Medvedev, V. Barankine, sois un homme! (Barankin, bud chelovekom!), 1964. In French.

Barankine, sois un homme! / Valery Vladimirovich Medvedev. Translated from Russian by Michèle Kahn. Preface by Léonide Lamme.
Moscow : Progress Publishers, 1964.
109 pp. : ill. ; 22 x 14.5 cm. Hardcover. In French.

This 1964 French-language edition of Valery Medvedev's Barankine, sois un homme! is a vibrant example of Soviet cultural diplomacy through children's literature. Published by the renowned Progress Publishers in Moscow, the text provides a deep dive into the internal logic of a middle-school boy's imagination, including the arrangement of the fantastical transformations of the protagonist Yura Barankin and his friend Kostya Malinin. Tired of the demands of school life and chores, the duo attempts to escape their human responsibilities by turning into sparrows, butterflies, and ants. Their humorous and often perilous adventures in the natural world serve as a clever pedagogical tool, ultimately leading the boys to the realization that being "human" is a privilege that requires both courage and effort.