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Biography of Konstantin Dmitrievich Ushinsky

Konstantin Dmitrievich Ushinsky is a great Russian teacher, the founder of Russian pedagogical science, which did not exist in Russia before him. Ushinsky created a theory and carried out a revolution, in fact a revolution in Russian pedagogical practice.

Konstantin Dmitrievich Ushinsky was born on February 19 (March 2), 1824 in the city of Tula into the family of Dmitry Grigorievich Ushinsky, a retired officer, participant in the Patriotic War of 1812, and a small nobleman. Konstantin Dmitrievich's mother, Lyubov Stepanovna, died when her son was only 12 years old.

After the appointment of Konstantin Dmitrievich’s father as a judge in the small but ancient district town of Novgorod-Seversky, Chernigov province, the entire Ushinsky family moved there. Ushinsky spent his entire childhood and adolescence on a small estate acquired by his father, located four miles from Novgorod-Seversky on the banks of the Desna River. At the age of 11, Konstantin Ushinsky entered the third grade of the Novgorod-Severskaya Gymnasium, from which he graduated in 1840.

Here, on a small estate on the banks of the Desna, bought by his father, four miles from the district town, Ushinsky spent his childhood and adolescence. Every day, on the way to the gymnasium of the district town of Novgorod-Seversky, he drove or passed through these beautiful and magical places, full of ancient history and legends of deep antiquity.

Having completed his course at the gymnasium, Ushinsky left his native estate for Moscow in 1840 and joined the ranks of the glorious Moscow student body. He enters Moscow University at the Faculty of Law.

After brilliantly completing his university course with honors in 1844, Ushinsky was left at Moscow University to prepare for the master's exam. The range of interests of the young Ushinsky was not limited to philosophy and jurisprudence. He was also interested in literature, theater, as well as all those issues that interested representatives of the progressive circles of Russian society of that time.

In June 1844, the academic council of Moscow University awarded Konstantin Ushinsky the degree of candidate of jurisprudence. In 1846, Ushinsky was appointed acting professor of cameral sciences at the department of encyclopedia of jurisprudence, state law and finance science at the Yaroslavl Demidov Lyceum.

In 1850, Ushinsky submitted his resignation and left the lyceum.

Left without work, Konstantin Dmitrievich Ushinsky makes do with petty literary work - reviews, translations and reviews in magazines. All attempts to get a job again at any other county school immediately aroused suspicion among all administrators, since it was inexplicable for a young professor from the Demidov Lyceum to exchange his highly paid and prestigious position for an unenviable, miserable place in a provincial backwater.

After living in the provinces for a year and a half, Ushinsky moved to St. Petersburg in the hope that there were more schools, gymnasiums and colleges in the capital and, therefore, a greater chance of finding work and like-minded people. But there, without acquaintances and connections, with great difficulty he only manages to get a position as head of the department of foreign religions.

In 1854, Konstantin Dmitrievich Ushinsky resigned from the department of foreign religions, as he was invited to the position of teacher of Russian literature at the Gatchina Orphan Institute.

In 1859, Ushinsky was invited to the position of class inspector at the Smolny Institute of Noble Maidens, where he managed to carry out significant progressive changes.

Simultaneously with his work at the institute, Ushinsky took over the editing of the “Journal of the Ministry of Public Education” and transformed it from a dry collection of official orders and scientific articles into a pedagogical journal that was very responsive to new trends in the field of public education.

Despite the fact that Ushinsky found sympathy among very influential people, he was forced to leave the institute and take a business trip abroad. In fact, it was an exile that lasted five years.

Ushinsky visited Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium and Italy. Everywhere he visited and studied educational institutions - girls' schools, kindergartens, orphanages and schools, especially in Germany and Switzerland, which were then thundering with their innovations in pedagogy.

Abroad in 1864, he wrote and published the educational book “Native Word”, as well as the book “Children’s World”. In fact, these were the first mass-produced and publicly available Russian textbooks for the primary education of children. Ushinsky wrote and published a special guide for parents and teachers to his “Native Word” - “Guide to teaching the “Native Word” for teachers and parents.” This leadership had a huge, widespread influence on the Russian public school. It has not lost its relevance as a manual on methods of teaching the native language to this day. These were the first textbooks in Russia for the primary education of children, and these were the first mass-produced and publicly available books. They sold tens of millions of copies.

