The little mole who wanted. "Little mole ..." through the eyes of foreign readers

ISBN: 978-5-903979-38-7
number of pages: 24

annotation: This short story was a revelation in fiction for children, "legalizing" the theme of the natural functions of the human body. A terrible thing happened to the little mole one morning. Something that looked like a small sausage fell on his head. The brave little hero starts an investigation to find the offender and take revenge on him.
It is worth typing the word "mole" in any Internet search engine and adding the colloquial analogue of the scientific "excrement" to it, and you will get hundreds of links to a variety of portals and websites, blogs and forums: a scanned (most often in Czech version) book about a small mole has become one of the cult topics of the last decade in the Russian zone of the network. The publishing house "Melik-Pashayev" takes the liberty of presenting to our readers the story of the mole, in the form of a real book.
The short story "The little mole who wanted to know who put it on his head" by Werner Holzwarth and Wolf Erlbruch was first published in German in 1989. In a short time, this story was published in more than 30 languages ​​and became a recognized bestseller in many countries. In 2002, a theatrical production about a mole was released at the Edinburgh Festival. Based on the book, an animated film in German was also made.
The book is fantastically funny. There is no scientific information in it, no livestock descriptions, but everyone understands what is at stake. Therefore, it is not only funny, but also informative. The illustrations by Wolf Erlblruh, professor at the University of Düsseldorf, teacher of design, are drawn with great taste, do not contain any rudeness or unnecessary details.
Now in the West, "Little Mole" is already considered a classic among picture books. The book was nominated for the German Prize for Children's Literature. It continues to inspire great enthusiasm among young and large readers. We are sure that the mole's funny adventures will not leave indifferent Russian readers: from kids interested in the "forbidden" topic to young people who love unusual and funny gifts.

Review: "... Probably, some time ago, my attitude towards such books would have been sharply negative. But not so long ago I bought a book by Gianni Rodari "Grammar of Fantasy" in the Labyrinth, this is for parents, the psychology of communicating with children. So, I read the chapter on "taboo stories" and was somewhat puzzled by Rodari's approach to discussing such topics.In the evening, when the child (3 years old) returned from kindergarten, in between times I tried to apply what Rodari described ... I myself was embarrassed and a little scared. .. It’s not every day that you have to discuss poop with your son .. To my surprise, the son easily accepted the proposed game with a conspiratorial air, confidentially .. and as a result he laughed out loud, really, with a “liberating” laugh ..
Apparently, we adults need to look wider and not be afraid to conduct small experiments .. Perhaps this will allow our children to grow up a little more liberated "(Illa, website of the Labyrinth online store")

"Little mole ..." through the eyes of the publisher:
Why did we decide to publish this book?

In a children's book, the artist plays the most important role. Wolf Erlbruch, who drew "Little Mole ...", is a very famous book illustrator. Before I saw the book about the mole, I thought that Erlbruch was drawing for adults. But "Little Mole ...", from the point of view of drawing, is a wonderful children's book. She is already 20 years old. In bookstores in Germany, England, Spain, it is always among the bestsellers. It is published in two formats - a small one, like ours, and a larger one.
However, in most Moscow stores "Little Mole" refused to take it for sale.
They said they were afraid of the reaction of buyers. The theme of the book seemed "strange" there. That is, they simply considered it indecent.
But when we made the decision to buy copyrights, we were not at all embarrassed by the topic - because here it is presented very talentedly.
In addition, it seems to me that "Little Mole ..." is a book with good cognitive potential. I remember how in childhood my grandmother taught me: “Look, a cow has passed here. And this goat left its mark. And here was a wild boar...” All this was so interesting to me!
What is the end of this book? First, again, there is a very accurate natural science observation: flies are the best at “who did it”.

Secondly, as a result of the "investigation" conducted by the little mole, justice is restored: the offender is punished. But, mind you, the punishment is not scary at all. Most likely, he will not notice this punishment. It's not painful. For the most part, it's not offensive. But the mole had to do this in order to maintain his own dignity. Is that important?
On the Labyrinth website, among the reviews of this book, there were no swear words! But, remember, as Munchausen said in Zakharovsky's film: “All the stupid things in the world are done with a straight face.
Laugh, gentlemen, laugh!"

