Each country has its own “main” children's writer. Astrid Lindgren in Sweden, Alain Alexander Milne in England, Tove Jansson in Finland... In Germany - Michael Ende (1929–1995). He began his adult life by working in the theater as an actor, but then gave up his acting career and plunged into writing. He was predicted to have a brilliant future in “adult literature,” but he chose to remain a “child,” a boy who plays railroad games and writes endless stories. “Button Jim and the Devil’s Dozen” is the second book, telling about the adventures of Button and the engineer Lucas. Friends set off on a journey to find out the secret of Jim's birth, and along the way they perform noble deeds and redo many different things. Illustrations by Olga Pen