, he was delighted with it. And everyone they met agreed that Molly had come up with everything very cleverly.
Muffin Detective
Mafin discovered a mysterious loss. This made him very excited. He came to the kitchen to, as always, have breakfast with sweet and juicy carrots, but did not find it there. There was a clean white plate - and not a single carrot.
Nothing like this has ever happened before. Mafin sat down and thought.
“We need a detective here! - he decided. “Only a detective can solve this mystery.”
He really liked these slightly scary words: “detective”, “mystery”...
“If I had the right hat, I could become a good detective myself,” he thought. “In the meantime, I’ll just have to change my hats and disguise myself so that no one recognizes me.”
So, he put on his white cap and went in search of the criminal. Running through the garden, he saw Sally the seal. She hurried to meet him, very alarmed, and shouted:
- Oh, Muffin, my ball is missing! I left him near the river, and he disappeared!
- Is that so? - said detective Mafin. - This is certainly connected with my disappearance. Tell me all the details, Sally, and I will find the ball!
Sally explained how it happened. Then Mafin asked her to show the place where she left the ball. After sniffing and examining the sand, he found something significant there.
- Yeah! - said the detective. - These are traces! Without a doubt, this evidence will help us find the culprit.
He ran home, put on another hat, tied up his gray beard and began his search again. It seemed to him that he looked like an old, old old man and that no one would be able to recognize him. On the way he met Peter the puppy.
- Hello, Mafin! - Peter shouted.
“Sh-sh-sh!..” said Mafin. - I'm not Mafin. I'm a detective. I'm looking for the missing carrots and ball. I have already found one piece of evidence.
- And my favorite old bone has disappeared! - Peter said sadly. “I buried it in a flowerbed, and now there’s nothing there.” If you are a detective, please find my bone. I really need it.
“Come with me, Peter,” said detective Mafin. - Show me where you buried it.
Peter showed Muffin a hole in the flowerbed. Muffin sniffed the ground like a real detective, and again found something interesting. This was another piece of evidence. And this is what she looked like:
- Yeah! - said Mafin. - This is a feather. Now I already know something about the criminal. He has a leg, and this feather belonged to him.
The great detective ran home again to change clothes. When he left the house, it was no longer an old, old old man, but a charming little girl in a straw hat and braids. The donkey ran on, looking for evidence, and soon ran into the penguin Peregrine. Peregrine was in a bad mood.
- Try to watch where you are going, young Mafin! - he grumbled. You bump into people you meet!
“Sh-sh-sh!..” said Mafin. - I'm not Mafin. I'm a detective. I'm disguised. I'm looking for the missing carrots, ball and bone. I have already found two clues: the criminal had one leg, and he had this feather.
“If you really are a detective,” said Peregrine, “you’d better look for my watch.” I need them to manage my time correctly.
- Where did you last see them? - asked Mafin.
“In the flower garden,” answered Peregrine. Muffin set off at a gallop along the path that led to the flower garden and heard something ticking in the bushes.
- Yeah! - said Mafin. - This is evidence. Now I know three things about the criminal. He has at least one leg, he had a feather, and he was ticking.
And, rushing past Oswald standing in the bushes, Muffin returned to the house again.
This time it was not a little girl who appeared in the garden, but a Chinese magician. At this time, the little Negro Wally looked out of the kitchen window.
Everyone was talking about the upcoming exhibition of fruits and vegetables. Giant onions and tomatoes were grown in sunlit beds and greenhouses. Sweet apples, plums and pears were guarded day and night so that no one would pick or damage them.
- And I’ll send zucchini to the exhibition! - said the donkey Mafin.
Peregrine the Penguin, who always liked to appear important, looked at him over his glasses.
- Why zucchini? - he asked. - Explain to me, young Muffin, why are you going to display the zucchini?
“For three reasons,” answered Mafin. - I'll explain now.
And before Peregrine could say anything, Mafin stood up, put one hoof on the table, cleared his throat: “Cough! Cough! - and began:
- First, let's look at where zucchini grows. It grows on a mound, towering above other plants. He looks like a king in a castle. I’ll sit next to him, and everyone will say: “Look, it’s Muffin the donkey and his zucchini!” Secondly, I want to grow zucchini because I like its pretty yellow flowers: they look like little trumpets. And thirdly, a large zucchini must be transported to the exhibition in a wheelbarrow. You can’t carry it like some apples, or plums, or pears. No! He's too important to be stuffed into a grocery bag or paper bag. It should be loaded into a wheelbarrow and driven solemnly, and everyone will look at its owner and admire him.
- Pride does not lead to good! - said Peregrine when Mafin finished his long speech. “Without glasses you won’t be able to see your zucchini,” he muttered and hobbled away.
Mafin was accustomed to Peregrine's character, but still hoped that he would be interested in his plan.
Suddenly he remembered.
- Oh Peregrine! - he called. - I forgot to tell you! Have you ever seen zucchini seeds? They can be dried, painted and made into beads!..
But Peregrine did not even look back. He gradually walked away along the path.
“But you heard what I said!..” thought Mafin, looking after him.
Then he went to the barn, took a shovel, a pitchfork and a garden trowel, put everything in a basket, also grabbing squash seeds, and went to the garden. He spent a long time looking for a place where he could plant the seeds of the precious zucchini. Finally I found a suitable piece of land, put the tools on the ground and began to dig. He dug the ground with his hooves. Either front or rear. And sometimes with the nose. He didn't use the tools he brought: no shovel, no pitchfork, no dustpan. He captured them only to show that he is a real gardener.
Having prepared a suitable hole, Mafin planted a zucchini seed, watered it with water and stomped it firmly. Then he put the tools under the shed and went home to drink tea. He had worked hard and felt hungry.
Working days have arrived for Mafin. He had to guard the garden bed and make sure that no weeds grew on it. On dry days the soil should be watered, and on hot days it should be protected from the sun's rays. But most of all, Mafin got tired of watching the zucchini grow.
Sometimes he tried to get enough sleep during the day so that he could guard the tavern at night with fresh strength.
Finally, a small, tender plant appeared. It kept growing and growing. Soon it produced long, hanging green shoots and lovely yellow flowers, about which Mafin told Peregrine. And then one day a tiny zucchini appeared. Every day it became bigger and bigger. In the mornings, Mafin invited one of his friends to admire the zucchini. At first the friends grumbled, but as the zucchini became fatter, rounder, longer and shinier, they began to show more interest in it.
Peregrine even brought a tape measure once and began to measure the length and width of the zucchini, and wrote the result in a book, on the cover of which was printed: “Catalog of all varieties of zucchini.”
“Peregrine probably wants to sew a cover for the zucchini,” decided the sheep Louise. Otherwise, why would he need such an accurate measurement?”
