An ant was sitting on a tree with a large leaf, sitting and thinking, and suddenly noticed how quickly the sun began to set and how quickly it began to get dark.
Suddenly a strong wind blew and blew the poor ant from the tree down to the ground. The ant got up and felt pain in his legs and realized that he would not have time to get home before nightfall. And suddenly the ant saw a caterpillar and climbed onto it, but realized that the caterpillar was very chalk and jumped off it. Then the ant found a spider and asked for his help, the spider allowed it and the ant climbed in, but it was very slow and the ant jumped off the spider.
An ant was walking and found a ground beetle and asked for her help, the ant climbed in, the ground beetle carried it very quickly across the fields. The ant got down and saw the wall, but did not know how to overcome it, and the ant saw the grasshopper and climbed on it and in one jump they ended up on the other side of the wall. The ant thanked the blacksmith and moved on, and meanwhile it was getting darker and the ant saw a tree and climbed onto it.
But there was an evil caterpillar on the tree that didn’t want to let him through, and the ant bit her and they both fell to the traveler, who instantly carried them home before it got dark.
Picture or drawing The Adventures of an Ant
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Bianchi Vitaly
Like an ant hurrying home
Vitaly Valentinovich Bianchi
Like an ant hurrying home
An ant climbed onto a birch tree. He climbed to the top, looked down, and there, on the ground, his native anthill was barely visible.
The ant sat down on a leaf and thought: “I’ll rest a little and then go down.”
The ants are strict: only when the sun sets, everyone runs home. The sun will set, and the ants will close all the passages and exits - and go to sleep. And whoever is late can at least spend the night on the street.
The sun was already descending towards the forest.
An ant sits on a leaf and thinks: “It’s okay, I’ll hurry up: it’s time to go down.”
But the leaf was bad: yellow, dry. The wind blew and tore it off the branch.
The leaf rushes through the forest, across the river, through the village.
An ant flies on a leaf, sways - almost alive from fear. The wind carried the leaf to a meadow outside the village and dropped it there. The leaf fell on a stone, and the ant knocked off his legs.
He lies there and thinks: “My little head is gone. I can’t get to home now. The place is flat all around. If I were healthy, I would get there right away, but the problem is: my legs hurt. It’s a shame, you could even bite the ground.”
The Ant looks: the Land Surveyor Caterpillar lies nearby. A worm is a worm, only there are legs in front and legs in the back.
The ant says to the Land Surveyor:
Surveyor, Surveyor, carry me home. My legs hurt.
Aren't you going to bite?
I won't bite.
Well, sit down, I'll give you a ride.
The ant climbed onto the Land Surveyor's back. He bent in an arc, put his hind legs to his front ones, and his tail to his head. Then he suddenly stood up to his full height and lay down on the ground with a stick. He measured on the ground how tall he was, and again hunched himself into an arch. So he went, and so he went to measure the land.
The ant flies to the ground, then to the sky, then upside down, then up.
I can't do it anymore! - shouts. - Stop! Otherwise I'll bite you!
The Surveyor stopped and stretched out along the ground. The ant got down and could barely catch his breath.
He looked around and saw: a meadow ahead, in the meadow there was mown grass. And the Haymaker Spider walks across the meadow: his legs are like stilts, his head swings between his legs.
Spider, oh Spider, carry me home! My legs hurt.
Well, sit down, I'll give you a ride.
The Ant had to climb up the spider's leg to the knee, and from the knee down to the Spider's back: the Haymaker's knees stick out higher than his back.
The Spider began to rearrange his stilts - one leg here, the other there; all eight legs, like knitting needles, flashed in Ant’s eyes. But the Spider does not walk quickly, his belly scratches along the ground. Ant is tired of this kind of driving. He almost bit the Spider. Yes, here, fortunately, they came out on a smooth path.
The Spider stopped.
Get down, he says. - There’s the Ground Beetle running, it’s faster than me.
Ant's tears.
Zhuzhelka, Zhuzhelka, carry me home! My legs hurt.
Sit down, I'll give you a ride.
As soon as the Ant managed to climb onto the Ground Beetle's back, she started running! Her legs are straight, like a horse's.
A six-legged horse runs, runs, does not shake, as if flying through the air.
We quickly reached a potato field.
“Now get down,” says the Ground Beetle. - It’s not with my feet to jump on potato beds. Take another horse.
I had to get down.
Potato tops for Ant are a dense forest. Here, even with healthy legs, you can run all day. And the sun is already low.
Suddenly Ant hears someone squeaking:
Come on, Ant, climb on my back and let’s jump.
The Ant turned around - the Flea Bug was standing next to him, just visible from the ground.
