Dot and Anton

'Witty yet mysterious' Guardian

'Erich Kästner has a way of being very funny while also make a serious point' Irish Times

Dot loves play-acting, dressing up her pet dachshund Piefke and inventing words like 'splentastic'. Her best friend is Anton, who lives in a tiny flat and looks after his mother.

They share a secret - every night, when their parents think they are asleep, they sell matches and shoelaces on the streets of Berlin with Dot's grumpy governess. But why?

The answers involve a villain called 'Robert the Devil', a club-wielding maid, a wobbly tooth, a pair of silver shoes and a policeman dancing the tango, as Dot and Anton get into all sorts of scrapes in this delightful, touching and hilarious adventure story.

Part of the new Pushkin Children's Classics series of thrilling, magical and inspiring stories from around the world, which young readers will return to time and again.

Translated by Antthea Bell.