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About this book
Two boys turn ordinary village life into a succession of troublesome pranks in this illustrated verse tale. Max and Maurice prefer mischief to lessons, and their targets include Widow Tibbets, the respected tailor Mr. Buck, the schoolmaster Lämpel and Uncle Fritz. The seven tricks give the book its structure, while short rhyming lines and bursts of sound carry each incident quickly from a scheme to its consequences.
Charles T. Brooks's English translation uses a narrator who repeatedly contrasts the boys' conduct with the rules of good behaviour. Stolen food, a damaged bridge, an exploding pipe and insects hidden in a bed create a harsh kind of slapstick, with distress and physical mishaps beneath the humour. Readers interested in older children's verse will find a tale that joins moral warnings to visual comedy, and whose treatment of mischief can feel severe beside gentler stories.
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Book facts
- Author
- Wilhelm Busch
- Genre
- Childrens Classics
- Formats
- PDF, EPUB, Read online