Yes you are small! You can't lift me up.
And you are big! Climb, I say.
Somehow the Ant fit on the Flea's back. I just installed the legs.
Well, I got in.
And you got in, so hang in there.
The flea picked up its thick hind legs - and they were like springs, foldable - and click! - straightened them. Look, he's already sitting in the garden. Click! - another. Click! - on third.
So the whole garden snapped away right up to the fence.
The ant asks:
Can you go through the fence?
I can’t cross the fence: it’s very tall. You ask the Grasshopper: he can.
Grasshopper, Grasshopper, carry me home! My legs hurt.
Sit on the back of your neck.
The Ant sat on the Grasshopper's neck.
The grasshopper folded its long hind legs in half, then straightened them all at once and jumped high into the air, like a flea. But then, with a crash, the wings unfolded behind his back, carried the Grasshopper over the fence and quietly lowered him to the ground.
Stop! - said the Grasshopper. - We've arrived.
The ant looks ahead, and there is a wide river: if you swim along it for a year, you won’t be able to cross it.
And the sun is even lower.
Grasshopper says:
I can’t even jump across the river: it’s too wide. Wait a minute, I’ll call Water Strider: there will be a carrier for you.
It crackled in its own way, and lo and behold, a boat on legs was running through the water.
She ran up. No, not a boat, but a Water Strider-Bug.
Water meter, Water meter, carry me home! My legs hurt.
Okay, sit down, I'll move you.
Ant sat down. The water meter jumped and walked on the water as if it were dry land.
And the sun is very low.
Dear, darling! - asks Ant. - They won’t let me go home.
It could be better, says Vodomer.
Yes, he’ll let it go! He pushes off, pushes off with his legs and rolls and glides through the water as if on ice. I quickly found myself on the other side.
But you can’t do it on the ground? - asks Ant.
It’s hard for me on the ground, my feet don’t slide. And look: there’s a forest ahead. Look for another horse.
Ant looked ahead and saw: there was a tall forest above the river, up to the sky. And the sun had already disappeared behind him. No, Ant won't get home!
Look,” says the Water Meter, “the horse is crawling for you.”
The Ant sees: the May Khrushchev is crawling past - a heavy beetle, a clumsy beetle. Can you ride far on such a horse?
Still, I listened to the Water Meter.
Khrushchev, Khrushchev, carry me home! My legs hurt.
And where did you live?
In an anthill behind the forest.
Far away... well, what should I do with you? Sit down, I'll take you there.
Ant climbed up the bug's hard side.
Sat down, or what?
Where did you sit?
On the back.
Eh, stupid! Get on your head.
The Ant climbed onto the Beetle's head. And it’s good that he didn’t stay on his back: the Beetle broke his back in two, raising two rigid wings. The Beetle's wings are like two inverted troughs, and from under them other wings climb and unfold: thin, transparent, wider and longer than the upper ones.
The Beetle began to puff and pout: “Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!”
It's like the engine is starting.
Uncle, asks Ant, hurry up! Darling, live up!
The Beetle doesn’t answer, he just puffs: “Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!”
Suddenly the thin wings fluttered and began to work. “Zhzhzh! Knock-knock-knock!..” Khrushch rose into the air. Like a cork, the wind threw him upward - above the forest.
The ant from above sees: the sun has already touched the ground with its edge.
The way Khrushch ran off took Ant’s breath away.
"Zhzhzh! Knock-knock-knock!" - the Beetle rushes, drilling the air like a bullet.
The forest flashed beneath him and disappeared.
And here is the familiar birch tree, and the anthill under it.
Just above the top of the birch the Beetle turned off the engine and - plop! - sat down on a branch.
Uncle, dear! - Ant begged. - How can I go down? My legs hurt, I’ll break my neck.
The beetle folded its thin wings along its back. Covered the top with hard troughs. The tips of the thin wings were carefully placed under the troughs.
He thought and said:
I don’t know how you can get downstairs. I won’t fly into an anthill: you ants bite too painfully. Get there yourself as best you can.
Ant looked down, and there, right under the birch tree, was his home.
I looked at the sun: the sun had already sunk waist-deep into the ground.
He looked around him: twigs and leaves, leaves and twigs.
You can't get Ant home, even if you throw yourself upside down! Suddenly he sees: the Leafroller Caterpillar is sitting on a leaf nearby, pulling a silk thread out of itself, pulling it and winding it on a twig.
Caterpillar, Caterpillar, take me home! I have one last minute left - they won’t let me go home to spend the night.
Leave me alone! You see, I’m doing the job: I’m spinning yarn.
