Struwwelpeter: Merry Stories and Funny Pictures

Struwwelpeter: Merry Stories and Funny Pictures by Heinrich Hoffmann

Der Struwwelpeter is a super-popular book for the kids by a German author, Heinrich Hoffmann. The book consists of 10 rhymed stories with pictures, most of which are about little boys and girls. The critics call it a moral guidance for the little ones and each of the 10 stories talks about the bad things that happen when kids start to misbehave. They say Hoffman decided to write this book simply because there wasn't enough good, proper literature for children. He wanted to get a picture book as a gift for his kid, but ended up writing his own book! In 1845, the book was published and became hugely popular, not only in Germany but also in many other European countries. Furthermore, Der Struwwelpeter is translated into numerous languages, English included.

The first story, Struwwelpeter, the one that provides the title for the book, is about a little boy who's not popular among his friends because he doesn't know how to take care of his personal hygiene properly. The second story is about a cruel boy who oppresses both animals and people. Once a dog bites him and eats his sausage.

The next story is a really brutal one and tells about a girl who plays with matches and burns herself to death, even though her cats keep telling her to put the matches down. In The Story of the Black Boys, Nikolas, an old fellow, punishes 3 white boys who tease a black-skinned boy by dipping them in black ink. The moral behind this one is - don't offend people based on their nationality, gender, and skin color. The bottom line is, if you want your kids to learn about what's right and wrong at an early age, this book would be a perfect present for them!