In the mid-60s, Konstantin Dmitrievich Ushinsky and his family returned to Russia. He began publishing his last main scientific work, entitled “Man as a subject of education, the experience of pedagogical anthropology” by Ushinsky in 1867. The first volume, “Man as a Subject of Education,” was published in 1868, and some time later the second volume was published. Unfortunately, this scientific work of his (third volume) remained unfinished.

In the last years of his life, Konstantin Dmitrievich Ushinsky acted as a prominent public figure. He wrote articles about Sunday schools, about schools for children of artisans, and also took part in a teachers' congress in Crimea.

Konstantin Dmitrievich Ushinsky died in Odessa on December 22, 1870, and was buried in Kyiv on the territory of the Vydubetsky Monastery.

In Russian and world pedagogy, the name of K.D. Ushinsky occupies a special and significant place. In addition to his enormous contribution to the development of Russian pedagogical thought - he is rightly considered the creator of the Russian public school - his teaching about the spiritual side of human life, about the connection between social progress and the state of education is extremely important today. Ushinsky devoted most of his life to practical pedagogy. His main attention was focused on the creation of a Russian public school, as well as on issues of women's education (for several years he served as inspector of the Smolny Institute for Noble Maidens). In the field of public education, Ushinsky was guided by the traditional values ​​of people's lives. In the advent of the era of capitalism and industrialization, he saw “dirt” and “depravity.” And he argued that only the church and the school could lead “our simple people... into a larger and freer sphere.”

Ushinsky theoretically comprehended his teaching practice in a large two-volume work “Man as a Subject of Education. Experience of pedagogical anthropology" (1868-1869). Many of the conclusions of this work are not outdated today. Also, certain provisions of his article “Native Word” (1861) are not outdated. Ushinsky recognized moral education, the development of “moral feelings” as the cornerstone of personality formation. One should educate, he believed, not by imposing one’s beliefs on the child, but by awakening in him “the thirst for these beliefs and the courage to defend them both from his own low aspirations and from others.”

In the preface to the book “Children’s World and Reader” (1861), Ushinsky wrote that the appearance of this work was caused by “modern need.” He proclaimed the connection between science and life as the principle of introducing children to the basics of science. The purpose of his book is to give elementary school students as complete an understanding of the world as possible, which will help develop their thinking abilities. The material was arranged in sections: “From Nature”, “From Geography”, “From Russian History”, “First Lessons in Logic”. In the anthology appendix, the student became acquainted with “samples of the style of the best writers” - both with the classical works of Zhukovsky, Lermontov, and with the works of modern authors - Turgenev, Goncharov, Nikitin, Maykov, etc. The works of foreign authors were also included in the anthology.

The second educational book created by Konstantin Ushinsky was “Native Word” for young children. She, like the first one, was a great success. Just like “Children’s World...”, “Native Word” is a word composed on the basis of folklore, to which Konstantin Dmitrievich assigned an extremely important educational role, and on the best literary examples. Ushinsky strives here too to give children a system of real knowledge and to preserve encyclopedic breadth.

Works for children. Ushinsky not only had teaching talent, but also proved himself to be a wonderful children's writer. His works, published in educational books, contain a clear moral lesson and provide readers with specific knowledge. For example, “Children’s World...” opens with the entertaining story “Children in the Grove,” which talks about the harmfulness of laziness and irresponsibility. The brother and sister went to school, but, attracted by the coolness of the grove, they rushed into it rather than into the school. However, neither the ant, nor the squirrel, nor the stream, nor the bird, to whom the children turn, wants to have fun with them - they all work. “What did you do, little sloths? - a tired robin tells them. “You didn’t go to school, you didn’t learn anything, you’re running around the grove and still stopping others from doing their work... Remember that only those who have worked and done everything they were supposed to do enjoy relaxing and playing.”

The stories "Winter", "Spring", "Summer" and "Autumn" give an idea of ​​the changing seasons. Simple concepts, clear language, calm intonation - everything predisposes the little reader to perceive the information contained in these stories.

First, thawed patches appear in the fields; but soon the ground, wet, saturated with water, appears everywhere from under the snow. Another week or two will pass and the snow will only remain somewhere in a deep ravine where the sun does not shine. The sky is getting bluer and the air is getting warmer.

