Max Grafe

This is the tale of a soldier who has lost everything to war. When the war was over, and the man was wandering through the woods, he meets the devil. With no food in his stomach and his clothes in tatters, the devil makes him an offer. If he could wander the world for seven years wearing the skin of a bear, without washing or cutting his nails or hair, without praying, he would have all the gold he needed. His pockets would never be empty. If he could do this for seven years he would be rich forever and his soul would be his. If he could not do these things his soul would belong to the devil for eternity.

At first his life was find, but as he got dirtier and looked less like a man he was shunned by others. But one day, he stopped to give money to a poor woman and he learned the power of giving.

This is a well told take with powerful messages of good vs. evil, and the power of self-forgetting and giving to others. The dark illustrations are a wonderful accompaniment to the tale.… (mere)