“Trust me, children like to be scared,” was the bold claim I uttered. A response to my partner’s observation that Doctor Who is too frightening for youngsters.

Like a true fan boy, I reeled off a list of much-loved science fiction monsters that had terrified me as a nipper. Daleks, Cybermen and other creatures had all lurked in my wardrobe or the shadows under the bed.

I’d be traumatised watching Doctor Who as a child, but would never leave the room as I was unwilling to miss the programme altogether. Thus, children like to be scared.

I’d dug myself into a hole with this paper-thin theory and wasn’t prepared to put down the spade. I thought about other favourite terrors from my childhood and one instantly sprang to mind.

Struwwelpeter by Heinrich Hoffman was a creepy German picture book that was first published in 1845 and essential bedtime reading. It comprises ten illustrated and rhymed stories, mostly about children.

Each has a clear moral that demonstrates the disastrous consequences of misbehaviour. These violent and cautionary tales would pretty much scare you witless into being a pleasant child.

Here’s a brief summary of the horrible stories, as it’s interesting to compare them to modern children’s books like Pepper Pig: l Struwwelpeter – Describes a boy who doesn’t cut his hair or fingernails and is consequently unpopular.

l The Story of Cruel Frederick – A nasty boy terrorises animals and people. Eventually he is bitten by a dog, which goes on to eat the boy's sausages while he is permanently hospitalised.

l The Dreadful Story of Harriet and the Matches – A girl plays with matches and burns to death.

l The Story of the Inky Boys – Three boys are caught teasing a dark-skinned boy. To teach them a lesson, the three boys are dipped in black ink.

l The Story of the Wild Huntsman – A hare steals a hunter’s rifle and eyeglasses and begins to hunt the hunter.

l The Story of Little Suck-a-Thumb – A mother warns her son not to suck his thumbs. However, when she goes out of the house he resumes his thumb sucking, until a passing tailor bursts in and cuts off his thumbs with giant scissors.

l The Story of Kaspar who did not have any Soup – A healthy boy decides he will no longer eat his soup. Over the next five days he wastes away and dies.

l The Story of Fidgety Philip – A boy who won’t sit still at dinner accidentally knocks all of the food onto the floor, to his parents’ great anger.

l The Story of Johnny Head-in-Air – This concerns a boy who fails to look where he’s walking. One day he walks into a river.

l The Story of Flying Robert – A boy goes outside during a storm. The wind catches his umbrella and sends him flying off, presumably to his doom.