Хто росте в парку? (Who Grows in the Park?)

There is a small park with a pond in a large city. In the park grow eleven tall trees and one small sprout. It has a thin stem and two leaves. It likes warm rain showers in the evening, and it does not like cold dew in the morning.Big and small people walk in the park. Crows and pigeons stroll along the walkways. Ants and ladybugs crawl in the grass, and butterflies flit. They look similar to each other. Small people – to big ones, crows – to crows, pigeons – to pigeons, ants –to ants, ladybugs – to ladybugs, but butterflies…

“I wonder what I will look like when I grow up. Who am I similar to?” thinks the sprout and starts examining the trees all around. “Do I look like you?” it asks the birch tree. But the birch tree has smooth white bark with dark and rough spots. The birch tree’s leaves are small and the branches are like thin whips. Like this.

“No,” the birch tree shakes its head. “You don’t look like me.” “Maybe I look like you?” the sprout looks at the oak tree.

But the oak tree is stocky and wide. Its bark is dark grey and shaggy. Its leaves are wavy – one, two, three, four, five, and again – one, two, three, four, five. In the fall, acorns grow on the oak tree. Here they are. Squirrels like them – they hide them in their nests for winter. Wild boars like them as well, but wild boars do not live in the city park.

“No,” the oak tree rustles. “You and I are ve-e-ry different.”