The day of the fruit and vegetable exhibition was approaching. And the zucchini grew and grew. Mafin and his friends were terribly worried. The donkey took out a wheelbarrow and painted it green and white. I placed an armful of hay at the bottom so that during transportation to the exhibition the zucchini would not roll from side to side and crack. Muffin used to bask in the sun, lying next to a zucchini, and dream of how he would carry his zucchini along the street and how everyone he met would say: “Look, it’s Muffin the donkey carrying his wonderful zucchini!”
The great day has arrived.
It was warm, sunny and fun. Muffin jumped up early and, accompanied by all his friends, went to the garden, not forgetting to grab a soft cloth to rub the zucchini until it shined. Peregrine walked last, carrying a sharp knife.
The friends stood in a semicircle near Muffin and his zucchini. Peregrine took a few steps forward, handed Muffin a knife and again retreated to his place. Muffin bent over the zucchini and suddenly put his ear to its round, shiny side.
Everyone watched with bated breath: they noticed that Mafin was at a loss. Suddenly he straightened up, walked around the zucchini and put his ear on the other side. Then he frowned and, looking at his friends, whispered:
- Come closer. Quiet! Listen!
The animals, on tiptoe, silently approached and, putting their ears to the zucchini, began to listen. Something rustled, muttered, and squeaked in the zucchini. Then the animals ran around the zucchini and began to listen from the other side. The noise was louder here.
- Look! - Mafin shouted. And everyone immediately looked where he was pointing. Below, near the ground, in the zucchini there was a small round hole.
Peregrine took a few steps forward, took the knife from Muffin and tapped the handle on the green skin of the zucchini.
- Get out! - he shouted angrily. - Get out now!
And then they came out - a whole family of mice! There were big mice and little ones, mouse grandparents, aunts and uncles, and parents with children.
- That's what I thought! - said Peregrine. - These are relatives Dorris and Morris - field mice.
Poor Muffin! He could hardly hold back his tears, seeing how the mice, one after another, were jumping out of his wonderful zucchini.
- They ruined my zucchini! - he whispered. - Completely ruined! How can I take him to the exhibition now?
He sat down with his back to his friends, and you could guess from his trembling ears and tail how bad he felt.
- I have an idea! Idea! Please listen! I have a wonderful idea! - Louise the sheep bleated excitedly. - Please let me tell you my idea! Oh, please!.. - she continued, jumping in front of Muffin and speaking so quickly that she could hardly be understood.
“Okay,” said Peregrine, “we are listening to you.” Just stop jumping and talk slower.
“Here’s what I came up with,” said Louise, “let Muffin exhibit her zucchini in the department called “Unusual Use of Ordinary Vegetables.” I am sure that no one has ever heard of a zucchini - a mouse house, that is, I want to say, a house for mice ...
- Nothing, we understand you, Louise! This is a great idea! - Mafin shouted.
And when Louise saw his grateful look, she was so happy and proud that she even stopped being afraid of Peregrine completely.
The ostrich went for a wheelbarrow in which an armful of hay was prepared, and Muffin carefully wiped and polished the sides of the zucchini. Peregrine collected all the mice. He told them to thoroughly clean the inside of the house and put themselves in order. He then gave them instructions on how to behave at a fruit and vegetable exhibition.
“Be casual,” he said, “but don’t pretend you’re listening to what the audience is saying.” And of course, you should not interfere in conversations or argue. Pretend you are deaf.
The mice said that they understood everything and that they would try to please Mafin.
Then Oswald appeared with a wheelbarrow, and everyone began to help lay the zucchini on a soft bed of hay. The mice tried their best to help: they pushed and shoved, scurrying underfoot, rolling off the zucchini and burying themselves in the hay. But they were of no use: they only disturbed everyone.
Fortunately, none of them were hurt. Peregrine explained to them what they should do in the exhibition and what poses they should take to make it appear as if they were wax figures. Then the whole procession set off.
Mafin walked ahead, clearing the way. Louise followed him - after all, it was her brilliant idea! Behind Louise, Oswald carried a bundle of hay, then Peregrine walked, and the rest ran in disarray after him.
When they arrived at the exhibition, all the other exhibits were already there. Their owners stood nearby on guard. Muffin and the animals accompanying him proudly walked into the very center of the hall. As they passed through the zucchini department, all the other zucchini owners became despondent and their hopes for a bonus were dashed. But they immediately calmed down and cheered up, seeing that Mafin went further to the “Unusual Use of Ordinary Vegetables” department. They realized that Mafin was not going to compete with them.
The stand “Unusual Use of Ordinary Vegetables” was located at the very end of the exhibition. There were many interesting things on display there: figurines carved from potatoes and turnips, bouquets of radishes and carrots, and various table decorations made from colorful vegetables. Some man came running and showed Mafin where to put the wheelbarrow. After whispering a little with Peregrine, he wrote on the tablet:
Exhibit A -
house for mice from
zucchini
Owner -
donkey MAFIN
All the animals proudly placed themselves around the zucchini, awaiting the arrival of the judge. Finally, two judges came and unanimously decided that the tavern house was the most unusual exhibit at the exhibition. The mice behaved beautifully and pretended not to care when the judges, leaning towards the zucchini, bumped into them or knocked them down with their breath.
- There can be no doubt, this best exhibit! - said the first judge.
“We’ll give him first prize,” said the second, nodding his head approvingly.
He walked up to Mafin and hung a medal around his neck. And the first judge attached a “First Prize” diploma to the zucchini.
The mice couldn't stand it here. They all rushed to the diploma and began gnawing on it to find out if it was edible. But Peregrine drove them away. Everyone laughed, and Mafin pretended not to notice anything.
So, Mafin's dream came true. He took the zucchini back home, and everyone he met admired it and said: “Look, what a great guy Muffin is! Look what a wonderful zucchini he grew!”
Mafin had a medal hanging around his neck. And besides, he also received a wonderful bunch of carrots. He had never seen such honor in his life!
Muffin put the zucchini back in the garden where it grew so that the mice could live in it until the end of summer. Mafin promised the mice to come and visit them every day. In addition, he advised them to take out all the seeds from the squash, wash them and string them into a beautiful long necklace.
When the necklace was ready, Mafin gave it to Louise the sheep in gratitude for the good idea.
Muffin sings a song
Now I'll start singing! - said Mafin. He closed his eyes, threw back his head and opened his mouth wide. At this time, the sheep Louise passed by the shed. She was wearing a white robe and carrying a small bandage, because she really wanted to treat someone. When Muffin began to sing, Louise was so frightened that she screamed and dropped the bandage. It got tangled around her legs and she fell.
Grace the giraffe came running to find out what was going on.
