The Legend of the Black Sea

g a name caller. The next day the old man was ill and asked Boley to fetch a pill from the medicine cabinet - a deed Boley couldn't accomplish. Serzhina had to be begged and promised a fish before she would go fetch the pill for the old man and then she refused to bring the pill until she got a fish to eat. The old man pleaded with Serzhina without success, bit the pill dropped to the floor so that Boley could then fetch it for him. By the next day the old man was well and fishing and Boley pleads with the old man to drive Serzhina away. The old man says to be calm - that the cat will change. But thing begin to happen - the old man's house burns (Boley blames it on Serzhina), the sea turns black and the fishing is nil, a little black kitten with a broken tail appears and is hungry, a herring-gull appears and tells the starving old fisherman to throw his net into the sea and voila! Many fish are caught! The wise gull says `remember one thing - a person without faith is like a net without fish. Once again you believe in goodness and once again your net is full.' All is repaired and life returns to normal.

In MOMMY a king lives in a castle by the ocean, sad because his Queen had died in childbirth with their first-born Princess Selena. Because of his grief at the loss of his wife he wouldn't let Selena out of his sight. The little Princess asks if her father would not hold her hand in their walks so that other children will play with her. The King says she is too young. The Princess becomes very ill - no healer can heal her. In heaven two angels Pinky and Violet ask God for a new friend, but God refuses. At the same time Princess Selena succumbs to her illness and rises to heaven where she plays with Pinky and Violet - but now Violet loses Pinky to Selena and pleads with God to restore her friend. God agrees and Selena awakens from her illness making the King happy. Selena is now allowed to have friends and the tow angels are happy to be together again. Selena grows up, marries Prince Kodor and they are unable to create an heir until Pinky in heaven misses Selena so much that he descends to (with Violet) and Selena gives birth to twins - Pinky and Violet. And the King remarks, `Two children bring twice the happiness but also double the responsibilities.' And so the game of numbers and wishes ends - in a very nice way.

Sergey Nikolov's stories are wonderfully new, carry terrific messages for children, and at the same time allow us to see what a very, very fine artist he is! Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, May 14