At the time of writing this book, Tolstoy was a well-known, well-regarded and successful author. Both parents died when he was young, leaving him in the care of relatives. Perhaps that was the motivation for starting a school for peasant children in 1850.

This is a tale of shy, introverted, little Philopok who is determined to attend school. Even though his mother insists he stay home in the care of his grandmother, one day Philopok braves the snowy, cold weather and a fierce dog, to walk to school so that he can attend school.

When he arrives at his destination, he is very shy, afraid to enter. When he gets the courage, he is excited to be there and is rather boastful to the teacher regarding his reading accomplishments. The teacher admonishes him, telling him he needs to stop bragging and start learning. Thereafter, Philopok happily walks to school with his brother.

Lush illustrations pull the reader into this lovely story. ( )

Филиппок
Как тетушка рассказывала о том, как она
выучилась шить
Лгун
Пожар
Корова
Котенок

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Age appropriateness: primary

Media: watercolor

Review: This is a good example of realistic fiction, because Philipok wants to go to school so bad that he follows his brother. This is something I could see other kids do if given the chance like Philipok. Being so young and traveling on your own to school could be a little scary, which would be true for most kids. However, the excitement of learning and being in school with his brother sounds much more fun so the journey is worth it. ( )

reviewed