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Share a Bilingual Story: English-Russian Storytime

July 19, 2018 | strande

 

Did you miss our English-Russian Storytime? Don't worry, here's what you missed, plus a few more suggestions to inspire a multilingual storytime you can do at home. 

From Storytime

More multicultural children's songs from Ella Jenkins [sound recording] by Ella Jenkins

 

We tried "Rushing Around in Russia," which goes like this:

 

 

     We were rushing around in Russia but we stopped to say hello.

     доброе утпо (say "DOBRO'YE UTRO")

     Good morning

     Then we were soon on the go.

 

     We were rushing around in Russia during the middle of the day.

     добрый день (say "DOBREE  D'YEN")

     Good Afternoon

     Then we hurried on our way.

 

     We were rushing around in Russia during a star-filled night.

     добрый вечер (say "DOBREE  V'YECHER")

     Good evening

     Then we were quickly out of sight.

 

The gigantic turnip by Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy

In this traditional Russian tale, a farmer grows a turnip so big that it takes the combined efforts of him, his wife, six canaries, five geese, four hens, three cats, two pigs, one cow, and, finally, one mouse to pull it from the ground. The original version uses a more limited set of animals. Try out some of these Russian words from the original tale:

 

Turnip                   репка (say "r-yep-ka")

Grandpa               дедка (say "d-yed-ka")

Old Wife               бабка (say "bahb-ka")

Granddaughter     внучка (say "vnuch-ka")

Dog                       жучка (say "zhuch-ka")

Cat                        кошка (say "koshka")

Mouse                   мышка (say "mysh-ka")

 

COUNTING TO TEN

1     один (say "ah-deen")

2     два (say "dvah")

3     три (say "tree")

4     четыре (say "ch-ye-teer-ye")

5     пять (say "pyat")

6     шесть (say "sh-yest")

7     семь (say "syem")

8     восемь (say "vo-syem")

9     девять (say "d'yev-yat")

10   десять (say "d'yes-yat")

 

Three kittens by Mirra Ginsburg

 

Records the adventures of three playful kittens, translated from the Russian.

A few key words from this story:

 

 

 

Three kittens - Три котёнка (say "tree kot'yon'ka")

Black, Gray, and White - чёрный, серый, и белый (say "ch'yorn'ee, s'yer'ee, ee b'yell'ee")

Mouse - Мышь (say "meesh")

Frog - Лягушка (say "l-ya-goosh-ka")

Fish - Рыба (say "reeba")

Explorer of the world [sound recording] by Frances England

Frances England's fifth album for families. Written for the kid in all, but with a special nod to those aged four to twelve, these ten fresh and playful tracks pay homage to the everyday treasures all around us. The album takes its listeners on a shimmering sonic journey through the undiscovered every day, and a reminder of all the unexpected adventures that can happen when curiosity can lead the way.

More Songs and Stories to Enjoy

Ya malen'kaya? = Am I small? by Philipp Winterberg

"Am I small?" - Tamia is not sure and keeps asking various animals that she meets on her journey. Eventually she finds the surprising answer...

Look for more bilingual Russian Language materials.

Sergei Prokofiev's Peter and the wolf [kit] by Janet Schulman

Defying his grandfather, young Peter tries to capture a wolf who is terrorizing his animal friends, in a story based on Prokofiev's famous work in which each character is represented by a particular musical instrument.

Look for more Russian folklore.

Russian children's songs [sound recording]

Includes ten Russian children's songs, which may be used as a fun way to introduce and familiarize children with traditional Russian sounds and rhythms.