I don't really have anything to add, I just love this book. I searched for "The NeverEnding Story" in this community, saw that there was no post about it and wanted to fix that :).
Image found on Facebook. I think the source of that specific printing is the Spanish version of the book, [EDIT: as pointed by @alvarolh@lemm.ee, the version on the link is also a Spanish version, I may have had a brainfart because of the font (?)] ~~but it's very similar to some German version covers~~.
If you pick up this book, I highly recommend another book written by the same author - Michael Ende - called Momo.
The fantasy parts of the NES sometimes feel like allegory but mostly feel like folly. But Momo is ostensibly an allegory from the beginning. It also feels like waking up your inner child.
The parts of the NES that were not adapted into the films are absolutely whimsical and amazing. It's a true wonder why some details were used in the film and not others. It's a lot of fun!
Agree, Momo is GREAT! I resonate a lot with both books.
Note that (if I'm not mistaken), NES is mostly an adaptation of Nietzsche's ideas:
Many parts of the book make more sense once I was aware of those references (which was not so long ago).
This is an interesting insight. I have a degree in philosophy but tap danced around the Nietzsche class to go to the phenomenology & existentialism course instead lol