I am in hysterics over this blog today from English author Jenny Colgan's trip to her local Antibes library children's section. If I did believe for one moment that French children were better behaved and less incliend to throw food I might think the explanation lay in these horrifying, terrifying literary works. Making Roald Dahl look perfectly well balanced! http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/gallery/2012/may/30/terrifying-french-childrens-books-in-pictures#/?picture=390846392&index=3
Sorry, but both Jenny Colgan and you should actually read a few of these books (some of them written by English authors anyway) in order to find out that the cover doesn't mimic the content. These books are written with a lot of humor and love, adress sensitive issues for children and are in no way aimed at the cheap "shock-effect" to sell
But perhaps the comment, although a generalization I must admit, left by "Lavengro" on that blog says a lot:
"In all sorts of ways (starting with eating habits), Anglophones have problems realizing that kids are small people rather than fluffy toys. In general, French kids eat real food at real tables with their families and friends. They take part in real conversations, and are listened to. They are integrated in the real world from the outset, protected but not so overprotected that thinking for themselves emerges suddenly as a daunting, and often terrifying, challenge in late adolescence. This all helps ensure they grow up balanced and responsible. I have family in France and England, and the difference is staggering."
oops inclined... must learn to type!