Otfried Preussler, a bestselling German children's author who created "The Robber Hotzenplotz" and "The Little Witch" books, has died. He was 89.

His publisher says Preussler died Monday at his home in Prien am Chiemsee.

The Stuttgart, Germany-based Thienemann publishing house said in a statement Wednesday that 50 million copies of Preussler's books were printed worldwide and translated into more than 50 languages.

Preussler won the European Youth book prize for his novel "Krabat," published in 1971 and translated in English as "The Satanic Mill," in 1973.

In recent years, Preussler was among a number of authors whose works were criticized in Germany for containing terms deemed offensive to minorities.

Preussler was born in Reichenberg, now the Czech town of Liberec, in 1923. He is survived by a daughter.