Ushinsky never misses the opportunity to turn from specific descriptions to higher matters, to conclusions aimed at spiritual development. The story “About Man” begins with the words: “I am a man, although still small, because I have the same soul and the same body as other people.” Next comes a detailed description of the human body, and at the end there is a reminder: “Man is gifted with a beautifully constructed body, gifted with life, gifted with a soul - free, rational and immortal, desiring good and believing in the Creator of the Universe.” The anthology gives a short story about the organs of the human body, how they quarreled among themselves, saw that it was bad, and made peace, “they began to work for each other as before - and the whole body recovered and became healthy and strong.”

In the "Children's World..." section "From Russian History" Ushinsky's stories about important historical events are published. Ushinsky created his stories from history, relying on Karamzin and on the adaptation of his “History of the Russian State” made by Ishimova.

The special value of his stories about nature and animals (“Bees on Scout,” etc.) lies in the fact that nature is shown in them as an integral and beautiful world, full of secrets.

Spring has come, the sun has driven the snow away from the fields; Fresh, bright green stems were visible in last year’s yellowed grass; the buds on the trees were blooming and putting out young leaves. So the bee woke up from her winter sleep, cleared her eyes with her furry paws, woke up her friends, and they looked out the window: had the snow, ice, and cold north wind gone?

Ushinsky's stories such as “Playing Dogs,” “Two Little Goats,” and “The Horse and the Donkey” are essentially fables. According to the fable tradition, the author ends them with moral maxims. It is not for nothing that they were included in a single section “Fables and Stories in Prose”.

Ushinsky’s works about children (for example, “Four Wishes”, “Together It’s Close, But Apart It’s Boring”, “Cowardly Vanya”) are distinguished by their subtle psychology and teach children life lessons using simple examples. The author tactfully suggests what you need to get rid of in yourself, what character flaws may interfere in the future. So Vanya, left at home alone, was afraid of the dough in the kneading bowl: it puffs on the stove and makes him think of a brownie. Vanya rushed to run, but stepped on the poker - it hit him in the forehead; and then he fell, entangled in the frill of a bast shoe!.. The adults barely brought the cowardly boy to his senses. “Four Wishes” is a story about another character trait - indecision. The hero cannot reconcile his feelings with reason: all seasons seem equally beautiful to him, and he is not able to decide which of them is the most beloved, the most desired.

Ushinsky adapted folk tales for children. He gave them preference even over a well-written literary work. He highly valued the poetic world of folk art and considered fairy tales the best means for “understanding folk life.”

Konstantin Dmitrievich Ushinsky

Stories and fairy tales

Collection

1824–1870

K. D. Ushinsky

There is no person in our country who does not know fairy tales about the pockmarked hen, about the bun, about brother Ivanushka and sister Alyonushka, who has not read the story “Four Wishes”, who has not repeated the sly joke about the lazy Titus: “Titus, go thresh.” - “My belly hurts.” - “Titus, go eat some jelly.” - “Where is my big spoon?”

All these and many other, equally well-known fairy tales, stories and jokes, some were composed, others retold by Konstantin Dmitrievich Ushinsky.

Konstantin Dmitrievich Ushinsky was born one hundred and eighty years ago, in 1824.

He spent his childhood in Ukraine, in the small town of Novgorod-Seversk and studied at the local gymnasium.

The gymnasium, Ushinsky recalled, was located in an old, dilapidated building that looked more like a barn than a school. “The windows in the old frames shook, the rotten floors, stained with ink and worn down by heel nails, creaked and jumped; the cracked doors were poorly made, the long old benches, which had completely lost their original color, were cut up and covered with writing by many generations of schoolchildren. There was something missing on these benches! And drawers of the most intricate workmanship, and ingenious, complex channels for draining ink, and angular human figures - soldiers, generals on horses, portraits of teachers; and countless sayings, countless fragments of lessons written down by a student who did not rely on his memory, squares for a game of cups, which consisted of a schoolboy who managed to put three crosses in a row and mercilessly tore his partner’s forelock... It was so stuffy in the lower classes that some new teacher, not yet accustomed to our gymnasium atmosphere, winced and spat for a long time before starting his lesson.”

But the director of the gymnasium, I.F. Timkovsky, a writer and historian, a kind and educated person, managed to instill in the gymnasium students respect for knowledge, for science, and those gymnasium students who studied well enjoyed great respect among their comrades.

After high school, Ushinsky studied at Moscow University. And after graduating from university, he became a teacher himself.

At first he worked in Yaroslavl, then he was appointed to teach Russian literature - that’s what Russian language and literature classes were called in schools back then - at the Gatchina Orphan Institute, where orphans lived and studied.

