Vera Chaplina facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Vera Chaplina
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Vera Chaplina with the lioness Kinuli (Foundling). The Moscow Zoo, 1936
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| Born | Vera Vasilievna Chaplina 24 April 1908 Moscow, Russian Empire |
| Died | 19 December 1994 (aged 86) Moscow, Russian Federation |
| Resting place | Vagankovo Cemetery, Moscow |
Vera Vasilievna Chaplina (Russian: Вера Васильевна Чаплина) was a famous Soviet writer who wrote books for children about animals. She was also a naturalist, meaning she studied nature and animals. Vera Chaplina was born on April 24, 1908, and passed away on December 19, 1994.
Contents
Vera Chaplina's Early Life and Career
Vera Chaplina was born in Moscow. Her grandfather, Vladimir Chaplin, was an engineer and a teacher. After the Russian Revolution in 1917, when Vera was just 10 years old, she got lost and lived in an orphanage in Tashkent for several years. In 1923, she returned to Moscow.
Her journey at the Moscow Zoo began when she was 16. Vera loved visiting the zoo, especially seeing the baby animals. She spent so much time there that the zoo's main naturalist, Pyotr Manteifel, noticed her. He asked her if she wanted to be a junior helper, and she happily agreed. From then on, she worked at the zoo every day. In 1924, she joined the Young Biologists' Circle at the Moscow Zoo.
Working with Baby Animals
Vera Chaplina was especially interested in baby animals. In 1933, she was put in charge of all the young animals at the zoo who had lost their mothers. By 1937, she became the head of one of the zoo's biggest sections: the wild animals area.
Over the years, Vera Chaplina often brought animals home to care for them. Her family's apartment became a temporary home for wolves, a leopard, a lynx, and even a lion cub named Kinuli.
The Story of Kinuli the Lion Cub
Kinuli means "abandoned" in Russian. This lion cub had been left by her mother, and Vera Chaplina saved her. She took Kinuli home, fed her with a bottle, and nursed her back to health. Kinuli grew up in a Moscow apartment in the 1930s, living with Vera, her husband, young son, and brother. Neighbors and their children also got to know the growing lioness. Vera Chaplina's love for animals and her desire to share that feeling with her readers shines through in Kinuli's story.
Vera Chaplina's Books
Vera Chaplina's first book about baby animals was called Cubs from the Green Enclosure. It was published in Russian in 1935. After that, she wrote many more children's books about animals. Some of her other popular books include My Animal Pupils (1937), Four-Legged Friends (1949), Pupils of the Zoo (1955–1965), and Casual Encounters (1976).
People describe Chaplina's writing as caring but not overly emotional. Her stories are simple and clear, showing her gentle and practical approach to the animals she looked after.
Vera Chaplina worked at the Moscow Zoo until 1946. After that, she spent more time writing and became a full-time author. Her stories have been translated into many languages around the world, including English, German, French, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, and many others.
Selected Books in English
- My Animal Friends (1939)
- Zoo Babies (1956)
- Scamp and Crybaby (1959)
- Kinuli (1965)
- True Stories from the Moscow Zoo (1970)
- Forest Travelers. A Film Story (1972)
- The Birds in Our Wood (1984)
Vera Chaplina as a Script Author
Vera Chaplina also helped write scripts for several films, often about animals.
- Kinuli — a documentary film (1935)
- Adventures of a Bear Cub — a comedy film (1936)
- Instinct in Animal Behavior — a documentary film (1940)
- Forest Travelers — an animated film (1951)
- In the Heart of the Forest — an animated film (1954)
See also
In Spanish: Vera Chaplina para niños
