ABANDONED. Very Twisted Childrens Book - Can't recall title

[Bethd]

I read the book in the mid 70's, not sure when it was published. It was a twisted children's book that was to teach kids lessons. one lesson was teaching kids not to pick their nose - If they do, a tall skinny man will run up and cut their finger off with big scissors. The book was mostly drawn sketches and might have been just black and white but I can't recall.

Thanks so much in advance.

[Rachel]

Hi, I think this could have been Struwwelpeter, a collection of German children's stories? There is a man in one story who cuts off children's thumbs, but it's because they suck their thumbs, not because of nose-picking. They are very dark stories though, it terrified me as a child!

[Jane]

My mom read me those stories as a child. But they weren't in black and white.
Unless its another edition. Ours showed the blood dripping after his fingers were cut off in a lovely shade of red.
It definitely is a frightening children's book.

[Jane]

Oops just checked amazon and this book is in black and white.
Check this out on AMZN: Struwwelpeter in English Translation (Dover Children's Classics)
http://amzn.com/0486284697

If it's the book you are looking for I highly recommend getting the color version it's awesome has wonderful artwork.

On my phone so couldn't edit my other post to add sorry.

[Erika]

I agree that it sounds a lot like Struwwelpeter. I got this version some years back. Black and white illustrations and it had both the German and the English text.

http://www.bookdepository.com/Struwwe...

Some of the other stories were about not playing with matches, hurting animals, and not eating your meals.

[Justanotherbiblophile]

I'd like to hear more from the adults who had this read to them/read it when they were a kid.

Do you think it harmed you? Gave you night-mares? Do you think you turned out alright?

[Rachel]

The worst thing for me is that in the version of the book that I was read, the boy who had his thumbs cut off was called Little Tommy Suck-a-Thumb (in other versions he has a different name). My brother is called Tom and used to suck his thumb, so I was very concerned that the tall tailor was going to come after him and teach him a lesson - made it seem much more of a personal threat!

I don't think I've been scarred for life though. And as a bonus I have NEVER sucked my thumb.

[Nathalia]

I think just about every German and Austrian child reads this books at some point. I was not scarred for life at all, at least not from that book. Though I was deeply impressed with the girl who caught fire and burned to ashes, and the cats that cried streams for her. I also remember having an inside joke with my parents about rocking on my chair and we did not have a tablecloth... I really think children are able to handle those stories. Grimms Fairytales are often equally gory.

[Bryan457]

Shel Silverstein has a poem in one of his books about not picking your nose because of something living in your nose that will bite your finger off.

I think you could safely say his books are twisted children's books, full of black and white illustrations.

However, I don't think any of his books are for the purpose of teaching kids lessons.

[Diana]

Shel Silverstein does have Uncle Shelby's ABZ Book, which is ostensibly to teach kids lessons - really horrible lessons that result in them harming themselves or others.

Here's an example:


I haven't read it recently enough to remember if it has a part about a man snipping your finger off if you pick your nose.

[Bryan457]

Lol. I hadn't seen that one before.

[Nathalia]

It's definitely Struwwelpeter. I don't know why my post got deleted, but here is the exact picture: http://www.struwwelpeter.com/SP/daume...

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Bethd, are you still looking for this or was it Struwwelpeter?