When Ushinsky began teaching at the Gatchina Institute, he discovered that his students knew all subjects very poorly.

He saw the same thing at the Smolny Institute for Noble Maidens, where he was later transferred and where the daughters of nobles were raised. The girls were sure that buns grew on trees, and when one day they were asked to write an essay “Sunrise”, they could not even explain why the sun rises and sets.

But the worst thing was that they considered training to be martyrdom and punishment.

And so it is in all schools.

Ushinsky loved children very much and sympathized with them very much: it was really difficult for them to study. The textbooks they studied from were boring and incomprehensible, and the children, in order not to get a bad grade, had to memorize them.

And so Konstantin Dmitrievich Ushinsky decided to write a textbook that would be easy and interesting for children to learn from. And when studying is not painful, then the student studies and studies more successfully.

And Ushinsky compiled two such textbooks for elementary school. They were called “Native Word” and “Children’s World”.

“Native Word” and “Children’s World” were not at all like the previous boring textbooks. Everything about them was clear and very interesting. Once you start reading them, you won’t be able to put them down: you want to quickly find out what is written about on the next page.

Ushinsky included fairy tales in his books - some of them he heard in childhood and now retold, and some he invented himself.

He composed stories about what is close to children, what surrounds them in everyday life - about animals and birds, about natural phenomena, about the children themselves, about their activities and games.

He told the children that the bread they eat, the clothes they wear, the house they live in are all the work of people, and therefore the most necessary, most respected person in society is a worker: a peasant, an artisan, a worker .

Together with his friend, the young teacher Modzalevsky, Konstantin Dmitrievich composed poems and songs that were so easy to remember. They were also included in his books.

Among these songs was this one:

Children, get ready for school!

The cockerel crowed a long time ago!

Dress quickly!

The sun looks out the window.

Ushinsky's books revealed to children the big and small secrets of the huge world in which they were just beginning to live and in which there was so much that was unfamiliar, incomprehensible and mysterious.

And most importantly, they revealed the biggest secret: what is the joy and happiness of a person. From Ushinsky's stories and fairy tales, it was clear to everyone that only a kind, honest and hardworking person can be happy.

For the first time, Ushinsky’s books “Native Word” and “Children’s World” were published about two hundred years ago. Many generations learned from them: not only our grandparents, great-grandparents, but also great-great-grandmothers and great-great-grandfathers.

And today's schoolchildren read and love the fairy tales of Konstantin Dmitrievich Ushinsky.

It’s safe to say that these stories and fairy tales will be read and loved by many, many new generations, because people will always respect work, knowledge, honesty and kindness.

Vl. Muravyov

Children in the grove

Children in the grove

Two children, brother and sister, went to school. They had to pass by a beautiful, shady grove. It was hot and dusty on the road, but cool and cheerful in the grove.

– Do you know what? - said the brother to the sister. “We’ll still have time for school.” The school is now stuffy and boring, but the grove should be a lot of fun. Listen to the birds screaming there; And the squirrel, how many squirrels jump on the branches! Shouldn't we go there, sister?

The sister liked her brother's proposal. The children threw their alphabet books into the grass, held hands and disappeared between the green bushes, under the curly birch trees. It was definitely fun and noisy in the grove. The birds fluttered constantly, sang and shouted; squirrels jumped on the branches; insects scurried about in the grass.

First of all, the children saw a golden bug.

“Come play with us,” the children said to the bug.

“I would love to,” answered the beetle, “but I don’t have time: I have to get myself lunch.”

“Play with us,” the children said to the yellow, furry bee.

“I have no time to play with you,” answered the bee, “I need to collect honey.”

-Won't you play with us? - the children asked the ant.

But the ant had no time to listen to them: he dragged a straw three times his size and hurried to build his cunning dwelling.

The children turned to the squirrel, inviting it to also play with them, but the squirrel waved its fluffy tail and answered that it must stock up on nuts for the winter. The dove said: “I am building a nest for my little children.” The little gray bunny ran to the stream to wash his face. The white strawberry flower also had no time to take care of the children: he took advantage of the beautiful weather and was in a hurry to prepare his juicy, tasty berries on time.

Konstantin Dmitrievich Ushinsky(1823-1870) - Russian teacher, writer, founder of preschool pedagogy in Russia.

Ushinsky believed that from an early age it is necessary to acquaint children with folk culture and works of oral folk art.

