because of my situation, I learnt very few nursery rhymes etc as a small child, well none that I can remember, however, I do remember my mother, after I came to England saying something about Struwelpeter and it stuck in my memory- except that, as it was not told me as a story, I therefore did not paint it as a story, but put him into my art room, when he emerged in my memory. because of our model. I have to admit I was an untidy child, and not a good student either preferring to read novels, draw and go down to our allotment to feed the chickens etc. My new dad /accountant/ used to say my head was with the wind, and the school reports I had from Germany said the same, /but some of my english teachers were much kinder/ yet the nuns always said I was a very good child, especially the cook nun, who used to sit me on the sacks in her cellar kitchen and asked me to tell her stories, and even wrote that I should continue to be good when I got to England. This trait of mine upset my new mother very much as she was beyond immaculate and beautifully dressed, even if she wore a rag! She complained incessantly to my headmistress about these very unfortunate elements of my character as she felt it reflected on her care of me! So this is how I saw Struwelpeter! I made up for my lack of nursery rhymes by buying my children one book each Thursday when I got my housekeeping and reading to them constantly.