«We took Fantazeros to read it simply because the story is short and funny. No one thought about having a serious conversation. Mishutka and Stasik are sitting on a bench and competing to see who can outdo whom. One of them got a shark to bite off his head, and then another grew, and the other was eaten by a crocodile, and then spit out by the crocodile; they are said to be ninety-five and one hundred and forty years old. The child laughed. Then Mishutka tells how he crushed a bus, and it immediately becomes clear that the bus was a toy. Stasik remarks that there is nothing surprising in this, and then tells how he flew to the Moon in his sleep.
Then the neighbor Igor sits down on the bench next to them, and the laughter somehow ended on its own.
The dog, jam, and the «brehun»
First, Igor tries to play by their rules honestly and tells them how a dog bit him. Stasik reasonably asks what is all this made up of, and Igor answers that he told everything as it happened. Then Igor recalls the story from his perspective. He ate half a jar of jam, smeared sleeping Ira’s lips with it and told her mom that Ira ate the jam. Her mom believed him and Ira «got it» the next morning; her mom gave her more jam. This is what he really boasts about, very pleased with himself.
Mishutka calls him a «liar,» and the boys push Igor off the bench.
This is where the child caught us out. And how are they any better? They lied too. About the shark and the crocodile, and everything all the time. And indeed, the word is the same—the boys themselves say it in their games, without hesitation. It wouldn’t have been possible to avoid this question with the phrase «you can fantasize, but you can’t lie»; we wouldn’t even have bothered trying.
We understood things differently, right from the book. Who believed about the shark? Nobody, and Mishutka didn’t expect it to happen. Who believed Igor? Mom. And who got sick because of that? The child himself went back and found Ira. By the way, Stasik had already explained to Igor the difference in his own way before; they said they weren’t lying but were just making up stories. Only until that point we had somehow skipped over this part without noticing.
There was also a passage about English, since the child speaks two languages at home. Tall tale and lie, a story and a lie. But here too I had to admit that translation doesn’t solve anything; a lie can be used to fool someone too. So we returned to the same question: who believes in this moment?.
Ice cream for three
We read the ending at the last moment, and it was a waste; it is perhaps the best part of the story. The boys meet a crying Ira; her mother wouldn’t let her go out. Mishutka and Stasik have one portion of ice cream on a stick for two, and each offers Ira their half. Ira offers to split it among three. Not a word about who was right or who was wrong. Nosov simply shows who got the better of the situation.
And Mishutka again starts his own at the very end, for a whole bucket of ice cream, and immediately admits that the bucket was small, made of paper. Irresistible.
After such a reading, you can take the child through the story again and ask three questions at every place where someone is telling a lie. Why did they say that? Did the person who was told this understand that a game was going on? Who got worse off afterwards? Then you can ask the child to explain why the boys no longer want to sit on the same bench with Igor and they share ice cream with Ira for three people.
We discussed how to check what actually happened in the story using the example of «Living Hat.» With «Fantasers,» the question is different: who lied, why, and to whom did it have to be later on to have to stay at home.
Who believed and who got sick
All three tasks require the story «The Fantasists» itself. You can answer orally; the main thing is that each answer confirms the place of the child in the text. One task is enough for one go.
Who believed
The child finds three places in the text where someone is telling a lie: about the shark, about the crocodile, and the moment when Igor told his mother that Ira had eaten the jam. For each place, he answers one question. Who believed the hero's words at that moment?
Who got sick
The child looks in the text for what happened after each lie. For the boys' nonsense and Igor's trick with the jam, they need to find out who got worse off and show that place with their finger or with a pencil.
Invented it or lied
The adult names several of the heroes« actions in turn: Mishutka talks about the shark, Stasik talks about flying to the Moon in his sleep, Igor talks about the dog, and Igor tells his mom about Ira. The child decides which is best, »made up,« »made up,” or neither, and explains why, based on who believed it and who got sick.
Zoshchenko's stories for children
A free PDF collection of Mikhail Zoshchenko's stories for bilingual children and teenagers: short texts for reading and discussion. Leave your contact information—the file will open immediately after submitting the form.
In literary reading classes at Palme School, children read, discuss the actions of the characters, paraphrase what they have read, and learn to explain their opinions in Russian, based on the text.
You can start with two free lessons: Introductory class with a methodologist and a trial lesson in a group with a teacher.
Frequently asked questions about Fantazeros«
How is fiction different from lying in the story «The Fantasists»?
In the story, it’s not the word that distinguishes this from other stories; it’s the situation. Mishutka and Stasik tell each other lies; they both understand that this is a game, and no one is worse off because of it. Igor tells his mother lies, and her mother believes him; because of this, Ira is punished.
Why do boys say «lie» themselves, if they are just fantasizing?
The boys themselves call their game a lie, but they explain to Igor that they are not deceiving anyone. Therefore, the difference should be explained to the child through questions about who believed and who got worse, rather than by banning a single word.
What did Igor do with the jam?
Igor ate half a jar of jam, smeared his sleeping Irina's lips with it, and told his mom that Irina had eaten the jam. Irina got scolded for it; her mom wouldn't let her go out, and Igor got more jam. He bragged about this to the boys.
Why did the boys kick Igor off the bench?
Mishutka is outraged that Ira suffered because of Igor. He calls Igor a liar, and the boys order him to leave. Before that, Stasik explains that they are not deceiving anyone but are inventing stories.
What does the story «The Fantasists» end with?
The boys meet a crying Ira; they each get a portion of ice cream on a stick. Each of them offers Ira their half, and she offers to split the ice cream with three people. At the end, Mishutka again fantasizes about the bucket of ice cream and explains that the bucket was small, made of paper.
From what age can a child read «Fantazeros»?
The story is short and funny; it is often read aloud to preschoolers and younger elementary school children. The story can be read aloud to preschoolers and discussed with them about the actions of the characters. The appropriate place in the book is then found by the adult, and the child who is already reading can find it on their own.
Is it possible to discuss the story if it’s easier for the child to speak English?
You can start with the words that are more comfortable for the child, and then choose Russian ones: he invented, lied, told a bunch of stories, believed them. English terms tall tale and lie will not help in all cases; the difference is still shown by the situation in the story, not by the translation.
