Max and Moritz (A Story of Seven Boyish Pranks) (original: Max und Moritz - Eine Bubengeschichte in sieben Streichen) is a German language illustrated story in verse. This highly inventive, blackly humorous tale, told entirely in rhymed couplets, was written and illustrated by Wilhelm Busch and published in 1865. Many familiar with comic strip history consider it to have been the direct inspiration for the Katzenjammer Kids. Max and Moritz became the forerunners to the comic strip. Busch's classic tale of the terrible duo has since become a proud part of the culture in German-speaking countries. Even today, parents usually read these tales to their not-yet-literate children. (Amazon)