German book for children/Deutsches Kinderbuch

Someone - in the USA? - has scanned the pages of a German book explaining to children where babies come from. Judging from the comments on some blogs, it may be having an effect for good or bad on how the Germans are seen in the USA.

The earliest version I found was at planetdan on October 14 (click on the pages to turn over). Somewhat disingenuously it says ‘I’ve no idea where this came from … If anybody knows who originally scanned this…’ without saying where the blogger got it from.

Metafilter carried the story on October 23. I was informed by email by the anonymous editor of Blawg Review* (not to be confused with the blawg review), who linked to the version in Ann Althouse’s blog. Points of concern include the hammer in the doctor’s hand at delivery and the use of some words. For instance, Schlitz (slit) is used as a word for small children, to introduce more adult vocabulary, but one commenter finds it typical that ‘Anglo-Saxon words’ are cruder than words derived from Latin. Here’s another comment:

I don’t know what’s European, but I guess it’s very American to find it icky. Precisely because it’s so healthy. It goes with Birkenstocks and eating plenty of fiber.

All those in the pictures seem to have their eyes wide open all the time. One commenter thinks the baby looks like Kenny in South Park.

*Blawg Review started in April 2005. It has a weekly round-up by a guest law blogger. It has an address at www.blawgreview.com as well as the blogspot one, but that seems to be down at the moment.