Natural history played a major role in Ushinsky’s pedagogical system.

The writer believed that “the logic of nature is the most accessible and most useful logic for children.”

Read educational stories about nature and man by K.D. Ushinsky with illustrations on our website!

Read Ushinsky's stories

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In the sweet carrot forest

Kozlov S.G.


A fairy tale about what forest animals love most. And one day everything happened as they dreamed. In the sweet carrot forest read The hare loved carrots most of all. He said: - I would like it in the forest...

Magic herb St. John's wort

Kozlov S.G.


A fairy tale about how the Hedgehog and the Little Bear looked at the flowers in the meadow. Then they saw a flower they didn’t know, and they became acquainted. It was St. John's wort. Magic herb St. John's wort read It was a sunny summer day. - Do you want me to give you something...

Green bird

Kozlov S.G.


A tale about a Crocodile who really wanted to fly. And then one day he dreamed that he turned into a large Green bird with wide wings. He flew over the land and over the sea and talked with different animals. Green...

How to catch a cloud

Kozlov S.G.


A fairy tale about how the Hedgehog and the Little Bear went fishing in the fall, but instead of fish they were bitten by the moon, then stars. And in the morning they pulled the sun out of the river. How to catch a cloud to read When the time has come...

Prisoner of the Caucasus

Tolstoy L.N.


A story about two officers who served in the Caucasus and were captured by the Tatars. The Tatars ordered letters to be written to relatives demanding a ransom. Zhilin was from a poor family; there was no one to pay the ransom for him. But he was strong...

How much land does a person need?

Tolstoy L.N.


The story is about the peasant Pakhom, who dreamed that he would have a lot of land, then the devil himself would not be afraid of him. He had the opportunity to inexpensively buy as much land as he could walk around before sunset. Wanting to have more...

Jacob's dog

Tolstoy L.N.


A story about a brother and sister who lived near a forest. They had a shaggy dog. One day they went into the forest without permission and were attacked by a wolf. But the dog grappled with the wolf and saved the children. Dog …

Tolstoy L.N.


The story is about an elephant who stepped on his owner because he was mistreating him. The wife was in grief. The elephant put his eldest son on his back and began to work hard for him. Elephant read...

What is everyone's favorite holiday? Of course, New Year! On this magical night, a miracle descends on the earth, everything sparkles with lights, laughter is heard, and Santa Claus brings long-awaited gifts. A huge number of poems are dedicated to the New Year. IN …



In this section of the site you will find a selection of poems about the main wizard and friend of all children - Santa Claus. Many poems have been written about the kind grandfather, but we have selected the most suitable ones for children aged 5,6,7 years. Poems about...



Winter has come, and with it fluffy snow, blizzards, patterns on the windows, frosty air. The children rejoice at the white flakes of snow and take out their skates and sleds from the far corners. Work is in full swing in the yard: they are building a snow fortress, an ice slide, sculpting...



A selection of short and memorable poems about winter and New Year, Santa Claus, snowflakes, and a Christmas tree for the younger group of kindergarten. Read and learn short poems with children 3-4 years old for matinees and New Year's Eve. Here …

1 - About the little bus who was afraid of the dark

Donald Bisset


A fairy tale about how mother bus taught her little bus not to be afraid of the dark... About the little bus who was afraid of the dark read Once upon a time there was a little bus in the world. He was bright red and lived with his dad and mom in the garage. Every morning …

“Of course, me,” says the horse. “I carry him a plow and a harrow, I carry firewood from the forest; He himself rides me to town: he would be completely lost without me.

“No, the owner loves me more,” says the cow. “I feed his whole family milk.”

“No, me,” the dog grumbles, “I guard his property.”

The owner overheard this argument and said:

- Stop arguing in vain: I need all of you, and each of you is good in his place.

Tree dispute

The trees argued among themselves: which of them is better? Here the oak says:

- I am the king of all trees! My root has gone deep, the trunk is three times around, the top looks up to the sky; My leaves are carved, and the branches seem to be cast from iron. I do not bow to storms, I do not bend before thunderstorms.

The apple tree heard the oak boasting and said:

- Don’t brag too much, dude, that you are big and fat: but only acorns grow on you, for the pigs’ amusement; and my rosy apple is even on the royal table.

The pine tree listens, shakes its needle-like top.

