Grigorii Oster's "Deti i eti"

Good news! Grigorii Oster is hard at work on a new series, Deti i eti.  Of the series, Oster says, "cерия этих книг представляет собой новый жанр - смешные короткие истории, которые также являются психологическими практиками."  The second volume of the series,  Дети и Эти 2. Попугаи с вареньем, has just been released.

The publication of Deti i eti reminds me that I wanted to pose a question here to those of you reading this blog.  Why, do you think, does the very short story for children remain such a popular option in Russia?  It's a form that has long fallen out of favor in Anglo-American publishing (and was never popular in the United States) except for in magazines for children.  Don't get me wrong: the continuing popularity of the very short story in Russia is a strength of Russian children's literature.  It works well for children learning to read and for adults reading with children.  I have my own theories, especially as to why the genre has disappeared in the U.S., but I wonder what you think.

News from RIANovosti, link via the Facebook group Культура детства: нормы, ценности, практики