Let's laugh!

I love antique shops. Probably because they cater to my need of keeping a little the past into the present. Every time I visit one, I leave the shop satisfied and content with discovering a book or an author that I would not normally find in a regular bookshop.
Here's my latest

(At ease! Let's laugh! by Cristi Vecerdea-Criv, published in 1990 at the Military Publishing House)
Published in 1990, the drawings from this book easily seem to fit the present, be it military or not. 

(And be careful, darling ... don't make a move while in front line)

Excerpt from Chapter 5 - Fairytale-like anniversary (The Three Jolly Tiddlekins, by Vlad Mușatescu)

'Pop Tilică, tell me, please, how can one recognize a poisonous serpent?... '

Scratching his nape and giving it a little thought, our friend answered:

'Well, dear child, to give you a simple answer: if a serpent bites you and you live longer than 30 minutes, than it wasn’t poisonous! If not, then you can no longer find out, and frankly, there’s no reason to it... Do you understand?'

Tiddlekin Babacu nodded somewhat satisfied. Then, in a bout of curiosity, Pop Tilică asked Babane, the eldest of the Ostrogoths:

'And what are you studying in school these days?'

'Physics, Chemistry, Maths, Foreign Languages, French, English, and now Advanced Algebra... '

Amazed by the many things that Babane was studying, Pop Tilică exclaimed:

'Good for you! And how do you say 'good afternoon' in that algebra?... '

Mommy, Eme doesn't know how to turn on the TV

I'll be modest, sincere and straight to the point. My nephew is wondrous. 

Since he was a little boy he started reminding us about a face of dignity we forgot it existed. He never does a thing just because someone tells him he has to or because 'it's the nice thing to do'. You either give him some arguments, or you leave it alone! And I must say that those arguments must be good. He's skittish, stubborn, and stands out from a crowd of adults when asking if he could help. He's turned 6 glorious years and juggles already with two foreign languages. I might as well admit it - I'm proud of him!

But most of all, I like the glow in his eyes when I give him an answer to one of his questions. The way he looks at me has serious repercussions on my self-esteem. I remember that some time ago I was trying to teach him how to snap his fingers. He was fascinated about the sound that I made using my thumb and middle finger. I am older, and then this is somewhat a certainty that I can do things that he cannot. Yet.

On a Sunday, we were laying on the couch (after trying to put together some puzzle pieces), and my nephew remembered it was Scooby time. Considering that he did not know how to turn on the TV, he asked me – the adult – to work the magic. Surely I’m not the most nontechnical person in the world, but once they started to use two remotes for a TV set, I found another reason not to use it anymore. But I told myself that I should at least give it a try for the sake of my nephew. And I did. Two tries. And then I pressed a button on the second remote. A red light flickered from the TV set, but the screen remained as black as ever. If at the beginning, my nephew gave me a somewhat trustful look, when I pressed a button on the second remote, it was clear to him that I was ‘the adult’ only when it didn’t come to the turning on of the TV set. Still, he quickly overcame the disappointment and concentrated on finding a solution. Making towards the kitchen, he called out to his mother:

‘Mommy, won’t you come?! Eme doesn’t know how to turn on the TV.’

It seems that the time of glory ‘I’m and adult and I have answers to your questions’ might soon come to an end. I got to be quick about it and teach him one more important thing. Namely, how to blow a bubble with chewing gum.