What We Read
In the summer, Mark started reading “Tom Sawyer” in English. He read it without much interest, but for Valya and me in childhood, it was one of our favorite books. Our daughter looked at the text and said that indeed, there are many outdated English words that children wouldn’t understand. I’ve also heard that American parents demand a ban on reading Mark Twain’s books.
Sometimes we read Russian books. Valya orders books from the online store “Labirint” to my Russian address, and I receive and bring them. They have very good books that are beautifully designed. This summer, Mark and I read “Robinson Crusoe,” and now we are reading “The Lost World” by Conan Doyle. It’s still difficult for him to read such books in Russian since there are very long words, so I help him. He reads a few pages, and then I read the chapter. So, I’m still specializing in children’s literature. I’m going through it a second time. Of course, we won’t read “Timur and His Team” or “Harmful Advice” by Oster, but I also don’t know any modern books for children his age.
Some people believe that modern children are not interested in the books we grew up with, our old cartoons. Yes, there are many books and films that are ideologically outdated, but there are classic old, good films and cartoons. I really want Mark to be introduced to them. I consider classics of our cinema to be cartoons like “Vacations in Prostokvashino,” about Winnie the Pooh, and many others.
Perhaps for Russian children his age, this is something they’ve already outgrown and don’t watch anymore, but for a child raised on films and literature from another country, the introduction to our classics comes a bit late. I want him to know and understand the catchphrases and quotes from our classic comedies, to understand Russian humor, rather than the American type — humor that’s funny when someone farts (though there are many worthy American films and cartoons). I even tell him jokes (of course, decent ones), and I explain things if he doesn’t understand. In the summer, as we walk back from the pool, he asks me to tell him a joke. I tell him that I’ve already shared all the ones I know, but he asks me to tell them again. So we walk along and laugh at the jokes we’ve already heard.
