<p>Most of you know that our family is an international bunch. My husband&#39;s from a German-speaking country - that means we have easy access to some of the best chocolate in the world, and it also means that we have quite the collection of German-language kid&#39;s books. </p><p>Chocolate? Always good.</p><p>German children&#39;s books? Well...it depends.</p><p>Maybe Americans are raising a generation of wimps, I don&#39;t know, but I&#39;m pretty sure that I can pick up pretty much any American children&#39;s book and it&#39;ll be as bland as vanilla and full of positive lessons and happy endings. I don&#39;t mind. That is not the case with the books we get in Europe. To be fair, I don&#39;t speak German so I don&#39;t know if I&#39;m taking the pictures out of context, but some things are just obvious.</p><p>For instance, take this book:</p><p><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3063071509/" title="DSC_0064 by R. S. M., on Flickr"><img alt="DSC_0064" class="at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39c1f970c" height="334" src="http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39c1f970c-pi.jpg" width="500" /></a></p><p>At first glance it looks like one of those busy illustrated books that toddlers love. I love them too, because they keep the kids busy - they love finding things in the illustrations and I can easily tell my kids what the things in the picture are. I do it in Spanish, because we like to keep the kids confused.</p><p>Anyways, my innocent three year old pointed at the picture of the group of kids in the school yard.</p><p><em>What are those kids doing?<br /><br /></em><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3063070365/" title="DSC_0055 by R. S. M., on Flickr"><img alt="DSC_0055" class="at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39c3c970c" height="334" src="http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39c3c970c-pi.jpg" width="500" /></a></p><p>I&#39;m a little bit blind, so I just told him that the kids were playing. You know, like he does at preschool.</p><p>Then I took a closer look at the illustration, and I realized that maybe? Telling him that was probably not the best idea.</p><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/diary/3063908370/" title="DSC_0060 by R. S. M., on Flickr"><img alt="DSC_0060" class="at-xid-6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39c60970c" height="334" src="http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/6a00d8341db04e53ef01310fa39c60970c-pi.jpg" width="500" /></a></p><p>This illustration is the thing that school phobias and night terrors are made of.</p><p>Why are the little kids beating each other up?</p><p>Why is the &quot;doggie&quot; so angry?</p><p>Why is that lady just watching?</p><p>WHY?</p><p>I don&#39;t like those German story books. You should see the old-fashioned ones.</p>
