Struwwelpeter in English Translation

Struwwelpeter (translated into English as Slovenly Peter or Shock-Headed Peter) has become one of the most famous and influential children's books ever written. Its author, Heinrich Hoffmann, was a physician in Frankfurt who grew dissatisfied with the dull, moralizing books available for children at the time. To give his three-year-old son a more lively Christmas gift, Hoffmann wrote and illustrated Struwwelpeter himself.

Told in playful rhyming couplets and brought to life with bold illustrations, the book presents cautionary tales about the sometimes comical, sometimes grim consequences that befall children who misbehave-whether by teasing animals, playing with fire, sucking their thumbs, refusing food, or fidgeting at the dinner table.

The result was an instant success, and the book has since been reprinted in hundreds of editions and translated into nearly every European language. This edition features 25 full-color plates from a classic German version accompanied by a standard English translation. An informative afterword provides a brief biography of Hoffmann and the story of how this enduring classic came to be written.

Beloved by children, treasured by bibliophiles, and collected by antiquarians, Struwwelpeter remains a timeless classic of children's literature.