Pünktchen und Anton
(children’s novel, Eng. publication title: Dot and Anton) by Erich Kästner (1931)
"You can only have courage when you keep a cool head. [...] You don't show courage with your fist alone; you need your head to do so."
Dot is wealthy, Anton is poor—yet the two are connected by a deep friendship
The story of the inseparable duo takes place in Berlin in the 1930s.
Although Dot lives in a beautiful, spacious apartment and her family have both a cook and a nanny, she is anything but snooty. Anton, in contrast to Dot, lives in humble circumstances. Beyond attending school, he has to attend to all the household chores as well as earn money so that he and his ailing mother can make ends meet. One night, the two meet on the Weidendammer Bridge, where they are both begging, but for very different reasons: Anton to survive, and Dot to help her nanny.
Despite all the differences in their lives, Dot and Anton become best friends. She is always ready to help him, but Anton never lets Dot down, either. Together, they form an unbeatable team.
* Kästner, E., Pünktchen und Anton, Berlin 1931.
