SAM, FARMER'S DOG: It's the best way of dancing.

A lot of CREATURES join them – cockerels and hens, ducks and turkeys. JOHN, GINGERBREAD MAN seems to be a very important person among them. He is walking with an important air while the queer-looking party is dancing.)

SAM, FARMER'S DOG (to his partner): Are you ready, honey? It's high time you were in my stomach.

ANN, FARMER'S COW: It isn't simple, Sammy, but try.

(They stop while the others go on dancing).

ANN, FARMER'S COW: You look terrible! What's the matter?

SAM, FARMER'S DOG: I've eaten too much gingerbread this morning.

ANN, FARMER'S COW: How much gingerbread did you eat?

SAM, FARMER'S DOG: I ate no one and I'm never going to eat any gingerbread again.

SCENE III

SETTING. The yard near the farmer's house.

PAM, FOX looks for something to steal. He meets JOHN, GINGERBREAD MAN.

PAM, FOX: Hello.

JOHN, GINGERBREAD MAN: Hello!

PAM, FOX: Hello. Haven't seen you for ages.

JOHN, GINGERBREAD MAN: So have I.

PAM, FOX: Glad to meet you. Let me introduce myself. Sir Fox.

JOHN, GINGERBREAD MAN: I remember from the history. Guy Fawkes, fireworks and so on. Nice to see. What will you say about this the family? I think they are not well today.

PAM, FOX: They are really mad.

JOHN, GINGERBREAD MAN: I've supposed something like this. They quarreled so much that I couldn’t hear myself!

PAM, FOX: Where are you from, gingerbread?

JOHN, GINGERBREAD MAN: Sorry, who? Me? Am I gingerbread?

PAM, FOX: You are gingerbread and I love it.

JOHN, GINGERBREAD MAN: I'm a gingerbread man. I was born in the oven.

PAM, FOX. Come here, Gingerbread man, I'll sing 'Happy Birthday' to you!

JOHN, GINGERBREAD MAN: Nobody sings this to me.

PAM, FOX. Listen to me! Come nearer and listen.

Happy birthday to you!

Happy birthday to you!

Happy birthday, dear Johnny,

Happy birthday to you!

JOHN, GINGERBREAD MAN: Is that all?

PAM, FOX. No. Come nearer and listen.

JOHN, GINGERBREAD MAN: I'd rather stand here. Can you sing louder?

PAM, FOX. I sing as loud as I can. If you don't hear mine.

How old are you now?

How old are you now?

Happy Birthday, happy birthday!

How old are you now?

JOHN, GINGERBREAD MAN: Your look is strange. Why does everybody look at me as if one eats me?

PAM, FOX. They take you for gingerbread.

JOHN, GINGERBREAD MAN (anxiously): Are you sure?

PAM, FOX. As sure as death is death. Come nearer!

JOHN, GINGERBREAD MAN: Yes. But close your eyes, guy, and wait a minute.

He disappears.

SAM, FARMER'S DOG: Where is John?

PAM, FOX. Turned round the corner and rolled away.

SAM, FARMER'S DOG: How do you know I'm mad?

PAM, FOX: He rolled away in that direction… but this is another tale, I guess.

JOHN, GINGERBREAD MAN: Good bye, Ann. Good bye Pam. Have a good evening! See you later.

The end

THE LITTLE RED HEN

CHARACTERS:

RED HEN

COCK

MOUSE

FOX

SCENE I.

SETTING. A pretty little house with a green door and two little windows with green shutters.

RED HEN. Good morning, good morning to everyone. Glad to see you. Get up, Cock. Get up, Mouse!

COCK. What are we having for breakfast?

RED HEN. Tea and toast, jam and butter if you don’t mind.

MOUSE. A lot of toast and a lot of butter, please. I’m hungry.

RED HEN. Who’ll get some sticks to light the fire with?

COCK. I shan’t.

MOUSE. I shan’t.

RED HEN. Then I’ll do it myself.

And off she ran to fill the kettle.

RED HEN. And who’ll get the breakfast ready?

COCK. I shan’t.

MOUSE. I shan’t.

RED HEN. Then I’ll do it myself.

And she began to lay the table and cook toast.

RED HEN. Who’ll clear away the breakfast?

COCK. I shan’t.

MOUSE. I shan’t.

RED HEN. Then I’ll do it myself.

And she cleared everything away, swept up the crumbs and brushed up the floor.

MOUSE. And now don’t make noise. We are tired and wish to have a rest.

