This funny little book is from Old Soviet times.
What is funny about it that it was printed in 2,400,000 copies! What an edition – the modern Harry Potter is not even close to it in Russia, though Harry Potter is considered to be popular in Russia too.
What this book is about? It’s teaching youngsters about the Revolution, the Communism and the Red Stars of Kremlin.
The price was 0.05 rouble, according to Soviet exchange rate it was around 5 cents. This price was normal for kids books in Soviet Russia.
Everyone in Soviet school wore a star on his uniform.
Here you can clearly see the quantity of the books were printed and its price.
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“The Song of October”, Poetry of Soviet Authors. 1984, Right before the great changes of Soviet Russia turning it to a Capitalistic state.
“In November red flags are everywhere – Just look from your window!” It was really so, red flags during November holidays (holidays commemorating October Revolution of 1917 were everywhere).
“Today is October day! All the clouds fly away! Sun likes the holiday too! I have a flag for you!”
“Holiday is everywhere! Look at the trees! There are red leaves, they also celebrate!”
“We’ll watch the firework in the evening!”
“Snow can’t fade my flag!”
“There is no better Motherland than mine and yours with the Red Stars of Kremlin lighting our path to life!”
It has been said by some people that RED coulour and a STAR sign some magical instruments used to control people. Looking through such books one can come to conclusion that this might be true.
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More exactly, it says 2 250 000 copies, not 2 400 000. Though it doesn’t change much…
Saying that red stars are magic used to hypnotize people, have you ever thought that american stars and stripes don’t differ much in function? Symbols control the minds, everywhere.
I had it 🙂
Yeap, but it’s not right that everyone in soviet school had a red star on there clotes. I newere had One.
I want one of these. What’s their availability like?
lol same as american kids are programmed. There is no difference.
This reads very much like the “4th of July” books I had as a kid. And as far as quality of books – that’s the quality of many children’s books – here in the US too because children outgrow these books. No need to bind them in leather and put gold on the pages.
it’s nomal! There are no honors, murders and other terrible things. Just kindlooking boy and girl. As about so many copies, because RUSSIA IS 1/6 OF THE EARTH SURFACE.
Pls, be logical, dear moderator
WOW, who is “ted”? must be one of those guys that banned LR from his own site– nice going buddy! hallelujah! tell it like it is!
interesting.
ted never called LR “insignificant”, yet somehow that is what she feels.
very interesting indeed.
to Russophob: At least not fear. Don’t confuse Russia and Soviet Union. Are you afraid of Russian culture and Russian nation? Or you’re so scared that you ty to shift the talk to politics?
Andrei, born in Russia. Not Russian
When I was a small girl, back in the mid 80’s my parents bought me some USSR books for children, though I live in Spain, of course they were translated.
I remember the pictures were very similar to these, and there was no propaganda in htem (I’ve read them again many times as I grew older). The only “propaganda” I could find in there was that children of many races could play together, and that sometimes your imagination and little resources are the best toys to play…
I must say this: I loved those stories when I was young, they made me dream, and when I read them again they are still interesting and intelligent, even for an adult mind. I can’t say the same thing about my Mickey Mouse comics! 😉
I mean no offence, it’s just to clarify not all the stuff that was given to children for reading in USSR was propaganda 🙂
…And you should see Spanish books for children from the times of Franco’s dictatorship..
Guys and girls, for those of you who can’t read Russian:
these poems are just children poems about how fun it is to celebrate a holiday, how stars will shine, how trees will become red in Fall, how children will go to watch fireworks with their parents etc.
There is no politics here.
I remember myself reading such verses and celebrating November holidays. Same as my classmates I had no clue what a holiday was about. It was just a holiday.
I dont remeber that book, though I should. Nevertheless, there were lots of other propogand books
I went to a Catholic school in Brooklyn, NY in the 1950’s. We had cross’s on our school uniforms. As I see lt it was the same as the “Red Stars” Russian, and Soviet kids had to wear.
Symbols say who we are. Or at least who we were.
EVERY nation in the world have their ideological books for the children.
In my country,Brazil,when I was a child the books shows to us Dom Pedro I,the man who leads our independence from Portugal,ridding on a horse next to a river.
Now I know he’s probably ridding on a donkey,because off the mountains ¬¬
IT’S COMPLETELY NORMAL GUYS
It’s not brainwash,it’s national ideology,and it its present on every single corner of the planet!
Capitalists countries shows capitalist propaganda and ideology,and communist countries shows communist propaganda and ideology!
In Brazil,Catholic’s Church is a quite of powerfull(not as like on the past,off course).
In some schools,we have to pray at the school’s church EVERY SINGLE MORNING.
And we have religion class too.
Everybody uses a cross on uniform,and the most have a cross necklace
When I was a kid, I thought my adult life would be just like the movie, ‘Red Dawn’.
Welcome to Yiwu..Welcome to Amandaiec.
Propaganda from first days of life.
Anyone who looks at this book as some sort of brainwash
device has probably been brainwashed them self. I am was born and raised in Russia, and am not pro communism. It seems that people outside of the states tend to think for them selfs rather then just mindlessly adsorb propaganda.
Every country has the patriotic education. So what’s bad if the same was in Soviet Union?
hey there, really enjoyed this blog! Shed light on a few things I didn’t understand. Will come back.
Very nice book. I like the line about the trees celebrating too, with their red leaves.