- Oh Grace! - Louise shouted. - Someone screamed so loudly that I fell out of fear! Hurry up, help me get up, and let's run away from here!
Grace bent her long neck, and Louise grabbed it and rose to her feet.
Muffin heard Grace and Louise run away and went to look for Peter the puppy, who was burying a bone somewhere nearby.
"I'll surprise him!" - thought Mafin and began to sing his song again.
Peter immediately stopped digging and howled in a scary voice. Tears poured from his eyes.
“Oooh,” Peter yelled, “someone must have hurt the dog and she’s crying.” Poor, poor dog! - And he continued to howl out of sympathy for this dog.
"Strange! - thought Mafin. “What dog is he talking about?”
Muffin had no idea that Peter mistook his singing for the howling of a dog.
He went to Hubert the hippopotamus. Hubert was sleeping peacefully near the pool.
- Let me make fun of him and wake him up with a song! - said Mafin and began to sing:
Tweet! Tweet! Tweet! Tweet!
Before he had time to sing “Turlya! prison!..”, as Hubert trembled like a mountain during an earthquake and fell into the pool. A whole fountain of water flew into the air and doused Mafin from head to toe.
- Oh my God! - Hubert groaned. - I dreamed horrible dream: It was like a wild elephant trumpeted right in my ear! Only cold water will help me calm down... - And he disappeared under the water.
Sally the seal swam from the opposite side of the pool.
- Mafin, did you hear a wild scream? - she asked. - Maybe there’s a seal sitting underwater with a sore throat?
And then Mafin understood everything.
“Apparently, something is wrong with my singing,” he thought sadly. - But I did everything like a blackbird. I also closed my eyes, threw my head back and opened my mouth. Yes! But I wasn’t sitting on the top of a tree! That's my mistake."
And Mafin climbed the tree.
Soon the garden was filled with sounds even more terrible than before. It was grunting, mooing, puffing and begging for help.
- Help! Help! - Mafin yelled.
Everyone came running and saw that Mafin was hanging on a branch, clinging to it with his front legs.
Peregrine rushed to save Mafin. He told him to hold onto Grace the giraffe's ear with his teeth and jump onto Hubert's back, while Peter, Oswald, Louise and Monkey the monkey held the four corners of the sheet in case Muffin fell.
Mafin came down to the ground safe and sound.
- What were you doing on the tree? - Peregrine asked sternly.
- I... I... - Muffin became shy and fell silent. He looked up and saw a blackbird on a branch, its mouth open, its small head thrown back, and its eyes closed. Drozd sang his song.
- How wonderfully he sings! - said Mafin. - Is it true?
Muffin and magic scallop
One day, a little boy, Jean Pierre, came from France to visit Mafin. He brought the donkey a gift. It was a blue comb that was missing a few teeth. Old, wise scallop - he knew well what was what, and had a great life experience.
In the evening, before going to bed, Mafin sat down in front of the mirror to comb his mane.
“I’m so hungry! - he thought. “It would be nice to eat all of dinner again!”
There was a loud “ping-g!” - one of the teeth flew out of the comb and disappeared. And at that very moment a bowl of excellent carrots with bran and oats appeared in front of Muffin. Muffin was surprised, but hurried to eat everything, fearing that the bowl would disappear.
After eating, he headed to the window, holding the comb under his arm. He saw what was behind the window dark night, and said to himself:
“It would be nice if it rained tonight and juicy plump carrots grew in the garden bed!”
There was a “ping” again! - the second clove flew off the comb, and rain poured outside the window. Muffin looked at the comb.
- It seems to me that you did it! You must be a magic comb! - he said.
Then Mafin stood in the middle of the room, raised the comb up and said:
- It would be nice to take a walk in the forest now!
He heard: “ping!”, saw the tooth bounce off the comb, and felt the chill of the night wash over him. Dark trees rustled around, and soft, wet earth was underfoot.
Mafin completely forgot that it rains according to his wishes. He soon got wet and was therefore delighted to notice that he was still holding the comb.
“It would be nice to lie in bed, warmly wrapped in a blanket,” said the donkey.
Ping! - here he is already lying, wrapped up to the chin in a striped blanket, and next to him on the pillow is his comb.
“Today I won’t wish for anything else,” thought Mafin. “I’ll put it off until the morning.”
He carefully hid the comb under his pillow and fell asleep.
Waking up the next morning, Mafin remembered about the magic comb, felt it under the pillow and said in a sleepy voice:
- I want the weather to be good today!..
A muffled “ping!” answered him from under the pillow, and immediately the sun began to pour its light through the window.
- And now I want to be ready for breakfast: washed, combed, and so on...
Ping!
Muffin rushed like lightning through the door straight into the dining room and placed the comb next to a bowl full of carrots. He had never appeared so early at breakfast before, and everyone was surprised.
All day Mafin had fun with his comb and played various jokes with his friends.
“I want,” he whispered, “for Peregrine to suddenly find himself in the farthest corner of the garden...
Ping! - Peregrine, who had just been talking about statistics with a learned look, instantly disappeared. After a while he appeared on the garden path, puffing and muttering something about strange ways of moving.
But Mafin did not let up:
- I want Oswald to have an empty bowl.
Ping! - and poor Oswald's lunch disappeared before he had time to swallow a bite.
One day Mafin went to the garden to look at his vegetable beds. Behind the greenhouse frame with cucumbers, he suddenly came across huge spider with big sad eyes. Mafin had no idea that such monsters existed in the world. For some reason he suddenly wanted to run away. But the spider looked so sad, and such huge tears appeared in his eyes, that the donkey could not leave him.
- What happened to you? - he asked timidly.
- The same as always! - the spider grumbled gloomily in response. - Things are always bad for me. I am so huge, ugly and scary that, as soon as they see me, everyone runs away without looking back. And I am left alone, offended for no reason and terribly unhappy.
- Oh, don't be upset! - said Mafin. - You are not so scary at all... That is, I want to say that, of course, you cannot be called handsome... but... Hm... Uh-uh... In any case, I didn’t run away from you, did I? - He finally managed to find the right words.
“True,” answered the spider. “But I still can’t understand why.” All the same, of course, you will never come to see me again.
- Nonsense! - exclaimed Mafin. - I'll definitely come. And not only that, I’ll invite you to my place and show you to all my friends. They won't run away from you either.
- Will you really do this? - asked the spider. - I would really like to make as many friends as possible. I am very sociable and kind. Your friends will like me, you'll see, just let them get to know me better.
- Come to my barn in ten minutes, I’ll call them all! - said Mafin and quickly ran home.
To tell the truth, he still doubted his friends a little, but he never wanted to show this to the spider.
The animals somehow calmed down, and Mafin continued:
- My new friend very, very unhappy. He has neither relatives nor acquaintances in the whole wide world! There is no one to caress and console him. Everyone is afraid to even approach him. Just think how painful and offensive it is for him!