RED HEN. Let it be. And I have a lot of work to do.

She comes out and the lazy Cock and Mouse each sat down in a comfortable chair, and soon fell fast asleep.

SCENE II.

SETTING. In the forest, near the fox’s cave.

FOX. Oh, I’m so hungry. I had nothing to eat yesterday. And scarcely anything the day before. And only half a grain the day before. Where will I get my breakfast. Oh! On the hill over there I see a house. And in that house there live a cock, a hen and a mouse. I’ll take my great suck and into that sack I’ll put the cock, the hen and the mouse.

He jumped for joy and went up the hill to the little house.

FOX. Rat tat tat, rat tat tat!

COCK. Who can that be?

FOX. Rat tat tat, rat tat tat!

MOUSE. Go and look for yourself if you want to know.

FOX. Rat tat tat, rat tat tat!

COCK. It’s the postman, perhaps. He may have a letter for me.

FOX. Rat tat tat, rat tat tat!

So, without waiting to see who it was, he lifted the latch and opened the door. In jumped the big fox with a cruel smile upon his face.

MOUSE. Oh! Oh! Help me! Save me!

COCK. Doodle doodle do! Thief! Killer!

But the fox only laughed, and he took the cock and popped him into the sack, and seized the mouse and popped her in too.

SCENE III

SETTING. In the forest, near the stream.

FOX. The sun is very hot, and I feel this sack is heavy. I will lie down under a tree and go to sleep for a little while.

And he lay down under a tree and soon fell fast asleep.

RED HEN. I’ve done a lot of work and can rest. Where shall I go? To the stream to have a swim.

And she saw a fox lying under the tree and a big sack over here.

VOICE OF COCK. I wish I hadn’t been so cross.

VOICE OF MOUSE. I wish I hadn’t been so lazy.

RED HEN. Don’t be too sad. I have my little workbag, and in it there is a pair of scissors. Very soon you will see what I am going to do.

And she took out her scissors and began to snip a hole in the sack.

RED HEN. Quick, Mouse! Quick, Cock!

MOUSE. Shall we run as fast as we can?

RED HEN. No, we shan’t. when the Cock sing his song we’ll throw the fox into the water.

COCK. Doodle doodle do! Get up!

MOUSE. Pull him! Push him!

RED HEN. Never trouble us again!

And they pushed the fox into the river.

FOX. Oh, I beg your pardon. I must hurry home!

And off he ran.

RED HEN. How tired am I!

COCK. Have a holiday today, dear. I’ll make dinner for you.

MOUSE. And I’ll help him while you’ll be resting in the armchair.

And the Red hen had a holiday and sat resting in the big chair while her friend did all the work.

The end

CHICKEN-LIKEN

CHARACTERS:

CHICKEN LIKEN

WORM

HENNY PENNY

COCKY LOCKY

DUCKY LUCKY

DRACKEY LACKEY

GOOSY LOOSY

TURKEY LURKEY

FOXY LOXY

SCENE I

SETTING. Foxy’s cave and a tree nearby.

Foxy lies down and watches the Worm climbing the tree.

WORM. What’s the weather like today?

FOXY LOXY. It’s windy I guess. Such nice weather, isn’t it? Do acorns begin falling down?

WORM. They’ve just begun. I’ve seen one. It’s lying under the tree. Do you really like to eat them, Foxy?

FOXY LOXY. Mmm…you are joking. It will be funny if foxes eat acorns. No, I don’t eat them. I just like them falling down.

WORM. Why?

FOXY LOXY. Are all worms so curious? Creep gown and in a moment you’ll watch a funny thing. Just wait for this moment. (Comes away).

SCENE II.

SETTING. The same tree.

Chicken Liken is looking for something. He sees Worm and catches it. They begin struggling. Suddenly an acorn falls down and hits Chicken Liken.

CHICKEN LIKEN. Oh, Lord! The sky’s fallen down on my poor head. I should go to the king to tell about this accident.

WORM. What’s wrong with you? This is an acorn. Never mind. It’s fallen down and hit you. Nothing serious.

HENNY PENNY. What’s happened to you, kid? Have you cried?

CHICKEN LIKEN. Oh, mummy. The sky’s fallen down and hit me.

HENNY PENNY. You should tell the king about this. By the way… do you see a fat worm? You can peck it yourself, but it’s too big and we can share the dinner.

WORM. That was an acorn, lady. The acorn fell down on him and hit his head. It’s not dangerous. You may ask Cocky Locky.