“Wait,” he says, “to boast; Winter will come, and you will both be standing naked, but my green thorns will still remain on me; without me, people wouldn’t be able to live in the cold side; I use it to heat stoves and build huts.

The horse snores, curls its ears, moves its eyes, gnaws at the bit, bends its neck like a swan, and digs the ground with its hoof. The mane is wavy on the neck, the tail is a pipe at the back, bangs are between the ears, and a brush is on the legs; the wool shines silver. There is a bit in the mouth, a saddle on the back, golden stirrups, steel horseshoes.

Sit down and let's go! To distant lands, to the thirtieth kingdom!

The horse runs, the ground trembles, foam comes out of the mouth, steam comes out of the nostrils.

A shaggy goat is walking, a bearded one is walking, waving its faces, shaking its beard, tapping its hooves: it walks, bleats, calling for goats and kids. And the goats and kids went into the garden, nibbled grass, gnawed bark, spoiled young clothespins, saved milk for the children; and the kids, little kids, sucked milk, climbed the fence, fought with their horns.

Wait, the bearded owner will come and give you all order!

Cockerel with family

A cockerel walks around the yard: there is a red comb on its head and a red beard under its nose. Petya's nose is a chisel, Petya's tail is a wheel; there are patterns on the tail, spurs on the legs. Petya rakes the pile with his paws and calls the hens and chicks together:

- Crested hens! Busy hostesses! Motley-pockmarked! Little black and white! Gather together with the chickens, with the little children: I have saved you some grain!

The hens and chicks gathered and cackled; They didn’t share the grain - they got into a fight. Petya doesn’t like unrest - now he has reconciled his family: one for the crest, that for the tuft, he ate a grain, flew up onto the fence, flapped his wings, shouted at the top of his lungs: “Ku-ku-re-ku!”

Sow

Our sow hare is dirty, dirty and gluttonous; It eats everything, crushes everything, itches on the corners, finds a puddle - it’s like rushing into a feather bed, grunting, basking.

The sow's snout is not elegant: its nose rests on the ground, its mouth reaches to its ears; and the ears dangle like rags; Each leg has four hooves, and when it walks, it stumbles. The sow's tail is a screw, the ridge is a hump; stubble sticks out on the ridge. She eats for three, gets fat for five; but her mistresses take care of her, feed her, and give her slop to drink; If he breaks into the garden, they will drive him away with a log.

- Come on, Bishka, read what’s written in the book!

The dog sniffed the book and walked away.

Little cat - gray pubis. Vasya is affectionate, but cunning, his paws are velvet, his nails are sharp.

Vasyutka has sensitive ears, a long mustache, and a silk fur coat.

The cat caresses, bends over, wags its tail, closes its eyes, sings a song, but a mouse is caught - don’t be angry! The eyes are big, the paws are like steel, the teeth are crooked, the claws are protruding!

Mice, old and small, gathered at their hole. They have black eyes, small paws, sharp teeth, gray fur coats, ears sticking up, tails drag along the ground.

Mice, underground thieves, have gathered, they are thinking, they are holding advice: “How can we, the mice, get the cracker into the hole?”

Oh, watch out, mice! Your friend Vasya is not far away. He loves you very much, he will kiss you with his paw; He will rip your tails and tear your fur coats.

In one pretty Little Russian village there were so many gardens that the whole place seemed like one big garden. The trees were blooming and fragrant in the spring, and in the dense greenery of their branches many birds fluttered, filling the surrounding area with ringing songs and cheerful chirping; in the fall, many pink apples, yellow pears and blue-purple plums were already appearing between the leaves.

But several evil boys gathered in a crowd and destroyed the birds’ nests. The poor birds left the gardens and never returned to them.

Autumn and winter have passed, a new spring has come; but in the gardens it was quiet and sad. The harmful caterpillars, which birds had previously exterminated by the thousands, now bred unhindered and devoured not only flowers but also leaves on the trees: and now the naked trees in the middle of summer looked sad, as if in winter.

Autumn came, but there were no pink apples, yellow pears, or purple plums in the gardens; the cheerful birds did not flutter on the branches; the village was not filled with their sonorous songs.

Cuckoo

The gray cuckoo is a homeless sloth: it doesn’t build a nest, it lays its eggs in other people’s nests, it gives its cuckoo chicks to be raised, and it even laughs and boasts to its hubby: “Hee-hee-hee! Ha ha ha! Look, hubby, how I laid an egg for the joy of the oatmeal.”