Heinrich Hoffmann (1809-1894)
Slovenly Peter Reformed: Showing how he became a Neat Scholar
Philadelphia: W. P. Hazard, 1853
6 color plates

Heinrich Hoffman, a German physician and writer, wrote his first book as a Christmas gift for his four-year-old son. He wrote five books in all, but he is best known for his creation of "Slovenly Peter" ("Struwwelpeter"). Hoffmann's cautionary tales featured a young boy whose wild appearance matched his unruly behavior. Parents may have found the illustrations disturbing, such as the one shown here of a mother using a saw to cut Peter's fingernails. But children found these hand-colored drawings humorous and just gruesome enough to be appealing.

I tell of naughty girls and boys,

Of ill-bred children, full of noise,

Who play with lights and fire when able,--

Who rock their chairs beside the table,

Till falling down the dinner comes,--

Who suck at once at both their thumbs

Who would not let their nails be cut,

Until at last so long they got,

That from the hands away they stretched,

Until the floor below they reached.

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