The next volume of V. Krapivin’s collected works includes stories written in the 60s, when the author was laying the foundation of his “creative baggage.” “Boltik” appeared somewhat later, but in tone and theme it is adjacent to the rest of the volume. Most of the heroes of these works are children of primary school age. They look at the world trustingly and openly, although it happens that life turns out to be far from joyful for them. The title was given to the story-dulogy - a significant work for the author. It laid the foundation for the symbolism of many of his future books and gave the name to the children’s detachment, which the writer led for more than thirty years.