Tolstoi for the Young

In these luminous tales for young readers, Tolstoy blends folk simplicity, spiritual reflection, and vivid illustration into stories where ordinary life opens onto moral wonder. Ivan the Fool, the seemingly dim youngest son of a peasant family, becomes the unlikely center of a comic, fantastical struggle between greed and goodness. While his proud brothers chase power, wealth, and war, Ivan answers selfishness with labor, patience, and generosity, outwitting devils, turning rye sheaves into soldiers, and even coaxing gold from oak leaves. Yet every gift is tested by conscience: when magic begins serving violence, Ivan refuses to use it for profit or destruction. His compassion for a sick dog and a beggar-woman leads him to heal the King's daughter and rise unexpectedly to kingship, while the tale's final irony exposes the endless escalation of militarism. Alongside this, "The Godson" offers a quieter lesson: cherish the person before you, for kindness may only be possible in the present moment. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.