Maria Melik-Pashayeva

"Little mole ..." from the point of view of a naturalist

This simple story is a good opportunity to talk with your child about what he somehow learns about himself and the world around him. To speak in very simple language, looking at the funny details of the illustrations and noting our natural, natural caution in relation to any excrement. Talk about tiny special microbes that help us grow and get strength from food. The fact that they are not visible, because they are very small. But if there were no microbes left inside us, our weight would immediately decrease by several kilograms. When microbes live in their usual place, this is good, but when they get into the mouth or into the eye, you can get sick. Therefore, you need to wash your hands after walking, using the toilet and before eating. That is why we carefully wash vegetables, fruits, greens that we plucked or bought in a store.
It is known that doctors, experienced parents and pet owners can identify ailments by the appearance and smell of excrement. I remember the story of one mother about the horror experienced when she first fed her child beets. I think that these features of changes in urine and feces should also be somehow easily and simply told to children.
By the way, this is also a good reason to tell the child that the word “poo” is homemade, doctors call them feces, biologists call them droppings, and in general all these body secretions are called the scientific word “excrement”.
Naturalists, trackers and biologists know what paw, leg, wing, teeth and beak tracks and food remains look like - the so-called bites and pellets. Animal droppings are an integral part of this long list of traces by which you can find out what happened: who dined here; who sat on this hummock at dawn, and who ran across the path in your garden. And who clearly marked his territory here. Usually we do not see all these animals, they live their own lives, and their right to this life must be respected. Therefore, it is better not to pick out a hedgehog from its hiding place in order to settle in an apartment, but to learn how to recognize the presence of animals by their various tracks. It's so mysterious and interesting!
Of course, the question may arise, do we, city dwellers, need all these details of the diversity of animal droppings? If we are not going to study animals, move to the taiga, hunt, then probably not. And for children who learn to use a potty instead of a diaper and walk through our yards and parks instead of a stroller - perhaps yes. Here at this level - surprise from the fact that everyone around is different and so different. And they all eat and poop.
I think that interest in knowledge begins just in such a fearless childhood, when everything around is surprising and questions that you are not answered with an instant ban: “Fu, how disgusting! In polite society they don’t talk about such things!”

I was a little confused by the ending of the book: why did the mole not even begin to talk to the dog, but immediately believed the flies? Why did he smack his little mark on his forehead and calm down? Yes, but why did I decide that the offended mole is a model and a hero? After all, what do offended people do! And moles, apparently, too. So with this ending, we just had a reason to discuss possible options and reflect.
I also liked how the mole wears an unidentified poop on its head. In the cartoon, when he greets the cow, he also raises it like a hat. But most of all I liked the author's suggestion to respect children's interests.

Hope Pantyulina,
employee of the State Biological Museum named after K.A. Timiryazev

Do you want to watch a cartoon?
Perhaps he will reconcile you with the book:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XwMESXpA3o&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1EMZGFHu_Y

"Little mole ..." through the eyes of foreign readers

The book about the little mole was first published in 1989. It has been translated into almost 30 languages. It is discussed both on Internet forums and on bookselling sites. But foreign readers react to it not at all as sharply as users of the "Russian" Internet. Of course, there are those in Western networks who (for more than 20 years) are outraged by the very topic of the book. There are also users who believe that books for children that talk about the natural functions of the body have a right to exist, but should serve a purely practical purpose - to teach a child to potty.
The main claim to the book is related to the ending of the story: they say, it teaches the child to take revenge, to follow the principle of "an eye for an eye." But such reviews are relatively few. For example, on one German site, the book received 98 times the rating of "five" and only 7 times - the rating of "one".
The main advantage of the book, site visitors believe that the book is very funny. It's funny for both adults and children. They also note that a children's book does not necessarily have to have deep morality. Adults often read just for fun, and kids have a right to it too. And many parents find a way to make this book useful: with its help, they teach children to identify animals by the left "footprints", talk about why these "footprints" are so different, about where which animals live and what they eat.
Parents write that the mole's revenge on the dog in this book is, first of all, funny. A small mole takes revenge on a huge sleeping dog, who, upon waking up, is unlikely to notice anything, and therefore will not know that he offended the mole. Someone, however, after reading the tale explains to the child that it is better not to take revenge, but to talk with your offender.
Some parents note that this tale is replete with euphemisms and onomatopoeia, so reading has a positive effect on the development of children's speech. And adults get an additional reason to talk with the baby about the language.

Parents of children who had problems with reading write: the book is not serious, but interesting for any child. Our child "Little Mole ..." helped to start reading independently.
Examples are given of the positive impact of the book on children who for some reason were afraid to go to the toilet or suffered from neurotic constipation. As a rule, such children also have problems with pronouncing a topic that is painful for them. And if you read this book to a child several times, then the topic is “legalized”, ceases to be painful and frightening. The child seems to get the right to call a spade a spade. This helps to deal with the problem itself.
And one review even says that this book was read aloud to students in class by a college professor, illustrating the positivist approach to scientific inquiry adopted in the 19th century!