Mafin talked so touchingly about the spider that everyone felt terribly sorry for the poor fellow. Many began to cry, Louisa and Katie began to sob loudly, and even Peregrine began to sob. At that moment, a timid knock was heard on the door, and a terrible spider entered the barn. How could the poor animals not be scared? However, they all smiled affably and began vying with each other:
- Come in, don't be afraid!
- We are so glad to see you!
- Welcome!
And then a miracle happened. The scary spider disappeared, and in its place a lovely tiny fairy appeared.
“Thank you, Mafin,” she said. - Thank you very much to you and your friends. Many years ago, an evil witch turned me into an ugly spider. And I had to remain a monster until someone took pity on me. If it weren’t for you, I would have suffered for a long time. And now goodbye! I'm flying to Magic Land Fey.
She took off and flew into open window. The animals were completely confused! They simply couldn't say a word.
The little fairy disappeared forever, but it seemed to Mafin that she remembered them, because since then miracles began to happen in their garden: flowers bloomed earlier than in other gardens, apples became rosy and sweeter, and bird feathers and butterfly wings sparkled with colorful colors.
And as soon as a spider wandered into the garden, everyone ran affably to meet it. After all, you never know who could be hiding under an ugly appearance!
Mafin is writing a book
One day, the donkey Mafin came up with a great idea. He decided to give his friends, Annette and Ann, a book about himself and his friends. Then, if the animals go somewhere, Annette and Ann can read this book and remember them.
Mafin walked around all his friends and said:
- Let's write a book about ourselves for Annette and Ann. When we go somewhere, they will read about us. Let everyone write a chapter.
This is what he said to Peter, Peregrine, Sally, Oswald and Willie the worm.
“We’ll all write a chapter, and the book will come out great!” - the donkey dreamed.
- I'll be back in two hours. Make sure the chapter is ready! - he said to each of the animals and rushed to the barn.
There he pulled out his greatest treasure - an old typewriter. The donkey carefully wiped it and put it on the table. Then he took off the lid and put a blank sheet of paper into the machine. Muffin had a magic hat. She helped him think. The donkey put on this cap and began to write a book.
A lot, a lot of time passed, and Mafin wrote only a few lines.
The car was very naughty - you had to keep your eyes open with it! As soon as she was distracted, she immediately began typing numbers instead of letters.
Two hours passed, and Mafin only typed half a page.
"That is OK! - he thought. - It is not at all necessary that the book be long. Short ones can be very interesting too!”
The donkey stood up with great difficulty. After all, he was not used to sitting for so long and served his legs. He went to his friends to find out if their chapters were ready.
Puppy Peter skipped towards him.
- Wrote it! Wrote! - He just squealed with delight. - Here is my head, Mafin! In this bag!
Donkey took the paper bag from Peter and picked it up. A whole heap of tiny pieces of paper spilled out of the bag. They scattered across the grass.
- I don’t understand anything! - exclaimed Mafin. - Is this your head? It's just confetti!
- Oh, what a pity! - Peter muttered. - You see, I wrote on cheese paper, and the field mice Morris and Dorris found it and began to chew on it. I rushed to save her. Alas! It was already late. But don’t think about it, the whole chapter is here, down to a single word. We just need to collect the pieces. Goodbye, Mafin! I'll run!
Peter stuck out his red tongue and scampered off, tail waving.
- That’s not how books are written! - Muffin grumbled. - Let's see what the others did.
And he went to look for Oswald and Willie. The donkey found the ostrich in the library. Around him lay piles of huge books. Oswald was very excited, he was simply out of breath.
- Muffin, I lost Willie! - he exclaimed. - Help me find him. We came up with new game. Willie hides in one of the books, and I have to guess which one. But every now and then he crawls into the hole along the spine. And all this so quickly! Before you have time to look back, he’s already in another book! Well, how to catch him!
- I have no time to play with you! - shouted Mafin. - You better tell me where your chapter for the book is, Oswald.
“In a pit with sand, Mafin,” answered the ostrich, turning over the pages of the book with its long beak. - We wrote it in the sand. I composed, and Willie wrote.
Muffin ran at full speed to the sand pit. However, there was no need to rush. There was nothing left of the head of Oswald and Willie long ago: animals and birds trampled the sand, and the wind scattered it. So no one will ever know what the ostrich and the worm wrote about...
- Failure again! - muttered the unfortunate Muffin and rushed to look for Sally.
The female seal, of course, was in the pond. Stretched out on a stone, she dozed, basking in the sun. Her smooth black sides were shiny from the water.
- Sally, Sally! - called Mafin. - I came for your head.
“Please, Muffin, everything is ready,” Sally responded. - I'll get it now.
The seal dived so deftly that she hardly raised any splashes. Then she appeared at the very feet of Muffin, holding in her mouth something that looked like a wet, swollen sponge. Sally carefully placed the sponge on the shore.
“I tried to write as beautifully as possible,” said the seal woman. - There are no mistakes, I checked every word in the dictionary.
- Ax, Sally! - Mafin cried. - Why does your head look like a sponge? It's pouring from her!
- Nonsense! - Sally responded friendly. - I just hid it under water until you arrived. Spread it out in the sun and it will dry immediately. Let's go swimming, Muffin! - And Sally dived again.
“Confetti, sand, a wet sponge - you can’t make a book out of this!” - Mafin thought sadly.
However, approaching the penguin's hut, he perked up a little.
“Our Peregrine is such a scientist, so smart! “He probably wrote something interesting,” the donkey consoled himself.
He knocked.
There was no answer. The donkey opened the door and looked into the hut. Penguin was at home, but he was sleeping. He was stretched out on a folding chair, a handkerchief thrown over his face, and snoring.
“Obviously, I’ve finished my chapter,” thought Mafin. “I’ll take her myself, let her sleep!”
The donkey quietly entered and picked up a sheet of paper from the floor. Apparently Peregrine dropped it while falling asleep. Muffin tiptoed out and carefully closed the door. He couldn't wait to find out what the penguin wrote. He looked at the paper and this is what he saw:
Just a big ink blot!
- What a misfortune! - said Mafin. - So, except for my chapter, there will be nothing in the book!
Returning to the barn, the donkey took out his chapter, sat down and began to read. It turned out he printed the following:
That same day, while walking in the garden, Annette and Ann met Muffin. He was so sad that the girls became alarmed. Donkey talked about the book.
- Is this a book? - he finished. - Just a handful of sand, a little confetti, a blot and some nonsense.
“Don’t be upset, Mafin,” said Annette and Ani. “You came up with a wonderful idea, but even without the book, we always remember you.” Let's better order your portrait. If you go away for a long time, we will look at it every day.
