Der kleine Wassermann (The Little Water Sprite)
#3894.07 adjusted 4.04 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 1956 Reading commitment Low Otfried Preussler Last reviewed 2026-11-02
Overview
Der kleine Wassermann is a children's fantasy by the German author Otfried Preußler, first published in 1956 with illustrations by Winnie Gebhardt. It follows a young water sprite with green hair, fish-scale trousers and a red cap who lives with his family in a mill pond. Across the pond's seasons he meets fish, snails and mussels, often in the company of his friend Cyprinus the carp, until winter ice covers the water. It is a single self-contained book and is not set in the world of the author's Krabat or Little Witch books.
Cozy fantasy · For Middle grade
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
Der kleine Wassermann Otfried Preussler
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Der kleine Wassermann | 1956 | 1 | core | 4.07 (3,198 ratings) |
A single children's novel about a water sprite in a mill pond.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Der kleine Wassermann (The Little Water Sprite)? Der kleine Wassermann (The Little Water Sprite)'s Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is Der kleine Wassermann (The Little Water Sprite) finished? Complete (1956).
- How much reading does Der kleine Wassermann (The Little Water Sprite) take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book).
- How is Der kleine Wassermann (The Little Water Sprite) ranked? #389 in this site's official ranking, based on 3,198 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #389?
Ranked #389 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.07 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (3,198 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #388, Adam Binder (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Highly rated · 1 book · Complete · 3k ratings · Ranks #389 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment cozy fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
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Suggestions computed from what Der kleine Wassermann (The Little Water Sprite) and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
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- The King of the Copper Mountains Mythic fantasy / Cozy fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.09
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.07 across 3,198 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon Extension: 29 universes; Inda widened to Sartorias-deles; 5 candidates ruled out accepted 2026-11-02
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-11-02
Rule: Core Canon = Der kleine Wassermann (1956).