The Jovtics 375o3x

Copyright © 2012 by Oleg Dergachov. 123777-FOR

ISBN: Softcover 978-1-4797-3800-7 ISBN: eBook 978-1-4797-3801-4

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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OLEG DERGACHOV

THE JOVTICS

Fable for children THE JOVTICS written by Brothers Grimm, adapted and illustrated by Oleg Dergachov, edited by……………., translated by Mark Andryczyk and Yaryna Yakubyuk. Translated from the Ukrainian adaptation entitled Zhovtyky.

Summary: The Jovtics is a short fable about good, hardworking people who arrive when someone is in need of assistance. The Jovtics never help those who wish others harm, who are lazy, or who forget about their friends. From the Jovtics one can learn how to share and give of oneself without expecting anything in return. They fly quietly and unnoticed above our homes and are always ready to provide assistance.

Do you know who the Jovtics are? A long, long time ago they lived on the Earth, flying in on hot air balloons to those in need of their help.

Once they were flying over a very old and beautiful city. Wanting to see the city and the people that lived there up close, they flew just above the city and almost got caught on the towers of the city’s castles and the chimneys of its buildings.

But the sun was beginning to set and night was now covering the city with its dark blanket. One Jovtic peeked into the window of an old house and saw old shoemaker sitting behind a table in a tiny room.

The shoemaker said sadly to ask cat:

-We only have three coins left – barely enough money to buy the leather needed to make a single pair of boots. Again you and I have to go to sleep without having eaten supper – there is no money left to buy food. But there is nothing we can do about it!

And leaving some leather for the boots on the table, the shoemaker and his cat went to sleep.

The next morning, in place of the leather, the shoemaker found a new pare of boots on the table – and they were the nicest boots he had ever seen! They had silver buckles and wonderful patterns on their bootlegs – who could have sewn such a beautiful boots in just one night?

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. At the entrance there stood a dignified tall man with a black hat.

Hello, shoemaker! I need to have the finest pair of boots – so I could look good enough to meet with the King!

The only pair of boots that the shoemaker had to offer fit the man perfectly and he liked them so much that he paid for them with a full bag of silver coins.

There now were enough coins to buy the leather needed to make ten pairs of boots. The shoemaker left the leather on the table and planned on sewing the boot next day. Then he fell asleep. And what do you think happened next?

In the morning, on his table, he found ten pairs of brand new amazing boots – and they were all very nice and masterfully sewn!

How other shoppers found out about this, no one knows, but they immediately showed up and bought all the footwear that was in the shoemaker’s workshop.

The shoemaker didn’t even have time to buy leather to make more boots. No matter, how much material he was able to buy – by morning everything was sewn, and so wonderfully!

There were many buyers, because they each wanted to have footwear that could be good enough to meet with the king!

All the shoemaker had to do was selling the footwear and counting the money.

He and his cat started to forget about those times when they didn’t even have a crust of bread.

But instead of being happy, the shoemaker kept on wondering: “Who is it that sews all this footwear at night instead of me?”

He was determined to uncover this mystery, nomatter what.

He decided to hide in a chest that was in his workshop in order to see who was running his house during the night.

As soon as it was midnight the window quietly opened and small Jovtic began climbing along little long ladder, first descending from the windowsill and then scaling up – into the table with a lot of leather and shoemaker’s tools. And that’s where they really got to work and were as busy as bees.

The old shoemaker was amazed at how masterfully and skillfully the Jovtics worked.

They finished their tasks quickly and left the workshop the same way they had entered, so that they could fly out by morning in their hot-air balloons, each of which was as big as a ripened pumpkin!

In the morning the shoemaker told the cat about everything that he had seen.

The cat thought for a while and then said:

-These Jovtics helped us to become rich. How can we return the favor? Maybe we can sew new suits and boots for them?

And they got to work. By evening everything was done.

At midnight the hot air balloons once again flew down the shoemaker’s house. The Jovtics immediately noticed that there were gifts on the table instead of the usual pieces of leather.

Their amazement soon turned into lively joy and happiness. They started to try on their beautiful gifts, singing and danced on the table, raising such a hubbub, that, at first, they didn’t even notice the shoemaker and his cat, watching them from the dark corner of the workshop.

-My dear little friends,- the shoemaker said, smiling,- Thank you for kindness and your help. Now we are able to feed ourselves while you should fly on and help those, who need you!

And the Jovtics waved goodbye to the shoemaker and his cat, climbing into the baskets of their funny hot –air balloons and flew to that place, where the sun was just raising over the horizon.

There are still so many people in the world that need to be helped!

The old shoemaker never saw the Jovtics again…

He lived in peace and happiness telling everyone about the little magic craftsmen.

The End

Oleg Dergachov was born in 1961 in Russian city of Rostov-on-Don.

He is a sculptor, cartoonist, animator, storyteller, art teacher and painter.

He has won over 80 international contests of cartoon and book illustration in Europe, USA, Canada, Asia and Australia.

He is the author of famous Monuments to Smile in Russia, USA, Ukraine and Canada. His most famous book and animation characters are Denis the Inventor and Smart Lee. In 1990 Oleg founded the DO Press publishing studio, where he published over thirty artists books.

His drawings, books and bronze sculptures represented in numerous museum collections in 25 countries, such as Canada, , , Canada, USA, Poland, Holland, Italy, Iran, Turkey, Great Britain and many others.

Lives and works in Montreal, Quebec in his own Studio DO.

- www.dostudio.ca