A photographer was invited. He chose a sunny day, came and filmed Mafin and his friends. Here is the portrait. The photographer made it for Annette, Ann and you.
Mafin goes to Australia
One morning Mafin was sitting by the window. In front of him was a bowl of carrots. The donkey was having breakfast and looking outside from time to time.
Suddenly he saw the postman. The postman was walking straight to their house. Mafin's friends also saw him.
None of the animals were expecting letters. But they still rushed into the hallway and stared with curiosity at front door. The postman's footsteps have already begun to be heard. He knocked loudly on the door and began pushing letters into the slot he had made for them. The letters rustled pleasantly and plopped onto the rug. Friends rushed to them. Everyone wanted to grab the letter. But then they remembered the “rule” and stopped dead in their tracks. You see, Mafin and his friends had the habit of attacking letters in a crowd. They snatched them from each other and literally turned them into shreds.
Therefore, a strict rule was established: only the person on duty receives letters every day; other animals have no right to touch them.
Mafin was on duty that day. The donkey stepped forward, pushing aside his friends, collected the letters and took them to his good friend Annette - she always helped the animals sort out the mail. The friends went after the donkey. Everyone surrounded Annette and watched with curiosity as she sorted out the letters. After all, letters sometimes contain very interesting things. All friends could, for example, be invited to visit somewhere... Suddenly Annette handed the donkey a large rectangular envelope and said:
- Muffin! This is for you!
Mafin simply couldn’t believe his ears. He took the letter and left the room. His friends looked at him with curiosity.
Carefully holding the letter in his teeth, the donkey went to his barn. There he opened the envelope, unfolded the letter, leaned it against the mirror and began to look at it. It’s terrible how long it took him to read! And finally I read this:
The donkey was overjoyed. He rushed to his friends and read the letter to each of them in turn.DEAR DONKEY MAFIN!
We really want you to come to us. English children told me how funny you are and how much they love your performances. We want to laugh too, please come.
We send you greetings.
Children of Australia.
- I’m going now! - he stated and began to pack.
Mafia put in the chest a new summer blanket, a large hat with a brim, an umbrella and, of course, many, many carrots.
Then he ran to the sea and found a boat. Sally the seal and Peregrine the penguin decided to go with him: both were excellent sailors. Parrot Poppy also did not want to lag behind her friends. It turned out that she had once sailed around the world with some sailor. The hippopotamus Hubert climbed into the boat and announced that he would go with Mafin. “I can swim well,” he said.
True, when they saw him, the other travelers were terribly scared: they decided that the boat would immediately sink.
IN last minute Katie the kangaroo couldn't stand it. She is originally from Australia, she has many relatives there. And Katie also decided to go with Muffin.
Finally, all six were settled in, and the boat set sail. The rest of their friends stood on the shore and waved after them.
At first the sea was calm. But about an hour passed, and suddenly the wind blew. The waves rose. The wind was blowing more and more. The waves were getting bigger. Muffin and Katie didn't like it at all. The poor things turned pale and felt disgusting. But Perigrine and Sally didn’t care about the pitching! Poppy became very angry, and Hubert said:
- What a disgrace! This never happens in my dear dirty river!
Then the friends saw a huge steamer. He walked past them. Passengers gathered on board, laughed and waved warmly to Mafin and his friends. Donkey and Katie tried their best to smile and return the greeting, but they just couldn’t. They felt very bad.
The captain came onto the deck of the ship. He looked at the boat through binoculars and shouted:
- Hey, on the boat! Where are you going?
- To Australia! - the friends answered.
- You won’t get there on such a vessel! - shouted the captain. - I have two free places. Who will come with us?
Friends began to consult. Strictly speaking, only Mafin received an invitation to Australia. But Katie really dreamed of seeing her relatives. In the end they decided: the donkey and the kangaroo would move onto the ship, and Peregrine, Sally, Poppy and Hubert would return home by boat.
The sailors lowered the rope ladder. Passengers helped Muffin and Katie onto the deck. The kangaroo's luggage was in her bag, and Muffin's chest was lifted on ropes. Then everyone said goodbye to the boat, waved their handkerchiefs at it, and the ship set off on a long voyage.
Once on the ship, Muffin and Katie immediately cheered up. There was so much interesting stuff here! In the evenings they danced and played various games. Katie won every game of tennis. And no wonder - she jumped so high! On the children's deck they really loved Muffin. He gave the kids rides on his back and made them laugh. The weather was warm and sunny almost all the time. The sea was blue and calm. Sometimes, however, the wind rose and it began to sway. Muffin and Katie immediately felt uneasy. They wrapped themselves in blankets and sat quietly, sipping the strong broth.
The captain hung a geographical map on the deck especially for Mafin. But the donkey could follow the progress of the ship and check how long it would take to sail to Australia. Mafin approached the map every morning and every evening and marked the ship’s path with small flags.
Day after day the ship sailed closer and closer to Australia. But one night a thick white fog hung over the sea. The fog enveloped absolutely everything, and it became difficult for the ship to navigate. At first he walked very slowly. Finally he stopped moving almost completely. Mafin became terribly worried and approached the captain.
“If we don’t go faster,” he said, “I’ll be late for Australia.” And I hate being late.
“Sorry, please, Mafin,” the captain replied. - I myself hate being late. But I simply cannot go faster in such fog. Look overboard: you won’t see anything further than your nose.
The donkey stuck his head out: everything around was covered in thick, wet, white fog. Of course, there was no question of going faster. But Mafin really wanted to help the captain. The donkey's eyes were sharp, and he began to peer with all his might into the dense veil that surrounded them. Finally, in one place the fog thinned a little. Just for a moment! However, this was enough for the donkey. Right in front of him he saw a small island, and on it there were many penguins. They stood in rows and looked at the sea.
- These are Peregrine's relatives! - exclaimed Mafin, turning to the captain. I'm sure they will help us!
The island disappeared into the fog again, but Mafin grabbed a megaphone and shouted:
- Hey, on the shore! I'm Muffin the donkey, friend of Peregrine the penguin! I'm walking past your island! Got into trouble! Help!
Hundreds of penguin voices immediately answered Mafin. The birds immediately rushed into the sea and swam to the ship. They surrounded him and led him through the fog. Scouts floated ahead, showing the way. They performed their duties so well that soon the captain gave the command: “Full speed ahead!” After some time, the penguins brought the ship out of the fog. The sun was shining again. The weather became wonderful. Mafin thanked the penguins. Having said goodbye, the birds swam back to their small island.
- Say hello to Mr. Peregrine! - they shouted.
- Definitely! - answered Mafin. So the helpful penguins helped the donkey arrive in Australia on time. The children were extremely happy about his arrival. They watched with delight the performances with Muffin's participation and laughed at his jokes and pranks - just like English children.
