Let’s read together: The Story of Fidgety Philip by Heinrich Hoffmann

“Let me see if Philip can
Be a little gentleman;
Let me see if he is able
To sit still for once at table.”
Thus spoke, in earnest tone,
The father to his son;
And the mother looked very grave
To see Philip so misbehave.
But Philip he did not mind
His father who was so kind.
He wriggled
And giggled,
And then, I declare,
Swung backward and forward
And tilted his chair,
Just like any rocking horse;-
“Philip! I am getting cross!”

See the naughty, restless child,
Growing still more rude and wild ,
Till his chair falls over quite.
Philip screams with all his might,
Catches at the cloth, but then
That makes matters worse again.
Down upon the ground they fall,
Glasses, bread, knives forks and all.
How Mamma did fret and frown,
When she saw them tumbling down!
And Papa made such a face!
Philip is in sad disgrace.

Where is Philip? Where is he?
Fairly cover’d up, you see!
Cloth and ll are lying on him;
He has pull’d down all upon him!
What a terrible to-do!
Dishes, glasses, snapt in two!
Here a knife, and ther fork!
Philip, this is naughty work.
Table all so bare, and ah!
Poor Papa and poor Mamma
Look quite cross, and wonder how
They shall make their dinner now.

To read The Story of Fidgety Philip in other languages

• German language version: Die Geschichte vom Zappel-Philipp
• Italian language version: La storia di Filippo che si dondola
• English language version: The Story of Fidgety Philip

To read the other nursery rhymes from the book Struwwelpeter by Heinrich Hoffmann

• Foreword: to the children
• Struwwelpeter – Shock headed Peter
• The Story of Cruel Frederick
• The Dreadful Story of Pauline and the Matches
• The Story of the Inky Boys
• The Story of the Wild Huntsman
• The Story of Little Suck-a-Thumb
• The Story of Augustus who not have any Soup
• The Story of Fidgety Philip
• The Story of Johnny Look-in-the-Air
• The Story of Flying Robert
• Anniversary page for the hundredth edition

Go to Struwwelpeter Special!