Prepared by Elizaveta Prudovskaya
Based on materials from amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.de

Story " The little mole who wanted to know who had put it on his head" Werner Holzwarth and Wolf Erlbruch was first published in German in 1989. In a short time...

This short story was a revelation in fiction for children, "legalizing" the theme of the natural functions of the human body. A terrible thing happened to the little mole one morning. Something that looked like a small sausage fell on his head. The brave little hero starts an investigation to find the offender and take revenge on him.
It is worth typing the word "mole" in any Internet search engine and adding the colloquial analogue of the scientific "excrement" to it, and you will get hundreds of links to a variety of portals and websites, blogs and forums: a scanned (most often in Czech version) book about a small mole has become one of the cult topics of the last decade in the Russian zone of the network. The publishing house "Melik-Pashayev" takes the liberty of presenting to our readers the story of the mole, in the form of a real book.
The short story "The little mole who wanted to know who put it on his head" by Werner Holzwarth and Wolf Erlbruch was first published in German in 1989. In a short time, this story was published in more than 30 languages ​​and became a recognized bestseller in many countries. In 2002, a theatrical production about a mole was released at the Edinburgh Festival. Based on the book, an animated film in German was also made.
The book is fantastically funny. There is no scientific information in it, no livestock descriptions, but everyone understands what is at stake. Therefore, it is not only funny, but also informative. The illustrations by Wolf Erlblruh, professor at the University of Düsseldorf, teacher of design, are drawn with great taste, do not contain any rudeness or unnecessary details.
Now in the West, "Little Mole" is already considered a classic among picture books. The book was nominated for the German Prize for Children's Literature. It continues to inspire great enthusiasm among young and large readers. We are sure that the mole's funny adventures will not leave indifferent Russian readers: from kids interested in the "forbidden" topic to young people who love unusual and funny gifts.

A little mole who wanted to know who pooped on his head. One morning, a small mole leaned out of its hole to see if the sun had already risen. Suddenly, something fell right on his head. It was something brown that looked like a sausage. What does it mean! The mole screamed! Someone pooped on my head? The blind-sighted mole did not have time to see who it was. Did you poop on my head? - he asked a dove that flew by. No, what are you, I do it this way! - answered the dove! And squish! A liquid white blot spread on the ground right in front of the small mole, splashing all over his right paw. Did you poop on my head? he asked the horse, which had set off in the meadow. I? No, something you! I do it like this! And boom boom! Five solid horse apples fell from above. The mole was simply shocked. Did you poop on my head? he asked the hare. I? no something you! I do it like this! And waste that. Fifteen round pellets almost hit the mole. He barely managed to jump back. Did you poop on my head? he asked a dreamy goat walking nearby. I? No, something you! I do it like this! She answered. And plum plum. A handful of small caramel-colored balls rolled across the ground. The mole examined them with interest and found them almost attractive. Did you poop on my head? he asked a fat cow that was chewing on grass. I? No, something you! I do it like this! And slap! A large brown-green pancake spread over the grass. “What a blessing that it wasn’t a car that pooped on my head,” thought the mole. Did you poop on my head? - he rushed to the pig. I? No, something you! I do it like this! And plop, a soft smelly bunch was right in front of the mole. He immediately pinched his nose. It's you? He was about to ask again. But coming closer, he saw two fat black flies. They were having lunch. Who will help me! he thought. Who pooped on my head? Whose poop is this? he asked impatiently. Calmly! Flies buzzed. And after a couple of minutes announced! All clear! This is a dog! Finally, the mole found out who his offender is! Rex, the shameless butcher's dog! With lightning speed the mole climbed onto the doghouse and booms, a tiny black sausage landed right on the forehead of the huge dog. The little mole was happy! Now he could safely return to his hole underground.

Reviews about the book:

At all times, simple "everyday" affairs were explained to children by mothers. And nothing, humanity has somehow existed for thousands of years. Well, if someone needs such benefits, then, it must be admitted, these mothers do not want or cannot talk with their children even about such elementary things ....