COCKY LOCKY. I’m busy now. It’s time to work but I haven’t got a watch. Who knows the exact time?

WORM. It’s seven o’clock sharp. Time to have dinner.

COCKY LOCKY. The work is the first, isn’t it? (Screams): Doodle doodle do! All right. The second is to eat you, Worm. You seem to be rather fat.

CHICKEN LIKEN. Oh, Daddy. The sky has fallen down and hit me!

HENNY PENNY. We should go to tell the king about this!

COCKY LOCKY. It’s our duty. The duty is above all! Follow me! I know the way!

WORM. They are fools. What is Foxy going to do? I’ll try to help them if I’m able to do anything.

SCENE III

SETTING. At the poultry.

Turkey Lurky waves his tail. He walks up and down to show how gracious he is! Ducky Lucky and Drackey Lackey watch the show and clap their hands.

GOOSE LOOSE (running in). Have you known the news? Such an awful story about Chicken Liken! He got into an accident and was seriously injured. And that’s not all.

WORM. Hello, guys! The busy day, isn’t it?

TURKEY LURKEY. Our show is over and guests are welcome to have dinner.

WORM. What do you have for dinner?

TURKEY LURKEY. It’s you. This worm is rather big and fat, so we can divide it into pieces.

WORM. I’m against. Since this morning I have had a terrible stomachache.

DUCKY LUCKY. You must have eaten too much grass that grows around the lake. It is sad. But we are ready to risk.

Chicken Liken, Henny Penny and Cocky Locky appear and Worm crawls away.

CHICKEN LIKEN. The sky has fallen down and hit my head.

HENNY PENNY. We are going to tell the king about it.

COCKY LOCKY. It’s our duty. The duty is above all! Follow me, everybody! I know the way!

DRACKEY LACKEY. It’s not the right road. I’m the only to lead you because my uncle lived at the royal court.

GOOSE LOOSE. Was he a courtesan?

DUCKY LUCKY. For a short time. Then he got onto a dish.

DRACKEY LACKEY. Come on, come on! Be quick!

SCENE IY

SETTING. At Foxy’s cave.

Foxy walks up and down, he looks at his watch. He is anxious.

FOXY LOXY. The cock hasn’t screamed jet and the ducks haven’t come out. What’s wrong?

WORM. Just an acorn has fallen down and hit Chicken Liken. They are travelling right here, towards your cave.

FOXY LOXY. Good news! How many of them?

WORM. Chicken Liken, Henny Penny, Cocky Locky, Ducky Lucky, Drackey Lackey, Goosy Loosy and Turkey Lurkey. That’s all.

FOXY LOXY. My dinner will be great, but I don’t have enough appetite to eat them all.

WORM. Would you like to have a medicine for appetite? This grass is growing around the lake. Just what you want.

FOXY LOXY. Thank you very much. It’s kind of you to be my doctor.

Chicken Liken and his campaigners appear.

CHICKEN LIKEN. The sky has fallen down and hit my head.

HENNY PENNY. We are going to tell the king about it.

COCKY LOCKY. It’s our duty. The duty is above all!

FOXY LOXY. You’re welcome! Wait a moment and I’ll tell the king about your arrival.

He returns in a minute and takes Chicken Liken and others.

Soon Foxy Loxy comes back alone. He looks unhappy.

WORM. Have you eaten them all?

FOXY LOXY. No, I can’t. I have a terrible stomachache. You were a bad doctor. (Runs off).

CHICKEN LIKEN (coming out of the cave). Such a fat worm, Mummy. I’m hungry. Daddy! Uncle! Aunt! Cousins! Come here!

WORM. I have troubles. I wonder if he can fly.

The end

NOW I KNOW THE ABC

CHARACTERS:

MARY

LETTER M

LETTER D, DICK

LETTER C, CINDERELLA

LETTER A, ALICE

LETTER B, BARBIE

OTHER LETTERS

SCENE I

SETTING. A children room in the flat.

Mary lies in bed. She is ill. Then she gets up.

MARY. I like to play but I can’t play because I am not well today. I like to study but I can’t study because I don’t go to school.

MOTHER’S VOICE. You can open your textbook and read a little, can’t you?

MARY. All boys and girls are at school now. They are learning English ABC and as for me (crying)… How can I read a textbook if I don’t know even a letter…Mmm…

LETTER M. Good morning, Mary. Did you mention me?

MARY. I wonder who you are. Where are you from?

LETTER M. Let me introduce myself. I am Letter M and come from the ABC. The first letter of your name.

