When Gwendolin goes to sleep at night

When Gwendolin goes to sleep at night, something happens. All the toys in the nursery wake up: the teddy, the Barbie, rocking horse, clockwork bird, piggy bank, snow globe, the rubber duck and fluffy rabbit. And what they do, nobody knows. In Susanne Straßer's wonderful illustrations and Helmut Krausser's verse we finally find out that in the still of the night a merciless battle takes place between the toys. Only one can be the favourite, only one can win. Since "Struwwelpeter" we have become accustomed to cruelty in childrens' books, but here the clobbering and backstabbing are among the toys. The crocodile eats the duck, the caspar puppet is to be hanged, the goldfish makes a bid for freedom, the Lego railway runs over the rabbit. And, as with "Ten in the bed", one is always being lost along the way until just two are left: two little teddies who enter a duel...