Svetlana Z., 6

I think many people have heard about this book. And I think that opinions about her are divided: someone likes her, and someone considers her terrible, but they are unlikely to remain indifferent. So, I am one of those people who like the book. Yes, not in everything. But I think that it should be in a house where small children grow up. For those who are not familiar with the book, I will tell the story: a little mole was pooped on his head, but he did not have time to see who did it and walks and looks for who did it, and all the animals show him how they poop and what kind of poop. As a result, he finds two flies who say that the dog did it and the mole poops on his head in response. Yeah ... the ending let us down ... quietly shit the offender in response and run away ... not the best example for children, so I don’t read the end of the story to my son, I invent my own. I will say that I do not see anything wrong with the topic of poop, moreover, I consider it an absolutely natural and normal topic, just as I explain to the child how important it is to brush their teeth, exactly the same way I discuss with him the topic that everyone poops and it is important to do it regularly and in a comfortable environment, never rush, do not be shy about it, eat healthy food rich in fiber for the normal functioning of the intestines. I have a negative attitude towards American films where everyone farts and laughs, but I think that if this topic is raised in the right place and at the right time (for example, in the toilet when the child is sitting on the potty) it is only good. Therefore, this book lies with us next to the pot, and thanks to it, by the way, the child began to poop on the pot. I met many children who were embarrassed about their poop, believed that they were doing bad things, hid from their parents, endured for several days, and then pooped with crying. It's only the parents' fault, many people think it's disgusting to change a crap-up diaper, or even worse, they will say something like "fu, well, you stink!". I think this is a big trauma for a small person. Then people grow up and having problems with this area are afraid to go to the doctor or talk about their symptoms, triggering the disease. So the topic of poop should be treated quite calmly and usually. I remember when I was still at the institute (and I graduated from the Medical Academy), I made a report on the topic of functional constipation, and so even the Bristol scale of feces with pictures eats, it is shown at conferences all over the world, adults discuss the problem of defecation and the shape of feces absolutely calmly, so why are we afraid to show children pictures of poop, why we have so few such books, but in European bookstores there are much more of them? !

Labutina Julia, 34, Russia, Moscow

As a dad, and as myself, I am indifferent to such things. Well, poop and poop. You can also laugh. They bought it more as just a joke artifact of children's book publishing, like most, I think. Vryat-whether someone is directly burning with a desire to dedicate as soon as possible a child into the secrets of defecation of large and small livestock ... Purely as a joke. Why not... However, when you stumble across the Internet - it's funny. When you show a book to friends for laughs, it's funny. When you undertake to read to your child, the question arises: what the hell is the child’s attention to be occupied with such toilet topics? It goes without saying, of course, what is natural is not ugly. It's clear. But it is also natural for the Parent to filter incoming information towards more useful and higher knowledge and skills, and the topic of this book is very, very suspicious in this regard. Moreover, it would be nice if the mole there just for the child did his best in terms of research: who is what and who how, because this stubborn animal in the end vindictively shits on the head of its offender ... And in this place, indignation is mixed with slight bewilderment. After all, the essence of a fairy tale, any, even if it is on such a playful-fecal topic, is to help a child, using the example of animals, learn to CORRECTLY solve simple everyday situations. Every parent should know and understand this. And here, not only is curiosity (which in itself is commendable, of course) spreads to a dubious area of ​​\u200b\u200blife activity (not worth, in my humble daddy's opinion, such attention), but as a result it also leads to rather negative conclusions - you are on shit your head, well, you find the offender and give him a shit... And this is no longer a giggle-hahanki, I'll tell you, but an objective and very specific harm. Since for the sake of fun, a rather negative attitude is accidentally given to the child. Well, in the end, I think: money, time and children's attention can be used much more usefully than this book misunderstanding. About poop, he himself will understand everything in the process of life, if necessary ...

As a rule, the "Little Mole" is scolded for describing physiological processes that every child should certainly imagine, but they should not be discussed in too much detail. I think it's a matter of perception. For me, this is first and foremost a book about nature. I don’t remember at all which of the adults once explained to me the difference between the waste products of a cow and a horse, but when I become an adult and find myself, for example, in the forest, I certainly will not confuse the parking of a boar and the parking of a hare. Unfortunately, the city child is cut off from many of the natural phenomena that his ancestors observed daily in the countryside, treating them quite calmly. One way or another, a book about a mole can correct this situation. In addition, there is no rudeness and ambiguity in the filing of a delicate issue in the Mole. In contrast, by the way, from the well-known "competitor" - Taro Gomi's book "Everybody Poos" (Taro Gomi, 'Everybody Poos'), whose reading sometimes leads to a situation where the child begins to consider physiological processes as extremely funny and funny, producing them in completely inappropriate place. Unfortunately, Russian publishers transcribe the author's name in different ways - it is worth adding that Wolf Erlbruch (Erlbruch) is also the author of such good children's books as Drozd Frau Mayer and Bear Miracle. The publication itself is quite high quality (paper, printing and translation).