Forest Newspaper - a collection of stories about wild life in Russia.
Feb 21,2006. M.Sekine
It is said that of all the children's literature in the world, that of
Soviet is reflecting the times best. When I was in elementary school, I
was sick for several days in bed with a high fever. My cousin gave me a
book called "Forest Newspaper" written by the great Russian children's
writer Bianki, Vitaliji Valentinovich. At the time, in the early 1960's,
Russian literature was popular in Japan.
As I read the book I couldn't believe all the different animals, birds
and trees of the Russian landscape. I had never visited Russia. It was all
so strange to me. It seemed like a fantasy. In the book there was a chapter
about a report from a correspondent to "Forest Newspaper." Russia
is an immense country. A large network gathered all the information together
from across Russia. It was compiled in Bianki's book. While imagining the
geography of the Russia, I read the correspondent report excitedly. His
love of nature is well expressed in his literature.
Recently, I was able to ordering the book on the Internet. It was a
used copy. But that's okay. The sun has discolored the cover of the book.
But I think it still really shines as an example of children's literature.
It is rare book to express the drama of@phenology. The harmonious coexistence
of humans and nature is a theme in important in the world of today. So,
I want this book to be republished in Japanese.