Everyone felt sorry for me, no one drove me away, you are the first!
Ant couldn't resist and rushed at her and bit her!
Out of fright, the Caterpillar tucked its legs and somersaulted off the leaf - and flew down.
And Ant is hanging on it - he grabbed it tightly. They only fell for a short time: something came from above them - jerk!
And they both swayed on a silk thread: the thread was wound on a twig.
The Ant is swinging on the Leaf Roller, like on a swing. And the thread keeps getting longer, longer, longer: it unwinds from Leafroller’s abdomen, stretches, and doesn’t break. The Ant and the Leafworm are falling lower, lower, lower.
And below, in the anthill, the ants are busy, hurrying, closing the entrances and exits.
Everything was closed - one, the last, entrance remained. The Ant and the Caterpillar somersault and go home!
Then the sun went down.
Vitaly BIANCHI.
This wonderful fairy tale, well known to everyone, was seen in nature and captured by photographer Pavel Korzunovich. True, not all insects in the photographs correspond to the heroes of the fairy tale, so let us explain: the role of the land surveyor and the leaf roller caterpillar is played by the moth moth caterpillar, the flea beetle is the psyllid flea, and the May beetle is the bandaged waxweed. But the ant itself, as well as the haymaker spider, grasshopper, water strider and ground beetle, are real characters. So…
Science and life // Illustrations
Science and life // Illustrations
Science and life // Illustrations
Science and life // Illustrations
Science and life // Illustrations
Science and life // Illustrations
Science and life // Illustrations
Science and life // Illustrations
Science and life // Illustrations
Science and life // Illustrations
Science and life // Illustrations
Science and life // Illustrations
Science and life // Illustrations
Science and life // Illustrations
Science and life // Illustrations
Science and life // Illustrations
Science and life // Illustrations
Science and life // Illustrations
An ant climbed onto a birch tree. He climbed to the top, looked down, and there, on the ground, his native anthill was barely visible.
The ant sat down on a leaf and thought: “I’ll rest a little and then go down.”
The ants are strict: when the sun sets, everyone runs home. The sun will set, the ants will close all the passages and exits - and sleep. And whoever is late can at least spend the night on the street.
The sun was already descending towards the forest.
An ant sits on a leaf and thinks: “It’s okay, I’ll hurry up: it’s time to go down.”
But the leaf was bad: yellow, dry. The wind blew and tore it off the branch.
A leaf flies through the forest, over the river, over the village.
An ant flies on a leaf, sways - almost alive from fear.
The wind carried the leaf to a meadow outside the village and dropped it there.
A leaf fell on a stone and the ant knocked off its legs. He lies and thinks: “My little head is gone! I can't get home now. The area is flat all around. If I were healthy, I would run straight away, but here’s the problem: my legs hurt. It’s a shame, even if you bite the ground.”
An ant looks and a surveyor caterpillar lies nearby. A worm is a worm, only in front of the leg and behind the leg.
The ant says to the surveyor:
Land surveyor, surveyor, carry me home! My legs hurt.
Aren't you going to bite?
I won't bite.
Well, sit down, I'll give you a ride.
The ant climbed onto the surveyor's back. He bent in an arc, put his hind legs to his front, his tail to his head. Then he suddenly stood up to his full height and lay down on the ground with a stick. He measured out on the ground how tall he was, and again hunched himself into an arc. So he went, and so he went to measure the land. The ant flies to the ground, then to the sky - sometimes upside down, sometimes upside down.
I can’t take it anymore,” he shouts, “stop!” Otherwise I'll bite you.
The surveyor stopped and stretched out along the ground. The ant got down and could barely catch his breath.
I looked around. He sees a meadow ahead, there is mown grass in the meadow. And a haymaker spider walks across the meadow: its legs are like stilts, its head swings between its legs.
Spider, oh spider, carry me home! My legs hurt.
Well, sit down, I'll give you a ride.
The ant had to climb up the spider's leg to the knee, and from the knee down to the spider's back: the haymaker's knees stick out higher than his back.
The spider began to rearrange its stilts - one leg here, the other there: all eight legs, like knitting needles, flashed in the ant’s eyes. But the spider does not walk quickly, its belly scratches along the ground. The ant is tired of this kind of driving. He almost got bitten by a spider. Yes, here, fortunately, they came out on a smooth path. The spider stopped.
Get down, he says. - Here is a ground beetle running, it is faster than me.
The ant tears up.
Groundhog, groundbird, carry me home! My legs hurt.
Sit down, I'll give you a ride.
As soon as the ant had time to climb onto the ground beetle’s back, it began to run! Her legs are straight, like a horse's. A six-legged horse runs, it runs - it doesn’t shake, as if it’s flying through the air.
