Customer Reviews

Struwwelpeter in English Translation (Dover Children's Classics)

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I read this little gem in 4th grade--my best friend stumbled across it somehow and showed it to me and we were both fascinated and disgusted (and a little frightened) by the stories and, more directly, by the charmingly rustic drawings. The now infamous story of Little Suck-a-Thumb made us both very relieved that we were, neither one, thumb-suckers. (the Red Long-Legged Scissor Man haunts me to this day...such a vivid and menacing figure, doncha think?) With Augustus--many modern women wish it were so easy to "become a little string". And as far as Harriet and the matches--I only wish my kitties would cry for me as Harriet's did...But I recommend this book heartily for adults who love the grim aspects of the Grimm fairy tales and anyone who liked the any Victorian/Edwardian "fairy stories" as a child (the original "Little Black Sambo" is another good vintage child's book...anyone reading it will see the racial aspects of the book are virtually non-existent. It only makes me hungry for pancakes!). Parental cautions? I am buying this for not only me but for my 7-month-old daughter. As to whether she will get to read it or not...well, I dunno. I think I will also buy a copy of "Peter Rabbit" as well. Mr MacGregor is a little less scary than the nasty red-long-legged Scissor Man.

My mother & I were both raised on this book. It didn't scare us because the horrid, nasty things were all happening to children who were being particularly bad, and the so-called violence was as unrealistic as the witch eating Hansel & Gretel. Even a small child can distinguish these "tall tales" from reality. I will admit, that we grew up to be particularly law-abiding adults. Maybe there is a connection.

It's hard not to burst into xenophobic raptures when contemplating this bizarre little book. I mean, where else could a children's book of such an austere and humourless moral tone have originated than nineteenth century Germany? Have you heard the story of Harriet who played with matches? She BURNS TO DEATH! What should happen to naughty Conrad who sucks his thumbs when his mother isn't looking? The Long Legged Scissor Man leaps out of a door and CUTS HIS THUMBS OFF WITH A HUGE PAIR OF SHEARS, OF COURSE! And what of Augustus, who wouldn't eat his soup? HE STARVES TO DEATH! Naturally!

The only thing more ghastly than reading this to your lovely child as she or he is tucked up in bed is reading it in the original German: fear not if you don't understand German; in fact it's even better that way: far more scary!

And all illustrated in the most grotesque fashion, sure to surprise, delight and permanently derange even the most pleasantly disposed child.

Well, it never did me any harm...

Olly Buxton

I am 27 years old, and this and Max & Moritz are two of only a handful of items I have still retained from the earliest of my childhood. My real mother is German, and had these books and passed them down to my sister and I. She'd read these books to us many a time. It never scared me, but it truly fascinated me and taught me a lot about the concept of consequences at an early age. Is it extreme? Most definitely. The book was written during extreme times. It definitely doesn't offer any neo-psychological "positive reinforcement". This book is grim, and meant to teach children about moral character. I admire that in a day where even adults can't even speak to each other plainly. No beating around the bush here. My favorite part was the scissor guy, come to lop the thumbs off of a thumb-sucking child, after having been warned by his mother to stop the thumb-sucking. While living in Alabama, my step-mother had an uncle who lost a piece of his index finger. His story? He was picking his nose, and a "booger" bit off a chunk of his finger. Good lesson in not picking one's nose. That must have been 1986. Some lessons are timeless.

I was raised on this book, given to me by a favorite aunt who was raised in Austria. The stories and drawings are simultaneously grim and clever, with lessons for children that have not been sugarcoated in the least.

The book was originally written in German and one English version (not this one) was translated by Mark Twain. This book has lasted 150 years with good reason.

Ever wonder what early German television programs for children must have been like? A bit of the Grimm brothers, with a dash of Weimar dada and an big dose of the unintentionally sick humor of the classic Struwwelpeter by today's standards. This is a classic on some level, not sure where or what. It is not that unusual a children's book when compared to other mid-Victorian attempts at the moral edification of youth. Perhaps a fear of the wages of infantile sins consisting of thumb sucking, poor grooming, cruelty, matches and finicky eaters would help with some of the childish monsters many parents raise today. I have a dream to place copies of Struwwelpeter in every waiting room in America for the kiddies enjoyment. Maybe the injections & dental drills will not seem so bad after all. Herr Hoffman, we thank you for disturbing innocent lullaby land with the dark creatures dwelling in the deep shadowy Tuetonic forests from whence you sprang, an unsung hero to real family values. I guarantee you cannot pick up this book without giggling. Enjoy & sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite...

This edition has the original (so far as I know) artwork and it's still disturbing after more than a century. There's another edition with excruciatingly vile new artwork that's sure to shake up even a hardened MTV tube-head kid, but I'm a sucker for the classics. Makes a great gift with the biggest pair of scissors you can find.

Cautionary tales written and illustrated by a German psychiatrist over 150 years ago continue to alarum children and amuse parents. Racial intolerance is the target in "The Inky Boys," vicious acts in "Cruel Frederick," and of course hygiene in the title story "Shock-Headed Peter.".

My little sister and I were born in Germany (1950,1952), & our older sister learned German fluently. Mom brought this wonderful book (written in German) back from Germany and hid it in her closet, but we found it and frequently "read" it with great enjoyment, thrilled by the gruesome pictures of what happens to naughty little children who don't do as they ought. When Mom caught us she always scolded us. Over the years the book disappeared. We once reminisced, wondering what happened to this eccentric book, a link in our happy past. When I found it on the internet listed under German children's books, I bought several copies and passed them out - to everyone's delight & amazement.

We had this book when my sister and I were 4 and 6, and living in Germany. My younger sister was extremely traumatized by the story and pictures of the boy whose thumbsucking results in his thumbs being cut off by a man with giant shears, illustrated by copious amounts of dripping blood. I'm 1000 percent with the reviewers who say that kids today are spoiled and need guidance, but there are better ways to teach those lessons. A parent who knows foolishness in their child when they see it, and is willing to lovingly and constantly set an example and correct their child's wrong behavior, is way ahead of a creepy "scare 'em straight" book. But for sheer entertainment value for adults, this book is right up there.