Kuunneltiin äänikirjana lasten kanssa autoillessa. Ehkä lievä pettymys itselleni, eivätkä lapsetkaan kauheasti innostuneet. Etenee vähän tylsän hitaasti, eivätkä keittoa syövät traktorit jaksa naurattaa kaiken nähneitä ja kuulleita nykylapsia tai -aikuisia. Tätä ei muuten meinaa löytää fyysisenä kirjana mistään. ( )

Hilarious. The translator managed to capture some rhymes and other word-play. The implausible plot was sufficiently justified so it was easy to suspend disbelief. If you or your child (age 4-12) has ever wanted to set up housekeeping with talking animal friends and full freedom, you'll enjoy sharing this story. Also recommended if you're a fan of such as Pippi Longstocking or, of course, Puss in Boots. ( )

Originally published in 1974, and first translated into English in 1993, this classic Russian children's novel has languished unread on my shelves for a number of years now, and might have continued to do so, had it not been chosen as our April selection, over in the International Children's Book Club to which I belong. Thank goodness is was, as I enjoyed reading Uncle Fedya, His Dog, and His Cat immensely!

A humorous tale of an earnest young boy - nicknamed "Uncle Fedya" because he is so serious - who loves animals of all kinds, and decides to run away, when his parents won't let him keep the talking cat he brings home one day, it had a merrily surreal quality that I found very appealing, and that young readers are sure to enjoy. A talking cat and dog - Mr. Matroskin and Sharik - join Uncle Fedya on his journey into the country, where the three take up residence in a recently vacated home (abandoned by its residents, who have moved to a nearby apartment hi-rise), dig up some buried treasure, and buy a recalcitrant fabric-eating cow for the penny-pinching Mr. Matroskin, a food-run tractor named Tr-Tr Mitya for Uncle Fedya, and a shotgun and game-bag for would-be hunter Sharik. Many entertaining adventures and misadventures ensue, including some hilarious pranks played on Pechkin the Postmaster, before Uncle Fedya is reunited with his worried parents, and the issue of whether or not to allow animal companions is happily resolved.

The humor here ranges from sly asides - Uncle Fedya's father chooses his mother over the cat, because he has known her "for ages," while he's "never seen the cat before" - to slapstick scenes such as those involving Jack Grabbit the jackdaw, or Pechkin the postmaster. Some "important" ideas - that children should be allowed to be children, that animals and humans needs one another, that it is important to protect the natural world - are incorporated into the story, but never in a didactic way that distracts from the fun. This is easy reading, with short chapters and engaging illustrations, and is ideally suited to younger chapter-book beginners looking for amusing and fantastic tales. I enjoyed Uncle Fedya, His Dog, and His Cat so much that I plan to track down some of Uspensky's other titles, like The Little Warranty People! Highly recommended to young readers, and to anyone interested in Russian children's literature! ( )