We quickly reached a potato field.
“Now get down,” says the ground beetle, “don’t jump over the potato beds with my feet.” Take another horse.
I had to get down.
Potato tops for an ant are a dense forest. Here you can run all day with healthy legs, and the sun is already low.
Suddenly an ant hears someone squeaking:
Come on, ant, climb on my back and let’s jump.
The ant turned around - there was a flea beetle standing nearby, just visible from the ground.
Yes you are small! You can't lift me up.
And you are big! Climb, I say.
Somehow the ant fit on the flea's back. I just installed the legs.
Well, I got in.
And you got in, so hang in there.
The flea picked up his thick hind legs, and they folded like springs - and click! - straightened them. Look, he's already sitting in the garden. Click! - another. Click! - on third.
This is how the flea broke out all over the garden, right up to the fence.
The ant asks:
Can you go through the fence?
I can’t cross the fence: it’s very tall. Just ask a grasshopper: he can do it.
Grasshopper, grasshopper, carry me home! My legs hurt.
Sit on the back of your neck.
An ant sat on the grasshopper's neck.
The grasshopper folded its long hind legs in half, then straightened them at once, as if shooting itself into the air. With a crash, the wings unfolded, carried him over the fence and quietly lowered him to the ground.
Stop! - says the grasshopper. - We've arrived.
The ant looks ahead, and there is a river: if you swim along it for a year, you won’t be able to cross it.
And the sun is even lower.
Grasshopper says:
I can’t even jump across the river: it’s too wide. Wait a minute, I’ll call the water strider: there will be a carrier for you.
It crackled in its own way, and lo and behold, a boat on legs was running through the water.
She ran up.
No, not a boat, but a bug water strider.
Water meter, water meter, carry me home! My legs hurt.
Okay, sit down, I'll move you.
The ant sat down. The water meter jumped and walked on the water as if it were dry land.
And the sun is very low.
Darling, better! - asks the ant. - They won’t let me go home.
It could be better, says the water meter.
Yes, he’ll let it go! He pushes off, pushes off with his legs and rolls and glides through the water as if on ice. I quickly found myself on the other side.
But you can’t do it on the ground? - asks the ant.
It’s difficult for me on the ground: my feet don’t slide. And look: there’s a forest ahead. Look for another horse.
The ant looked forward and saw: there was a tall forest above the river, up to the sky. And the sun had already disappeared behind him.
No, the ant can't get home!
“Look,” says the water-meter, “there the horse is crawling for you.”
An ant sees: a May beetle is crawling past - a heavy beetle, a clumsy beetle. Can you ride far on such a horse?
Still, I listened to the water meter.
Khrushchev, Khrushchev, carry me home! My legs hurt.
And where did you live?
In an anthill behind the forest.
Far away... Well, what should we do with you? Sit down, I'll take you there.
An ant climbed up the hard side of the beetle.
Sat down, or what?
Where did you sit?
On the back.
Eh, stupid! Get on your head.
An ant climbed onto a beetle's head. And it’s good that he didn’t stay on his back: the beetle broke its back in two and raised two rigid wings. The beetle's wings are like two inverted troughs; and from under them other wings climb and unfold: thin, transparent, wider and longer than the upper ones.
The beetle began to puff and puff: oof, oof, oof! It's like the engine is starting.
Uncle, the ant asks, hurry up! Darling, live up!
The beetle doesn't answer, it just puffs: oof, oof, oof!
Suddenly the thin wings fluttered and started working - zhzhzh! Knock-Knock!..
The Khrushchev rose into the air. Like a cork, the wind threw him up, above the forest.
The ant from above sees: the sun has already touched the ground with its edge.
As the Khrushchev rushed off, it even took the ant’s breath away.
Lzhzh! Knock-Knock! The beetle rushes, drilling the air like a bullet.
The forest flashed beneath him and disappeared.
And here is the familiar birch tree, an anthill under it.
Just above the top of the birch tree the beetle turned off the engine and - plop! - sat down on a branch.
Uncle, dear! - the ant begged. - How can I go down? My legs hurt, I’ll break my neck.
The beetle folded its thin wings along its back. Covered the top with hard troughs. The tips of the thin wings were carefully placed under the troughs. He thought and said:
And I don’t know how you can get down. I won’t fly into an anthill: you ants bite too painfully. Get there as best you can.
The ant looked down, and there, right under the birch tree, was his home. I looked at the sun: the sun had already sunk waist-deep into the ground.
He looked around him - branches and leaves, leaves and twigs. Don't let the ant get home, even if you throw yourself upside down!
