This german childrens book is the creepiest thing youll. Illustrated books with short texts are handed down from generation to generation in germany. The childrens book every kid dreaded in the 18th century. The 19thcentury book of horrors that scared german kids. Struwwelpeter in english translation dover childrens. In the 19th century, a german psychiatrist and writer wrote a childrens book which, if published today, would cause an outrageous scandal. A publishing phenomenon that is still in print today, the english struwwelpeter first appeared as a german children s christmas picture book, dr heinrich hoffmanns lustige. The former is innocent with a sense of good and evil for which he is rewarded in the end. Free german childrens books for language learners young and. In the original edition of heinrich hoffmans 1845 german childrens book, the most famous characterstruwwelpeter, or shockheaded peter. It comprises ten illustrated and rhymed stories, mostly about children. The book contains 10 poems that serve as warnings to naughty boys and girls. This german childrens book is the creepiest thing youll see today. The book was written and illustrated in 1845 by a physician for his 3 year old son.
Indeed, struwwelpeter opens with a promise that good children on christmas will receive this tome of terror as a present, whereas bad kids will. If you possess any sort of fluency in the german language, theres a good chance youve encountered children s author heinrich hoffmans 1845 bedtime classic struwwelpeter. German books for children can be a great learning tool for german. After grimms fairy tales, struwwelpeter is the most widely published german childrens book. The title poem is about a messy boy struwwel means slovenly with his uncombed hair and dirty nails. Struwwelpeter is a bit different from the poetry book of my youth. In case you didnt know, germany has a collection of really creepy bedtime stories called struwwelpeter. Intending to buy a picture book as a christmas present for his 3yearold son, hoffmann instead wrote and illustrated. The 19thcentury book of horrors that scared german kids into. Yes, it is cruel, and it is true, yet one cant help it but. The influence of struwwelpeter the new york public library. The title of the first story provides the title of the whole book. The best scenes from the most demented german childrens book.
Hoffmann wrote struwwelpeter in response to a lack of good children s books. Literary german short stories or classic german novels may be intimidating for beginners or simply not everyones cup of tea so how about german childrens books. Each has a clear moral that demonstrates the disastrous consequences of misbehavior in an exaggerated way. In the original edition of heinrich hoffmans 1845 german childrens book, the most famous character struwwelpeter, or shockheaded peter, whose name later became the book s title. The best scenes from the most demented german childrens. Learning german with stories is a great method to practice and expand your vocabulary and grammar. The sentences are short, there are often illustrations to support text comprehension, and most german books. Free german childrens books for language learners young.
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