Will the animals save the children of the earth from the madness of human beings? The lion Sab‘awi sits with Kimo the elephant and Zarif the giraffe to discuss what is happening on Earth, and they discover that what humans are doing is causing wars, famines, and unrest. The animals feel alarmed and sorry for children, so they decide to hold a conference to save the earth. The first “Animals’ Conference” is convened, and animals gather from all over the world to impose peace among humans—but they quickly realize they will need some clever tricks to make humans take them seriously. The first edition of this novel appeared in 1949, as Erich Kästner’s first work after the Second World War, which he spent in Germany while forbidden to write and publish. At that time he decided to write a novel for young readers and adults alike about human madness that seemed unlikely to end before the end of the world. Erich Kästner (1899–1974) was a German writer and one of the world’s most famous authors for children and young adults. His books achieved great success because they had a new tone, free from preaching, and because children appeared in them as intelligent, independent, self-reliant, and cooperative people.