Arrival of a Kiwi named Kirrie
This happened last fall. Mafin's house was being cleaned. Everything was upside down. The donkey's friends rushed back and forth with brushes, brooms and rags. We wanted the house to sparkle like glass.
The field mice Morris and Dorris scurried under the furniture, sweeping up debris with their long tails.
Louise the sheep was wiping the mirrors, furtively admiring her image.
The highest shelves and cabinets were assigned to Grace the giraffe. She swept away the dust from them.
Puppy Peter tied pads to his paws and rolled on the floor, rubbing the parquet.
Mafin himself gave orders, and Peregrine contradicted everything.
Katie the kangaroo was working in the kitchen. She baked pies. Oswald the ostrich was standing right there.
As soon as Katie gaped, he greedily pounced on the hot pies. I just couldn’t get along with him!
This is what caused all this fuss.
From Australia, Mafin brought a large box, at the bottom of which his new friend slept, who had done long haul from New Zealand. First, he sailed from New Zealand to Australia for exactly a week. There he met Mafin and then went on with the donkey. They sailed from Australia to England for five whole weeks. The poor thing was so tired and exhausted from this long journey that he had already slept for three days without waking up.
“But today he will definitely wake up!” - Mafin decided.
When the cleaning of the rooms was finally finished and everything around was shining, Mafin called his friends to the box and said:
- Peregrine, please read the inscription on the box.
“With pleasure, my boy,” answered Peregrine.
Putting on his glasses, the penguin looked at the side wall of the box - there was a label with an inscription nailed there. Penguin cleared his throat and read aloud with importance:
As soon as Peregrine read the last phrase, the friends were speechless with horror. Then everyone shouted at once:- “Kiwi-kiwi is a friend from New Zealand. It's a bird, but it doesn't have wings. The beak is long and strong. Kicks hard. It feeds on worms."
- Does it eat worms? Where have you heard this?
- Here's more news!
- Let him go back to his Zealand!
- Where is Willie?
- Hide Willie!!!
- Quiet! - Peregrine barked - the friends were getting very noisy. - Shut up and listen to me! Oswald, take Willie the worm right now and hide it behind the sofa cushions. Muffin and Louise, stay here and watch out for this kiwi-kiwi: he'll come out ahead of time. We need to prepare. Katie and Peter, come with me. I'll decide what to do.
Oswald grabbed Willie, hid him behind a sofa cushion, and sat down next to him.
Muffin and Louise stood guard near the box, waiting for the kiwi-kiwi to wake up. And Katie and Peter proudly followed Peregrine. They walked through the garden and along the path to the penguin's hut.
There Peregrine sat down on a chair, and Katie and Peter stood on either side. The penguin began to rummage through huge, thick books.
- Found! - he suddenly shouted and wrote something on a piece of paper. - Katie, go to the grocery store quickly! You will give the note to our friend Mr. Smilex and you will receive a package. Hide it in your bag and jump back. Alive! One leg here, the other there!
Katie galloped off. She rushed with huge leaps, so fast that the headwind pressed her long ears to her head.
“And you, Peter,” Peregrine continued to command, “run quickly to the front garden!” Find a flowerbed without flowers and dig more holes there. Then go back now, do you hear? I'll explain what to do next.
Peter rushed headlong to carry out the assignment. He decided to himself that he was terribly lucky: puppies are not very often allowed to dig in front gardens!
He chose a round flower bed in the middle of the flower garden. “It’s true that something is planted here,” the puppy thought, looking contemptuously at the flowers, “but it doesn’t matter!” And he set to work with enthusiasm. I dug a lot of holes, and I’m already dirty from head to toe!
When the puppy ran back to the hut, Katie had just returned from the shop. She brought some kind of long package from Mr. Smilax. Peregrine solemnly unwrapped it.
Inside was pasta, thin and hard, like sticks.
- Ugh! What is this for? - Peter shouted, out of breath from running. - Will they help poor Willie?..
“Wait, puppy,” Peregrine interrupted him. In the corner of the hut above the fireplace a large black cauldron whistled and snorted. The penguin lifted the lid and dipped the hard white sticks into the boiling water.
Several minutes passed. Peregrine lifted the lid again and scooped up the pasta with a large soup spoon. They became soft and hung from the spoon like this:
“Come on, puppy,” said Peregrine, “what does pasta look like now?”
“For worms,” Peter grumbled. - On long, soft worms.
“Exactly,” confirmed Peregrine. - This is what I wanted.
“They may look like worms,” Katie intervened, “maybe they even feel like worms, but how can you make them smell like worms?”
- Sheer nonsense, dear Katie! - answered the penguin. - Peter will bury them in holes in the flowerbed. Take the pasta, puppy, - in my opinion, they have already cooled down, - and go to the flower garden! Make sure you bury them well!
Peregrine and Catty left the hut and walked through the garden to Muffin's house. An excited Peter caught up with them there. His paws were very dirty!
- Peregrine, I buried everything! - he shouted proudly. - Well buried! And deep!
The three of them walked over to the kiwi-kiwi box. The alarmed Muffin and Louise stood there: just at that moment the lid lifted slightly. A thin, strong beak protruded from the box.
- It’s okay, Muffin and Louise! - whispered Peregrine. - Let him wake up. All is ready.
Penguin and Muffin lifted the large square lid. There was a strange creature in the box. It had a round head, a long beak, a long neck, feathers like fur, attentive eyes and two hard, horny paws. The creature stood up and looked anxiously at the animals gathered around the box.
Mafin spoke first:
- Welcome, kiwi-kiwi! Hope you had a good night's sleep? You'll like it here, I'm sure! Meet me: these are my friends!
And the donkey began to introduce his comrades to the bird. They took turns stepping forward and peering into the box with curiosity. Mafin called them. Only Oswald did not budge. He only stood up from the pillow for a moment - after all, Willie the worm was hiding behind it.
The acquaintance took place. A strange furry bird climbed out of the box and said:
- My name is Kirri. I really like it here! But... I’m a little hungry,” she added timidly.
“In that case,” Peregrine responded brightly, “let me take you to the flower garden.” There you can have a snack.
The penguin headed towards the round flowerbed. Kirri followed, with the rest of her friends a little behind. Everyone except Oswald: he remained to guard Willie.
“It seems to me,” said Peregrine, approaching the flowerbed, “it seems to me that some good food is buried here.” Please try it!
Kiwi-kiwi was apparently very hungry. She immediately began to rummage in the ground. With its sharp, terrible beak, the bird pulled out many long, thin worms - that is, pasta. Kirri attacked them greedily. When she had eaten her fill, everyone returned home. Kiwi-kiwi addressed her new friends:
- Thank you very much! I had a great lunch. Never tasted so good in my life!
