It would seem, what deep meaning can there be in such a simple and familiar story to many from early childhood? However, "Turnip", like many other Russian folk tales, is fraught with more than one wisdom.
For the youngest children, this tale is well suited as one of the first - a fairly simple plot, and the actions of the characters are quite understandable.
A lot of folklore motives are associated with turnip, for example, riddles and sayings, because it was once one of the main products of the peasant diet. It is known, for example, the expression “simpler than a steamed turnip”.
However, the tale is simple only at first glance - it contains many very important and valuable ideas. As they grow older, they can be discussed with the child, or maybe the baby will open them for himself on his own.
Better together
First, in "The Turnip" it is clearly shown how the efforts of both the grandfather and the grandmother cannot bring results - in despair, they call for help and the granddaughter, and the Beetle, and the cat, but they still cannot pull out a huge root crop. But instead of being discouraged and upset, they make the right decision - to call the mouse as well. And the efforts of the smallest animal turn out to be the very missing link in the chain - the turnip is safely removed from the ground!
But here is not only the moral that joint efforts can achieve greater results and success. The little mouse from the Russian folk tale serves as a good example that everyone is important in the "team game" - both the grandfather (the head of the family) and the granddaughter (the younger generation who should help the elders), and even the smallest animal traditionally considered a pest.
Secondly, or rather, thirdly, it is interesting that all the heroes not only act together, but also willingly come to the rescue. A united and close-knit family is another important conclusion that can be drawn when discussing a fairy tale read with a child. If we imagine that a grandmother or granddaughter, busy with their own affairs, or simply not wanting to help their grandfather, would refuse to come to the call, the family could remain hungry. This is another meaning - each of the members, including the smallest, is happy to work for the good of the family.
A mouse for a cat, a cat for a Bug …
"Like a cat and a dog" is a fairly common expression that is used, for example, to describe all the time quarreling spouses. And cats and mice are known for their mutual, to put it mildly, hostility - a lot of both fairy tales and modern cartoons are devoted to this, it is worth remembering only "Tom and Jerry". However, in a simple and wise fairy tale, there is not a shadow of enmity - neither between a bug and a cat, nor between a cat and a mouse - because their common efforts are united not only by the willingness to help the grandfather, but to take care of their family.
According to experts, young children quite often think that this whole friendly team is one family. Even now, cats and dogs living in an apartment or house are very often real family members.
Often, older children ask questions like: "Where are the granddaughters' mom and dad?" Answering this question, parents have a great opportunity to give their child an idea of who the peasants are, where, how and when they lived, thus awakening the desire to study Russian history. This can be very helpful some time later, when the child starts school.
