OH fie on Kate! untidy girl,
With dirty face, hair out of curl,
Who soils each dress, however neat,
First with the pudding, then with meat.
More like a little pig is she,
Than what a tidy girl should be!
Thus begins Heinrich Hoffmann's series of darkly humorous cautionary tales, all recounted in rhyme and accompanied by hilarious illustrations. Kate's long-suffering mama produces a trio of pigs as dining companions for the filthy girl, much to the other children's derision. Similar comeuppances await Headstrong Nancy, Envious Tom, Tell-Tale Jenny, and the other rude and disobedient denizens of this extraordinary book.
Frankfurt physician Heinrich Hoffmann wrote and illustrated Slovenly Kate's predecessor, Struwwelpeter, as a Christmas present for his three-year-old son. The popularity of his stories about the lamentable (and laughable) consequences of naughty behavior led to this volume's 1875 publication. The compilation includes a wealth of additional nursery rhymes and fables—recounting the fates of Cruel Jack, Greedy Bob, and other juvenile miscreants—plus delightful illustrations by Theodor Hosemann.