“Very, very glad,” Peregrine answered politely. - Let me say that this wonderful food is called “pasta.” You can have a whole plate three times a day.
- Ur-r-r-a-a-a-a! - Oswald the ostrich screamed and jumped off the sofa. - If so, meet: my best friend- little worm Willie!
- Very nice! - Kirri said to the worm. - Will you allow me to treat you to pasta someday?
Willy agreed with delight.
Muffin and the scarecrow
Samuel, garden scarecrow, - a great friend of the donkey Mafina. Samuel stands in the middle of the field, next to the shed where Muffin lives, and scares the birds. He has a round white face, a straw hat on his head, and his clothes are all in rags.
When the birds come to peck at the seeds and young shoots, Samuel waves his arms and shouts: “Get out of here! Let's go!.."
Muffin loves visiting Samuel. He sits down next to him and listens with pleasure to his stories about farms and farmers, about harvests and hayfields. Samuel has been protecting fields from birds for a very long time and has visited many farms.
“I would also like to visit some farm and see what’s going on there,” Mafin once said. - I would help the farmer because I am big and strong. It’s also good to get to know the animals on the farm, especially the beautiful big horses that ride in harness.
Samuel nodded his head approvingly.
“I know a very large farm not far from here,” he said. - I'm sure the farmer will be glad to see you, because there is always work on the farm. I will gladly go with you and show you the way. Maybe my help will be useful there too.
Mafin was delighted with this proposal. He ran home and grabbed some carrot sandwiches for breakfast. He tied them in a red handkerchief with white spots, put the knot on a stick and threw it over his shoulder. After that he felt like a real farm boy.
Then he rushed to see if Samuel was ready. The scarecrow looked very sad.
- I'm afraid I won't be able to go with you, Mafia! - he said to the donkey. -You'll have to go alone. Look here!
He pointed to the trees, and Mafin saw that all the branches were covered with small fat birds. Samuel explained to the donkey that these birds had arrived only a few minutes ago and that therefore he could not leave: after all, they would eat the young shoots that had appeared quite recently. He must stay and drive away the birds.
Muffin sat down. He was very upset. Of course, going to the farm alone is not as interesting as going with a friend. Suddenly a good thought came to his mind. He ran back to the shed and brought back ink, pen and paper. Together with Samuel, they began to write a letter. It took quite a long time. They planted several blots and made a fair number of mistakes.
Then Mafin took the letter and dropped it into Mailbox on the door of the hut where Peregrine the penguin lived.
After that, he took the pen and ink to the place and began to wait patiently. And finally, with delight, he heard a familiar rustling sound: suich-suich... It was Samuel's steps. Mafin looked out the door of the shed. Yes, it really was Samuel.
“It’s all right, Mafin,” he said, smiling cheerfully. - Peregrine has already appeared! So we can go to the farm now!
They walked along the path and, when they reached the field where Samuel had just been guarding, they looked over the fence.
Peregrine the penguin stood in the middle of the field. Small fat birds fluttered around him. As soon as any of them flew too close, Peregrine would start waving his top hat and umbrella, scaring them just like Samuel did. But instead of shouting: “Let’s get out of here!.. Let’s get out of here!”, Peregrine exclaimed: “Hello! Hello!”, but since the birds did not understand the words, it seemed to them that it was one and the same thing, and therefore they got scared and flew away.
Muffin and Samuel made it to the farm and had a wonderful time there. The farmer was so happy to see them! Samuel immediately went about his usual business: he stood in the middle of a large field and began to scare the birds, and Mafin began to run back and forth between the rows of young crops, dragging a rake behind him and loosening the ground with them.
And every time, running past Samuel, the donkey cheerfully waved its tail and shouted:
"Hello! Hello!” and they both laughed merrily.
To the readers
The publisher asks that reviews about this book be sent to the address: Moscow, A-47, st. Gorky, 43. Children's Book House.
Ann Hogarth (19.07.1910-09.04.1993) - puppet master, was born on 19 July at Frensham, Surrey, the fourth child of William Jackson, a teacher, and his wife, Olivia Hall. Her mother died when she was two years old. Inspired by winning prizes for public performance at school, she decided to become an actress and studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. She then became a manager at the Play Theater in London. The producer was puppet lover Ian Bussell. In 1932, he and Anne created their own puppet theater, the Hogarth Puppets. The couple married in March 1933 and spent their Honeymoon camping on tour in the Cotswolds with company. They handled the business themselves - booking church halls, selling tickets, and finally putting on the shows, for "An hour and a half of twinkling entertainment!" So for 50 years of touring in the UK and around the world. Hogarth's Dolls has toured the world, playing in West End theatres, Australia's Outback, and on the ice caps of Canada. During the summer they visited many London parks with a theater tent, delighting countless children. When the Bussells retired they set up a international exhibition dolls, showing all the characters they collected and received during their travels. The dolls are currently owned by a drop-in center in London. After Ian's death in April 1985, Anne moved to Budleigh Salterton. She found living alone as an old woman very frustrating. She was loved and respected by many for her intelligent criticism of the next generation of dolls. She died in a nursing home on April 9, 1993.
Donkey Muffin:
Muffin the Donkey was born in 1933 on the stage of the puppet theater "The Hogarth Puppets", owned by Anne Hogarth and her husband Ian Bussell. In 1946 he appeared in the BBC television program For Children, written by Anne Hogarth. Actress Annette Mills sang and played the piano in the program, on the top of which Muffin danced. This was the first special children's show. Soon it turned into a separate program in which other heroes of the future book appeared - Sally the seal, Louise the sheep, Peregrine the penguin, Oswald the ostrich. All dolls were designed and made by Anne Hogarth. The program quickly became a favorite children's television. After Mills' death in 1955, Mafin and his friends regularly appeared on television for two more years. They were accompanied by Jan Bussell. Then Anne Hogarth and her husband toured the world with their own puppet theater, the repertoire of which included both the tales of Mafin and a cubist version of Macbeth. In just 11 years, more than three hundred episodes of the program were released. Donkey became a real TV star. There was even a film about him documentary, especially for screening in the USA. In the 1980s, old episodes of the program were re-broadcast on the BBC with great success. In 2005, 26 new episodes about the donkey Mafin and his friends should be shown.
In the early 1950s, Anne Hogarth processed the Muffin stories and published some of them in a small book. Then there were three more issues of stories that differed in cover color - red, blue, purple and green. Stories about Muffin, written by Anne Hogarth, made up a large series of several books - there is the Red Book of Muffin, Blue, Green, Lilac, etc. Then they were all published in one book, “Muffin and His Merry Friends.” The tales have been translated into many languages and are loved by children. different countries. Among the book's illustrators was Annette Mills' daughter Molly Blake.
