Christoph von Schmid was a writer of children's stories and an educator.
His stories were very popular and translated into many languages. His best-known work in the English-speaking world is The Basket of Flowers (Das Blumenkörbschen).

Biography

He studied theology and was ordained priest in 1791. Christoph von Schmid then served as assistant in several parishes until 1796, when he was placed at the head of a large school in Thannhausen on the Mindel

Thannhausen

Thannhausen is a town in the district of Günzburg, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the river Mindel, southeast of Günzburg, and west of Augsburg....

, where he taught for many years. He soon began writing books for children which taught Christian values. His first work was a bible history for children (1801). He continued with his calling as a writer of children's books throughout his long life, one of his most noted stories being Die Ostereier (Easter Eggs, 1816) due to its popularity and also that he started signing himself as "author of Easter Eggs." Many say that he was the pioneer writer of books for youths. His original purpose for writing was to reward his students after school by reading his books to them. His writings have been translated into 24 languages. His principle juvenile works are Biblische Geschichte für Kinder, Der Weihnachtsabent, Genovena, Ostereier, Das Blumenkörbschen, and Erzählungen für Kinder und Kinderfreunde (1823–1829). His stories usually center around a disturbance to the happiness of good people which God's righteousness finally fixes, the goal of the writer being to awaken a practical piety in his youthful readers. He also wrote poems which are scattered here and there in his work. His autobiography, Erinnerungen aus meinem Leben, was published in 1853–1857. From 1816 to 1826 he was parish priest at Oberstadion

Oberstadion

Oberstadion is a town in the district of Alb-Donau in Baden-Württemberg in Germany....

 in Württemberg

Württemberg

Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....

. In 1826, Christoph von Schmid was appointed canon of the Cathedral of Augsburg

Augsburg

Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...

, where he died of cholera

Cholera

Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...

when he was eighty seven.

External links

• The Basket of Flowers at Project Gutenberg