Harriet and the Matches
Struwwelpeter’s Young Harriet didn’t have sadistic tendencies like Cruel Frederick, but she lacked any sense of self preservation. She had an affinity for playing with matches, despite her mother and nurse’s warnings. Her cats warn, “Me-ow, me-o, You’ll burn to death, if you do so.” But she ignored her talking cats and lit the matches just to watch them burn and crackle.
And sure enough, her dress catches fire, spreading to the rest of her, and just as the cats warned, she burns to a pile of ashes, with only her shoes remaining and the cats mourning her loss. Only her little red shoes remained. This was a terrifying way to remind children not to play with matches. Its graphic depiction of a burning girl must have induced more than a few nightmares.