MARY. Glad to meet you, M. How I’ll be happy to get to your country. But I don’t know English words.

LETTER M. Let’s learn some of them. Repeat after me: morning, mother, milk.

MARY. Morning, mother, milk.

SCENE II.

SETTING. The ABC country.

The boy hides among the bushes.

DICK. How do you do?

LETTER M. How do you do? And where are other letters? Why is the mess?

DICK. They disappear because they are afraid of dragon. Dreadful dragon does a lot of bad things. He is going to gobble up all letters from the ABC from the very beginning.

MARY. If he gobbles them up, I’ll never learn them!

DICK. They are hiding over here but nobody can find them.

LETTER M. I guess where they are. Can you spell your name?

DICK. D-I-C-K.

LETTER M. C is hiding right here. Say three words beginning with “C”.

MARY. Certainly, I try, but I can’t catch a word.

CINDERELLA. Did you call me? I’d come if you called me.

DICK. No doubts, darling. We can’t do without “C” if we learn the ABC. Where are your friend A and B? Where do they disappear?

CINDERELLA. It is clear that letter “A” is hiding in my name. It’s a charming place. Can you cheer her up?

MARY. I am not able to find her. I see only the air. Can you show her with your arm?

ALICE. Excuse me, but I’m so anxious. Are you still alive, Cinderella? I’m afraid of that awful dragon. And what about beautiful Barbie? Did anybody see her? She went to buy biscuits and didn’t come back. Let’s go to the shop!

SCENE III.

SETTING. A shop at the ABC country.

Barbie talks to the shop assistant.

BARBIE. Can I have best bananas and bacon? Don’t forget about box of biscuit and bar of bubbled chocolate.

SHOP ASSISTANT. Here you are. What else?

ALICE. Are you buying apricots? Adore apricots! As well as autumn apples!

CINDERELLA. Don’t forget about cakes and cornflakes. Can you give me cocoa and candy!

LETTER “M”. And marmalade, please. Milk and macaroni. And what about you, Dick?

DICK. That will do! Dance, dolls, dance! You don’t think about the danger. Don’t you see! I’m Dreadful Dragon.

BARBIE. I’ll beat you with the ball (throws the ball).

DICK. Now it’s a bell (throws it back).

CINDERELLA. I’ll beat you with my cup! (Throws it).

DICK. Look! It turns into a cap! (Returns it).

ALICE. I’ll beat you with my anchor! (Throws it).

DICK. It turns into an acorn! (Returns it).

LETTER M. Letters, come here! Move on!

LETTER F. How funny and fantastic! I am fond of fighting.

LETTER E. I’m an eastern eagle. The eagle enters the battle.

LETTER K. I’m a king. Where are my knights? Our knives are sharp.

LETTER P. I’m a pirate with a pistol. Push him and pull.

Dragon falls down and the battle is over.

SCENE IV.

SETTING. A bedroom.

Mary is still in bed.

MOTHER’S VOICE. Did you awake, dear? How are you today?

MARY. I’m quite all right. I’m absolutely fine.

Letters appear and dance around her.

LETTER M. I’m major. Make me your major maid because I love you most of all.

LETTER K. Kiss me, kid!

LETTER P. Put your pink palm into my pocket and take out a pretty plum!

MOTHER’S VOICE. Are you going to school now?

MARY. Yes, of course. I guess I know the ABC.

The end

LITTLE MISTRESS

(after Beatrix Potter)

CHARACTERS:

LUCY

LITTLE MISTRESS

ROBIN

BUNNY

SQUIRREL

SCENE I

SETTING. A garden near Lucy’s house.

MOTHER’S VOICE. What’s happened, Lucy?

LUCY. Nothing terrible, but I’ve lost some of my clothes: my pretty white apron, my socks and my handkerchiefs. Can I go out to look for them?

MOTHER’S VOICE. You are too old to care of yourself. You may look for them but don’t walk a long way far from home.

LUCY. I’ll travel up the hill to look what it is there. I’ve never been there.

Robin appears.

ROBIN. How do you do, Lucy?

LUCY. How do you do, Robin? Glad to meet you. Have you seen where my white socks are? It seems to me somebody has taken them away.

ROBIN. You are too old to care of yourself. I’m busy. Goodbye.

Squirrel appears.

LUCY. Hello, dear Squirrel! You look great in this new fur coat!

SQUIRREL. Hi, Lucy. Have you seen my new white gloves? Yesterday they were hanging on this branch all day long.