Time flies quickly and our little boy Mitya, who seemed to have only recently learned to walk and talk, now attends kindergarten. Mitya really enjoys kindergarten, where there are many cheerful and clever children he happily plays with. There are even more interesting and unusual toys in the kindergarten.
For example, there's a huge bear named Mikhail Potapovich, whom all the children love to hug, or a real big electric car where any little one can feel like a driver and take their friends for a ride. There are also animals in the kindergarten that Mitya loves so much. A big red parrot named Stepan, whom the children have taught to say: "Hello". And many small colourful fish living in a glass aquarium.
Mitya often watches them and sometimes can spend an entire day doing this. He's given each fish a name and knows exactly who lives where and what seaweed they eat.
One day, when Mitya approached the aquarium again, he discovered that among the familiar fish, there were small new little fish he didn't know yet. He called his friends over to the aquarium—a dark-haired curly-haired boy Alyosha and a funny red-haired girl Tanya.
Look! The educators have put new fish in! — he said enthusiastically to his friends.
How beautiful they are... — Tanya said thoughtfully, examining the newcomers.
They're just so tiny, — added Alyosha with a knowing look.
Then Vitalik came over to the group of friends. He was the oldest in the group and liked to tease the others.
What are you all looking at? — asked Vitalik.
The educators brought new fish, — Mitya answered him. He wanted to share the joy with everyone.
Ha, you're silly kids. The educators didn't bring the fish, these are the children of the ones who already lived here, — Vitalik laughed at the children.
Children? — Tanya became interested, — but where did they come from?
They were born, I guess, I don't know, — answered Vitalik and he himself became interested in Tanya's question.
Let's ask the educator? — suggested Alyosha.
The children all went together to the educator. Finding Tamara Ivanovna near the parrot, they asked her a question:
Tamara Ivanovna, where do babies come from?
The educator was quite surprised by the unexpected question, but hurried to answer:
Babies appear in mummy's tummy, — she said confidently.
But how do they get there? — asked Tanya in surprise.
To answer this question, the educator took the children to a big table. They stood around it, and she took out a box of puzzles and poured them onto the table. Then she said:
Imagine that all the people you know, your mums, dads, grandmas and grandpas, and you yourselves—are puzzles, — she began. The children picked up puzzle pieces in their hands and nodded their heads, — Each person is unique in their own way, but somewhere on the planet there's another person who fits them, just like one puzzle piece fits another. Your mum and dad are two pieces that found each other. When they come together, they give the very best of what they have and create new life. But only if these puzzle pieces fit each other does a picture of amazing beauty result.
So we're a picture that came together from mum and dad? — asked Mitya.
You could say that, — answered Tamara Ivanovna, — Your parents came together and you were created.
Is it the same with fish? — asked attentive Alyosha.
With fish? — clarified the educator.
Yes, the ones in the aquarium, — said Vitalik.
Ah, so that's where your questions come from! — laughed Tamara Ivanovna, — Yes, it's the same with fish, only when they find a mate, they get lots and lots of babies at once, because the mother fish lays them as tiny little eggs.
Wow! — the children exclaimed, — A whole bunch of brothers and sisters at once!
Everyone laughed and ran back to the aquarium. So the children learned where babies come from, and Tamara Ivanovna realised that her little ones were growing up very quickly.
