Prishvin, M. M. Kids and Ducklings (Rebyata i utyata), 1956. Illustrations by David Khaikin. In Russian

Пришвин М. М.
Ребята и утята. / Рисунки Давида Хайкина.
Москва : Государственное издательство детской литературы (Детгиз), 1956.
16 с. : цв. ил. ; Энциклопедический формат. Мягкая издательская иллюстрированная обложка. Первое издание в оформлении Д. Хайкина.
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Prishvin, Mikhail.
Kids and Ducklings. / Illustrations by David Khaikin.
Moscow : State Publishing House of Children's Literature (Detgiz), 1956.
16 pp. : col. ill. ; Encyclopedic format. Original illustrated softcover. First edition featuring Khaikin's artwork. In Russian.

This 1956 edition of Mikhail Prishvin’s Kids and Ducklings is a landmark of Soviet children’s book design, representing the first collaboration between Prishvin’s timeless nature prose and the vibrant artistic vision of David Khaikin. Prishvin, often called the "singer of Russian nature," presents a short, ethically resonant story about a mother duck leading her brood to the lake and the human intervention that tests their journey. The narrative provides a deep dive into the internal logic of the natural world, including the arrangement of the forest path, the instinctive behavior of the mallards, and the moral lesson Prishvin imparts to the village children—and the reader—about the sanctity of life and environmental stewardship.
The true significance of this 16-page volume lies in its visual storytelling. As the first edition featuring David Khaikin's illustrations, it showcases the artist's early ability to blend lyrical realism with bold, decorative color. Khaikin’s style perfectly complements Prishvin’s "geography of the soul," using an encyclopedic format to give the expansive, full-color illustrations room to breathe. Published by Detgiz during the early Khrushchev Thaw, the book reflects a shift toward more expressive and less rigid artistic standards in juvenile literature. For collectors of children's books and connoisseurs of Soviet graphics, this 1956 imprint is a vital primary source, marking the debut of an iconic visual interpretation that would later become a classic of the mid-century Soviet library.