Interesting finds in the Library

Yesterday we went to the library. A real French library! First we found the section of English books, which was smaller and less diverse than our personal bookshelf. After a quick look through the regular books we moved to the children’s area, which proved to be the most enlightening.

In the children’s books, there was a whole section on cultures and countries from around the world. You could read (in kids’ level french) about animals and trees in Africa, about the rich culture of India, and about the geography and people of South America. One entire shelf was devoted to North America, so I flipped through the offerings there. It turns out that almost every book on the North America shelf was about cowboys and indians (plus one book entitled “Le Mississippi”). That’s right America, French people think you are all cowboys and indians. French children at least...

Just before leaving we happened upon one more gem in the small children’s area. A little square cardboard book entitled “Strip Tease.” No, you didn’t read that wrong. I said, “Strip Tease.” Opening the toddler book, we found about 10 pages, each with an article of clothing and a description. The contents ranged from glasses to a shirt and even bra and panties. I’m hoping something is lost in translation here.