The book by Valentin Nikolaevich Bogdanov includes works of different genres: there are short stories, novellas, essays, and, apparently, a genre invented by the author himself - nursery rhymes. The themes are also varied: village life, military service, work in the taiga, hunting, fishing, love... They have one thing in common: the author’s rich life experience. Whether it be stories about love or tiny humorous jokes, the reader is presented not with invented plots decorated with verbal patterns, but with life itself, described honestly, truthfully, and convincingly. Following A. Akhmatova, the author could rightfully say to himself: “No, and not under an alien firmament, and not under the protection of alien wings, I was then with my people, where my people, unfortunately, were... »This interesting book is addressed to a wide range of readers of different ages.