Title:  Struwwelpeter:  Merry Tales and Funny Pictures

Author:  Heinrich Hoffman

Release Date:  April 23, 2004 [EBook #12116]

Language:  English

Character set encoding:  ASCII

*** Start of this project gutenberg EBOOK Merry tales ***

Produced by Suzanne Shell, Sandra Brown and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team.

[Transcriber’s Note:  This book was first published in German in 1844, and in English translation in 1848.  This edition was not dated.  Color illustrations appear on every page, often “playing” with the text.]

STRUWWELPETER

MERRY STORIES AND FUNNY PICTURES

Heinrich Hoffman

Frederick Warne & Co., Inc.  New York

STRUWWELPETER

Merry Stories and Funny Pictures

    When the children have been good,
    That is, be it understood,
    Good at meal-times, good at play,
    Good all night and good all day—­
    They shall have the pretty things
    Merry Christmas always brings.

    Naughty, romping girls and boys
    Tear their clothes and make a noise,
    Spoil their pinafores and frocks,
    And deserve no Christmas-box. 
    Such as these shall never look
    At this pretty Picture-book.

Shock-headed Peter

    Just look at him! there he stands,
    With his nasty hair and hands. 
    See! his nails are never cut;
    They are grimed as black as soot;
    And the sloven, I declare,
    Never once has combed his hair;
    Anything to me is sweeter
    Than to see Shock-headed Peter.

Cruel Frederick

    Here is cruel Frederick, see! 
    A horrid wicked boy was he;
    He caught the flies, poor little things,
    And then tore off their tiny wings,
    He killed the birds, and broke the chairs,
    And threw the kitten down the stairs;
    And oh! far worse than all beside,
    He whipped his Mary, till she cried.

    The trough was full, and faithful Tray
    Came out to drink one sultry day;
    He wagged his tail, and wet his lip,
    When cruel Fred snatched up a whip,
    And whipped poor Tray till he was sore,
    And kicked and whipped him more and more: 
    At this, good Tray grew very red,
    And growled, and bit him till he bled;
    Then you should only have been by,
    To see how Fred did scream and cry!

    So Frederick had to go to bed: 
    His leg was very sore and red! 
    The Doctor came, and shook his head,
    And made a very great to-do,
    And gave him nasty physic too.