Suddenly he sees: a leaf roller caterpillar is sitting on a leaf nearby, pulling a silk thread out of itself, pulling it and winding it on a twig.
Caterpillar, caterpillar, take me home! I have one last minute left - they won’t let me go home to spend the night.
Leave me alone! You see, I’m doing the job - spinning yarn.
Everyone felt sorry for me, no one drove me away, you are the first!
The ant couldn’t resist and rushed at her and bit her!
Out of fright, the caterpillar curled up its legs and somersaulted off the leaf! - and flew down. And the ant was hanging on it, clinging tightly.
They only fell for a short time: something came from above them - a jerk!
And they both swayed on a silk thread: the thread was wound on a twig.
An ant swings on a leaf roller, like on a swing. And the thread becomes longer, longer, longer: it unwinds from the belly of the leaf roller, stretches, and does not break.
The ant and the leaf roller are falling lower, lower, lower.
And below, in the anthill, the ants are busy and in a hurry: the entrances and exits are closed.
Everything was closed, only one - the last - entrance remained.
Ant from the caterpillar - somersault! - and go home.
Then the sun went down.
Details for the curious
HOW ANTS FIND THEIR HOME
Y. FROLOV, biologist.
In fact, how does an ant find its home after a foray for food or building material?
Firstly, by smell. Ants have a special gland that leaves a fragrant trail on the ground where the ant runs. He follows this trail and returns to where he came from.
Secondly, by the nature of the surrounding area. Many species of ants have sharp enough vision to see and remember noticeable landmarks.
Thirdly, by the Sun, and if the Sun is hidden behind clouds - by polarized light. (Sunlight, passing through the atmosphere, scatters and acquires a special property - polarization. You and I don’t notice without special devices, but ants, bees and some other animals perfectly see polarized light.) And certain types of ants at night navigate by bright stars .
Finally, biologists recently discovered that the ant has its own magnetic compass. Entomologists from the Panama Institute of Tropical Research snatched the ants from their usual path, turned them around at random, and dropped them back to the ground nearby, where no terrestrial or celestial landmarks were visible. Most insects did not look for a familiar path, but went straight “off-road” to their anthill and found it. Suspecting that a magnetic compass was at work here, the experimenters subjected the insects to powerful magnetic pulses - and they lost their way. And when an electromagnet was placed under the road, which turned the earth’s magnetic field 180 degrees, the ants confidently walked in the opposite direction from the anthill.
An ant climbed onto a birch tree. He climbed to the top, looked down, and there, on the ground, his native anthill was barely visible.
The ant sat on a leaf and thought:
“I’ll rest a little and then go down.”
The ants are strict: only when the sun sets, everyone runs home. The sun will set, the ants will close all the passages and exits, and go to sleep. And whoever is late can at least spend the night on the street.
The sun was already descending towards the forest.
An ant sits on a piece of paper and thinks:
“It’s okay, I’ll hurry: we’ll go down quickly.”
But the leaf was bad: yellow, dry. The wind blew and tore it off the branch. The leaf rushes through the forest, across the river, through the village.
An ant flies on a leaf, sways - almost alive from fear. The wind carried the leaf to a meadow outside the village and dropped it there. The leaf fell on a stone, and the ant knocked off his legs. He lies and thinks:
“My head is missing. I can't get home now. The area is flat all around. If I were healthy, I would run straight away, but here’s the problem: my legs hurt. It’s a shame, even if you bite the ground.”
The Ant looks: the Land Surveyor Caterpillar lies nearby. Worm-like, only in front there are legs and in the back there are legs.
The ant says to the Land Surveyor:
- Surveyor, Surveyor, carry me home. My legs hurt.
- Aren’t you going to bite?
- I won’t bite.
- Well, sit down, I’ll give you a ride.
The ant climbed onto the Land Surveyor's back. He bent in an arc, put his hind legs to his front, and his tail to his head. Then he suddenly stood up to his full height and lay down on the ground with a stick. He measured on the ground how tall he was, and again hunched himself into an arch. So he went, and so he went to measure the land. The ant flies to the ground, then to the sky, then upside down, then up.
- I can’t take it anymore! - shouts. - Stop! Otherwise I'll bite you!
The Surveyor stopped and stretched out along the ground. The ant got down and could barely catch his breath.
He looked around and saw: a meadow ahead, in the meadow there was mown grass.
And the Haymaker Spider walks across the meadow: his legs are like stilts, his head swings between his legs.
- Spider, and Spider, take me home! My legs hurt.
- Well, sit down, I’ll give you a ride.
The Ant had to climb up the spider's leg to the knee, and from the knee down to the Spider's back: the Haymaker's knees stick out higher than his back.
