Terrifying French children's books - in pictures

When Jenny Colgan moved to France, she was so alarmed by the children's books that she decided to blog the scariest.

"I don't know why so many French children's books are so bafflingly, needlessly frightening. Before moving there, we lived in the Netherlands; they had the same rabbits with ethnically varied chums and dinosaur mummies tucking up dinosaur babies as we do in the UK. I also can't envisage the publishing meeting in which someone says 'Hey! I've got this great kids' book where a girl puts her head in a plastic bag!' ('La Tête dans le Sac') and everyone thinks what a fine idea, but - tant pis. Here are a few examples (more on my blog), all courtesy of the Médiathèque d'Antibes, which is shut on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays, Thursday and Friday mornings, and 12-2pm Wednesday and Saturday, but when open has the most helpful (and rested) librarians to be found anywhere."

  • I don't know!! I don't know where your mummy is!!
    French book jackets: Ou est maman

  • "The Weight of Disappointment". My seven-year-old (whose weekly agonising over which Lucky Luke to choose is why I'm hanging around the library in the first place) came over when I was taking a picture of this and said "why are you taking pictures of something so sad?". I didn't say, "because suffering is part of your lot in life, my innocent child". But if I'd been French, I might have done
    French books: Le poids d'un chagrin

  • "My First Nightmare". Need something new to be terrified of? Why not try cotton wool?Photograph: Public Domain
    French books: Mon premier cauchemar

  • How to ensure your child never sleeps with the light out again. "Dark Bedrooms", ages 7-9
    French books: Chambres Noires

  • "Emergency clown", ages 5-7. So. Clowns are scary. Surgery is scary. HEY! I've just had a GREAT idea for a children's book!!
    French books: Clown d'urgence

  • This is "The ABC of Anger". It was in the section for older pre-readers, ie 5-7. That's a koala bear, nattily dressed, caressing a little girl. His face is, I feel, chillingly disassociated from the penitent child. Justice will be served. Think about this cool koala sociopath next time you are tempted to be rude to a French waiter
    French books: L'abecedaire de la colere

  • I don't know about you, but I've spent my entire parenting life trying to get my kids NOT to do this. "The Love That Takes Us" (or "Transports Us", I'm not sure what's closest) is the rather apologist title for the scary man in the park
    French books: L'amour qu'on porte

  • It's a huge lady who sucks children out of their upper storey windows with her umbrella then spirits them away under her skirts. Sweet dreams, darling!
    French books: La grande dame et le petit garcon

  • "The Rabbits' Revenge." We aren't going to like it
    French books: La ravanche des lapins

  • Death visits a little girl. He kills her
    French books: La visite de petite mort

  • Well, I'm sure you must think, this must be a kind of arty book for adults that's been misfiled. It is not. Every page has one line of simple prose on it, and it was filed in ages 7-9. About the day papa killed his old aunt. A true story
    French books: Le jour ou papa a tue sa vielle tante

  • "The Thief of Lily". YOIKS. She gets away by whacking him with a mop and her entire family think it is HILARIOUS
    French books: Le voleur de Lily

  • This is to get you to brush your teeth. Oh LOOK how the little girl regrets her gigantic ice cream now it is too late, and the demons with the drills have arrived. I slightly approve
    French books: Trolls de dents

  • "The Silent Child". Brrr. She stops being silent by cutting the grisly thread that stiches her dolly's mouth together. The last page, by the way, doesn't show that anything has changed; she's still sad and alone. The dolly has her mouth open, though. I haven't the faintest what the moral is supposed to be
    French books: l'enfante silente
Topics