Fairy tales:
Mafin and his cheerful friends:
- Mafin is looking for treasure.
- Muffin is baking a pie.
- Muffin is unhappy with his tail.
- Donkey Muffin.
- The picture is a mystery.
- Muffin detective.
- How to make a TV yourself.
- Color the picture
- Muffin and his famous zucchini.
- Where is the mistake?
- Marjorie Poppleton. Richard and the moon.
- Sally the seal
- Peregrine the Penguin
- Muffin sings a song.
- Muffin and magic comb.
- Magic squares
- Muffin and spider.
- Where is the mistake?
- Ilene Arthurton. March Lion.
- Mafin is writing a book.
- Muffin is going to Australia.
- Arrival of a kiwi named Kirrie.
- Louise the Sheep
- Muffin and the tramp.
- Muffin and the garden scarecrow.
- Draw!
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Slide captions:
E. Hogarth "Muffin and the Spider"
Crossword puzzle “Friendly company” Horizontal: 6. The living castle grumbled and lay down across the door. Vertical: Yellow skyscraper Soot scraped from the sky: Black dots on yellow sand. 2. He does not spin, does not weave, but clothes people. 3. Not a man, not a beast, but he can speak like a human. 4. The young lady, the housewife, gallops across the lawn, took her handbag and went to the market, put her bag on her stomach, flies, but does not walk. 5. Black coat, Under the coat there is a scarf, Yes, the figure is like a pear, He lives in the cold, He staggers - he walks. 6. Although I look like a bird, I am not familiar with the heights. I have wings, but I still walk all my life. 7. Not for fish, but sets nets. 8. A small poor house, a hut. 9. Gray, but not a wolf, Long-eared, but not a hare, With hooves, but not a horse. 10. Marine pinniped mammal.
Anne Hogarth lived in England. She had a small puppet theater, and she traveled around with it different cities. The children liked the performances about the donkey Mafina and his friends so much that the creator of the theater was offered to perform on television. And then she began to write down stories. This is how books about Mafina appeared.
Match the animal with its name: Kitty the Donkey Puppy Parrot Seal Ostrich Worm Sheep Kangaroo Penguin Giraffe Willie Louise Poppy Oswald Peter Grace Peregrine Sally Muffin
Find and read the passage to the illustration.
Select and continue any sentence. In today's lesson I learned... In this lesson I would praise myself for... After the lesson I wanted to... Today I was able to...
On the topic: methodological developments, presentations and notes
Technological lesson map literary reading on the topic "Annie Hogarth. "Muffin and the Spider". 2nd grade. Educational complex "School of Russia"...
Lesson summary "Our theater. E. Hogarth "Muffin bakes a pie""
Subject: Literary readingGrade: 4 Lesson topic: Our theater. E. Hogarth “Muffin Bakes a Pie” Lesson objectives: To introduce children to E. Hogarth’s fairy tale “Muffin Bakes a Pie”; develop expressive skills...
This record will introduce you to Muffin - a cheerful, funny, kind and very small donkey who has long become a favorite of English children. Yes, perhaps Mafia is famous not only in England, although he was born in this country.
Mafia is a toy, a doll, approximately the same as the well-known heroes of “The Adventures of Pinocchio”. It is made of cardboard and wood, pieces of leather and cloth, and the inside is stuffed with cotton wool. Perhaps this is why he does not stand entirely firmly on his feet and does not always clearly imagine what he can and cannot do. By the way, lovers of homemade products will learn from the author how to “make” Mafin and his cheerful friends.
The fact is that the author of the book, Anne Hogarth, is also the author of the doll. Together with her husband, she plays in a small London puppet theater that travels around the cities of England. There, on the stage of this theater, one fine day a curious, very, very serious and thoughtful toy donkey appeared. At first, only those children met Mafin who watched funny puppet shows about a donkey, with his endless questions and small discoveries of the big world.
The fame of Muffin spread throughout England. He amused not tens, but millions of viewers - from television screens. They loved him so much that they had to make a lot of toys so that Mafia would settle in the house of every girl and every boy. The artists also had more worries - they painted funny donkey on children's plates. It appeared on rugs, on wallpaper, on curtains. And when the wind blew such a curtain, it seemed as if Mafin was jumping up, waving his tail with beautiful bow at the end and, who knows, maybe he’s about to speak...
Anne Hogarth has already told many, many short and funny stories about Muffin the donkey. There are even books different colors, in which these true and only slightly invented stories, riddles, and games are collected; There are, for example, Red, Green, Blue and Lilac Muffin books. Of course, they contain a lot of other things, no less funny than stories about a donkey: fairy tales from other authors, folk proverbs, advice on how to make a toy or what game to play so as not to get bored during the whole long day... But basically everything “Mafin’s books” are funny collections in which children learn about every step, action, every thought of a funny and kind toy donkey.
Why is this cardboard donkey so cute? Why, even as they grow up, do children continue to gratefully remember the funny antics of their favorite children’s game hero? What makes not only kids, but also their dads and moms look forward to every new meeting with Muffin?
After all, he is not that smart or capable! And he doesn’t know much about the Mafia - not like, say, the grumpy, important and eternally dissatisfied penguin Peregrine. Or maybe our donkey is superior to other animals in strength or height? And again - no! The hippopotamus Hubert or the giraffe Grace are much larger and stronger than him, and the little blackbird can sing better, and the little black Wally can bake pies...
Everyone loves Mafin because he is very kind, diligent, that he does not tolerate liars and troublemakers, and treats everything in the world with curiosity, and wants to be friends with everyone. Therefore, even the angry Peregrine cannot refuse him anything, and when the Mafia gets into trouble, all the animals and birds rush to his aid. And although Mafia is still just a baby, he himself tries his best to help others. This happened, for example, when he met a huge and scary spider who really wanted to find friends. And Mafin not only tried to become like this himself true friend, but also called all his friends. What came of it, you will find out today. And when this short story ends, think about it carefully, it’s worth it. After all, in our lives sometimes we meet people who are looking for friends. And you have to be very stupid and cruel not to understand this...
Many miracles will happen to the donkey and his cheerful friends. He will receive a magic comb that will fulfill all wishes; then our Mafin will become... a detective, otherwise he suddenly wants to change his tail or suddenly become wiser.
If you want to know about all these adventures, you will have to look into the book about Mafina. And today the record will tell you about how our toy friend went in search of treasure. And today Mafin will start baking a wonderful pie for his friends, but the problem is that not everything will work out smoothly with this very pie...
You can't tell everything at once. Let's better listen in order. So, begins the fairy tale about Mafin the donkey, Mafin, who is looking for a treasure...
M. Babaeva