The Spider began to rearrange his stilts - one leg here, the other there; all eight legs, like knitting needles, flashed in Ant’s eyes. But the Spider does not walk quickly, his belly scratches along the ground. Ant is tired of this kind of driving. He almost bit the Spider. Yes, here, fortunately, they came out on a smooth path.
The Spider stopped.
“Get down,” he says. - Here the Ground Beetle is running, she is faster than me.
Ant's tears.
- Zhuzhelka, Zhuzhelka, carry me home! My legs hurt.
- Sit down, I’ll give you a ride.
As soon as the Ant managed to climb onto the Ground Beetle's back, she started running! Her legs are straight, like a horse's.
A six-legged horse runs, runs, does not shake, as if flying through the air.
We quickly reached a potato field.
“Now get down,” says the Ground Beetle. “It’s not with my feet to jump over potato beds.” Take another horse.
I had to get down.
Potato tops for Ant are a dense forest. Here, even with healthy legs, you can run all day. And the sun is already low.
Suddenly Ant hears: someone is squeaking.
“Come on, Ant, climb on my back and let’s jump.” The Ant turned around and saw the Flea Bug standing next to him, just visible from the ground.
- Yes, you are small! You can't lift me up.
- And you’re big! Climb, I say.
Somehow the Ant fit on Flea's back. I just installed the legs.
- Well, I got in.
- And you got in, so hold on.
The flea picked up his thick hind legs - and they were like collapsible springs - and click! — straightened them. Look, he's already sitting in the garden. Click! - another. Click! - on third.
So the whole garden was peeled off right up to the fence.
The ant asks:
-Can you go through the fence?
“I can’t cross the fence: it’s very tall.” You ask the Grasshopper: he can.
- Grasshopper, Grasshopper, carry me home! My legs hurt.
- Sit on the scruff of the neck.
The Ant sat on the Grasshopper's neck.
The grasshopper folded its long hind legs in half, then straightened them all at once and jumped high into the air, like a flea. But then, with a crash, the wings unfolded behind his back, carried the Grasshopper over the fence and quietly lowered him to the ground.
- Stop! - said the Grasshopper. - We've arrived.
The ant looks ahead, and there is a river: if you swim along it for a year, you won’t be able to cross it.
And the sun is even lower.
Grasshopper says:
“I can’t even jump over the river.” It's very wide. Stop, I’ll call the water strider: there will be a carrier for you.
It crackled in its own way, and lo and behold, a boat with legs was running across the water.
She ran up. No, not a boat, but a Water Strider-Bedbug.
- Water meter, Water meter, carry me home! My legs hurt.
- Okay, sit down, I’ll move you.
Ant sat down. The water meter jumped and walked on the water as if it were dry land. And the sun is very low.
- Darling, quick! - asks Ant. “They won’t let me go home.”
“It could be better,” says Water Meter.
Yes, he’ll let it go! He pushes off, pushes off with his legs and rolls and glides through the water as if on ice. I quickly found myself on the other side.
-Can’t you do it on the ground? - asks Ant.
“It’s hard for me on the ground; my legs don’t slide.” And look: there’s a forest ahead. Look for another horse.
Ant looked forward and saw: there was a tall forest above the river, up to the sky. And the sun had already disappeared behind him. No, Ant won't get home!
“Look,” says the Water Meter, “here the horse is crawling for you.”
The Ant sees: the May Khrushchev is crawling past - a heavy beetle, a clumsy beetle.
Can you ride far on such a horse? Still, I listened to the Water Meter.
- Khrushchev, Khrushchev, carry me home. My legs hurt.
- And where did you live?
- In an anthill behind the forest.
- Far away... Well, what should we do with you? Sit down, I'll take you there.
Ant climbed up the hard side of the bug.
- Sat down, or what?
-Where did you sit?
- On the back.
- Eh, stupid! Get on your head.
The Ant climbed onto the Beetle's head.
And it’s good that he didn’t stay on his back: the Beetle broke his back in two, raising two rigid wings. The Beetle's wings are like two inverted troughs, and from under them other wings climb and unfold: thin, transparent, wider and longer than the upper ones.
The Beetle began to puff and pout: “Ugh, uh, uh!” It's like the engine is starting.
“Uncle,” asks Ant, “quickly!” Darling, live up!
The Beetle doesn’t answer, he just puffs: “Ugh, uh, ugh!”
Suddenly the thin wings fluttered and began to work.
- Lzhzh! Knock-knock-knock!.. - Khrushchev rose into the air. Like a cork, the wind threw him upward - above the forest.
