Struwwelpeter

The Story Behind the Famous Book
Written by Dr. Heinrich Hoffmann (1809-1894)

Towards Christmas in the year 1844, when my eldest son was three years old, I went to town with the intention to buy as a present for him a picture book, which should be adapted to the little fellow’s powers of comprehension. But what did I find? Long tales, stupid stories, beginning and ending with admonitions like “the good child must be truthful” or “children must keep clean” ect. But I lost all patience when I found a folio volume where a bench, a chair, a jug, and many other things were drawn and under each picture neatly written: “half, a third, or a tenth of the natural size.” A child does not need to have an idea of the full size of a real bench. The child does not reason abstractly.

That evening I nevertheless brought home a book, and handing it over to my wife, said “There is what you wished for the little one.” She took it, calling out rather amazed “Well, that is a notebook with blank leaves” – “Just so, but we are going to make a book out of it.” And it happened thus: I was then obliged to practice in town where I was often brought into contact with children. Now it certainly is a difficult thing for a Doctor to make their little ones from 3 to 5 years feel at their ease with him, because when they are in good health, the medical man and the chimneysweep are very often made bugbears of. “My dear, if you are naughty the chimneysweep will carry you off” or “Child, if you eat too much, the Doctor will come with his nasty medicine.” The consequence is that the little angel, when ill, begins to cry violently and to struggle as soon as the physician enters the room. On such occasions a slip of paper and a pencil generally came to my assistance. A story, invented on the spur of the moment, illustrated with a few touches of the pencil and humorously related, will calm the little antagonist, dry his tears, and allow the medical man to do his duty.

In this manner most of Struwwelpeter‘s absurd scenes originated. Some of them were later inventions, sketched in the same impulsive manner, without the least intention on my part of literary fame. The book was bound, put under the Christmas tree, and the effect on the boy was just what I expected.