Once upon a time there lived a little mouse named Sukhrik. His mother, Mother Mouse, gave him this name because he loved to gnaw on crunchy things with his sharp little teeth. They lived in the forest in a small burrow. The little mouse would wake up in the mornings and run off to explore the forest. He loved to gather a little bouquet of beautiful purple bellflowers for his beloved mother.
One hot summer day, Sukhrik scampered out of his little home and ran to his meadow to find bellflowers. He scurried along the forest paths on his tiny paws and arrived at his special clearing. He looked around and became very upset.... There wasn't a single flower on the meadow, not a single berry....
The little mouse was very sad, as he had dreamed of giving his mother a bouquet of her favourite flowers and gathering ripe strawberries to make fragrant jam for the winter.
Why didn't the bellflowers grow in the meadow?
Sukhrik wondered, and in a sad mood he set off to visit his friend, a green frog.
Froggy lived on a white water lily leaf in the lake and was happy that Sukhrik had come to see her.
Oh, how hot it is today! Such a stuffy day!
Froggy croaked.
Yes – it's a scorching summer! I was at my favourite meadow, wanted to gather juicy berries and pick a few purple bellflowers for Mother Mouse.
The little mouse squeaked.
Ribbit-ribbit! There hasn't been rain for a long time – that's why the flowers and berries haven't grown. All plants love water.
The frog croaked.
Ah, that's the problem! You're right, it's been two whole weeks without rain. Where did it go? Why hasn't there been rain for so long?
The little mouse was surprised.
Who knows? But there's no rain without a cloud. The wind pushes clouds across the sky, and they pour life-giving moisture called "rain" onto the earth.
The frog said wisely, as she too was unhappy that there had been no rain for so long.
Aha, I understand! To have rain, you need a cloud. I should get my own cloud so it rains whenever I need it to. I'll catch it in the sky and put it in my favourite blue bucket! I'll release the cloud over the meadow, it will rain on the soil and purple bellflowers will grow for my mother and lots and lots of juicy strawberries.
And Sukhrik imagined himself giving his mother a bouquet of flowers and a basket of fragrant berries. But the rain still didn't come. The little mouse sat on a stone and came up with an idea.
Sukhrik took a net and a bucket and set off to catch a cloud. But no matter how high he swung, he couldn't catch the cloud. The little mouse jumped high, climbed up a tall hill, even tried to climb a ladder to reach the sky.
Are you catching butterflies?
The frog asked.
No, I'm trying to catch a cloud in the sky. I'll put it in a bucket and whenever I need to, I'll release it over the meadow where the purple bellflowers grow.
That's a clever idea! But no one has ever managed to catch a cloud.
Froggy said.
Well, I'll be the first.
Sukhrik declared.
And he continued his difficult task. Until evening, the little mouse chased the cloud. But he couldn't catch it.
Upset, the little mouse went home, wished his mother a good night, and went to sleep himself. He decided he would continue his important work tomorrow.
But suddenly that night, the long-awaited heavy rain began, and within a week, the entire meadow was covered with colourful flowers and fragrant berries. Sukhrik took a small basket and ran to gather a bouquet of purple bellflowers and juicy, fragrant strawberries for his beloved mother.
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Вопросы для обсуждения сказки?
- Как звали Мышонка? Почему его так звали?
- Что хотел подарить своей мамочке Сухарик?
- Почему Мышонок расстроился?
- Как звали лягушку?
- Почему на полянке не выросли колокольчики и земляника?
- Что сказала Лягушка?
- Что придумал Сухарик?
- Как ловил тучку мышонок?
- Как ты думаешь, дружок, поймает ли Мышонок тучку?