The ant from above sees: the sun has already touched the ground with its edge.
The way Khrushch ran off took Ant’s breath away.
“Zhzhzh! Knock-Knock!" - the Beetle rushes, drilling the air like a bullet.
The forest flashed beneath him and disappeared. And here is the familiar birch tree, and the anthill under it. Just above the top of the birch the Beetle turned off the engine and - plop! - sat down on a branch.
- Uncle, dear! - Ant begged. - How can I go down? My legs hurt, I’ll break my neck.
The beetle folded its thin wings along its back. Covered the top with hard troughs. The tips of the thin wings were carefully placed under the troughs.
He thought and said:
“I don’t know how you can get down.” I won’t fly into an anthill: you ants bite too painfully. Get there yourself as best you can.
Ant looked down, and there, right under the birch tree, was his home.
I looked at the sun: the sun had already sunk waist-deep into the ground.
He looked around him: twigs and leaves, leaves and twigs. You can't get Ant home, even if you throw yourself upside down!
Suddenly he sees: next to him on a leaf the Leafworm Caterpillar is sitting, pulling a silk thread out of itself, pulling it and winding it on a twig.
- Caterpillar, Caterpillar, take me home! I have one last minute left - they won’t let me go home to spend the night.
- Leave me alone! You see, I’m doing the job: I’m spinning yarn.
- Everyone felt sorry for me, no one drove me away, you are the first!
Ant couldn’t resist, he rushed at her and bit her!
Out of fright, the Caterpillar tucked its legs and somersaulted off the leaf - and flew down.
And Ant is hanging on it - he grabbed it tightly. They only fell for a short time: something came from above them - a tug!
And they both swayed on a silk thread: the thread was wound on a twig.
The Ant is swinging on the Leafwheel, like on a swing. And the thread keeps getting longer, longer, longer: it unwinds from Leafroller’s abdomen, stretches, and doesn’t break.
The Ant and the Leafworm are falling lower, lower, lower.
And below, in the anthill, the ants are busy, hurrying, closing the entrances and exits.
Everything was closed - one, last, entrance remained. The ant somersaults from the caterpillar - and goes home!
Then the sun went down.
Vitaly Valentinovich Bianki (1894-1959) discovered nature by observing its representatives on the shore of the Gulf of Finland at his dacha in Lebyazhye. He was a naturalist writer, a hunter, and a local historian. When he wrote a fairy tale, he himself became one or the other insect, humanizing them. This is what happened with Bianchi’s fairy tale “How an ant hurried home.” The summary will introduce the reader to various bugs and boogers.
A little about the author
The writer wanted his stories and fairy tales to be interesting to both children and adults. Children who cannot read listen with interest to short fairy tales “Whose legs are these?”, “Who sings with what?”, “Where do crayfish spend the winter?”, as well as Bianchi’s short story “How an ant hurried home.” A brief summary of this story will be given below. Many, more than 300 stories, written by the author.
They have been translated into different languages. Illustrations for them were often made by his daughter, and 30 (!) illustrators also turned to them. His entertaining and instructive stories were published in many children's magazines: “Young Naturalist”, “Chizh”, “Friendly Guys”, “Bonfire”, “Iskorka”. One hundred and twenty books were published in separate editions. And, of course, there were cartoons. Among them there is a colorful hand-drawn film based on Bianchi’s fairy tale “How an ant hurried home.” We will tell you a brief summary of the tale later.
The film based on the work is called “Ant’s Journey”, scriptwriter and director
Encyclopedias about nature
Each story by V. Bianchi reveals something new and unknown to the reader. They contain facts and observations, describe the time of year and time of day when the action takes place. Every animal, bird, insect and plant is described with biological accuracy. To further interest the reader, the title often turns into a question or begins with the word “how.” This draws attention to the content of Bianchi’s fairy tale “How an ant hurried home.” The summary of this forest story immediately makes the reader aware of why the ant was in a hurry to get home. And gradually we get to know all his assistants.
Let's start reading a fairy tale
The sun was setting, and the ant was sitting at the very top of the birch tree. Below him was his native anthill. He had to hurry: with the last ray of sun, the ants were closing all the entrances and exits from their house. He sat down on a leaf to rest, so that later he could quickly go downstairs and have time to get into his home.
What happened next
The wind blew and tore a leaf from the birch tree, and the ant flew on it far, far beyond the river and beyond the village. This is how Bianchi begins to describe how the ant was hurrying home. Below is a brief summary of this amazing story. He fell along with the leaf onto a stone and hurt his paw painfully. The poor guy is very sad: now he definitely won’t make it home in time.
First Mates
His legs hurt and he can’t run. Suddenly the poor fellow sees the Land Surveyor Caterpillar and asks her to help.
“Sit down,” agrees the Caterpillar, “just don’t bite.” It turned out to be very uncomfortable to ride on it. She either bent into a high hump, or straightened into a stick. The ant was very tired and got off the uncomfortable “horse”. He sees the Haymaking Spider and asks to take him home. The spider agreed.
His legs are higher than his body. The baby climbed up the leg and then sat on the back. The spider's legs are like stilts, but it walks slowly. The ant won't make it home. Bianchi's story “How an ant hurried home” continues further.
Ground Beetle and Flea Beetle
When Spider saw the Ground Beetle, he said that she ran very fast and would instantly carry the ant home.
The Ground Beetle put the sick ant on top of her and quickly ran with all six legs. She ran to the potato field and parted with the ant. Here he was helped by a tiny Flea Bug. The Ant holds on tightly to him, because the Flea's paws are like springs. They will fold in and then straighten out. Instantly the frisky Flea galloped all over the field. This is how the ant hurried home. Bianchi placed an insurmountable barrier in front of him - a high fence. Who will help him next? The sun is getting lower and lower, but the anthill is still far away.
Grasshopper and Water Strider
A grasshopper carried the would-be traveler over the fence. And ahead is the river. Like an ant was hurrying home! Bianchi again made his way difficult. But there was also an assistant here - the Water Strider-Bug.
A water meter walks on water like others walk on land, or rather, like a speed skater on a skating rink. So we got a little acquainted with the peculiarities of the movement of various insects. So the ant moved to the other side.
The sun is already hiding
An ant looks - the sun is almost invisible. His legs hurt and hurt, he still can’t run. And we need to hurry, but how? Here a beetle crawls past, very powerful and heavy. All the insects saw the ant hurrying home. V. Bianchi's fairy tale will continue with flight. The ant climbed onto its wings, and the Beetle told it to move onto its head. The May Khrushchev first opened its solid wings in two, and then released thin, translucent wings from them and flew away. We reached our native birch tree and said goodbye to it in the heights. It's getting completely dark. The last adventure of the ant will show Bianchi. How did the ant hurry home? The content of the tale shows how difficult it was for the baby to get to his native anthill. The Leafworm caterpillar refused to help him. But it is urgent to go down: the last minutes remain. The ant rushed at her and bit her. The caterpillar got scared and fell off the leaf.
The ant grabbed her tightly, and they fell together. Suddenly something delayed them. The ant sees a thin thread. It comes out of the leaf roller's abdomen and becomes longer and longer and does not break. So the two of them go down on a thread. We went down, and there was only one passage left, as if it was waiting for the traveler. The ant jumped into it - and he was home. Managed! The sun has set. These are the adventures that happened while the ant was hurrying home. The author described each assistant in such detail - you don’t need to read any textbooks.
Analysis of a fairy tale
Both talents of the writer - a scientist and a storyteller - were revealed here. The scientist told how ants go to bed in the evenings. He described in detail the skills of all the insects that the ant encountered. The Land Surveyor caterpillar crawls by folding and then straightening out. The good Harvesting Spider with huge legs walks slowly. The ground beetle is very agile out of the blue, it rushes like a car, but it cannot overcome all obstacles. The potato field was too much for her. The Flea Bug jumps very briskly, but it does not know how to jump high like the Grasshopper. The Water Bug runs well on water and does not drown. The May Beetle flies like an airplane. By the way, he has a peculiarity. According to all the laws of physics, he cannot fly, but he flies! Scientists have yet to solve this mystery. The Leafworm caterpillar can release threads from its abdomen to later make a cocoon out of them. And in the cocoon there will be pupae, from which young leaf rollers will emerge. All this is the knowledge of a scientist.
Bianchi the storyteller
All the inhabitants of the forest and fields talk to each other, trying to help the unfortunate ant. The road home is full of challenges and adventures. But the ending, as expected, is happy in a fairy tale.
“Like an ant rushing home”: reviews from parents
Readers note the friendship and mutual assistance that the fairy tale fosters. And the scientist’s knowledge is simply a treasure, which he skillfully shares with the young reader in an artistic form. Many note the high quality of the illustrations. It's good that they are placed on all spreads. In some families, this story awakened a new interest in insects. Many children have listened to it so many times that they know it by heart.
Such reviews are not accidental. V. in the family of a biologist. He lived next to the Zoological Museum, where his father worked. It was his father who taught Vitaly to keep a nature diary. Later he traveled a lot around our homeland and always brought back new recorded observations. This is how many works were created that captivate the reader with their artistic and scientific sides.
