Educational leaflet explains Paris attacks to children

French education minister, Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, expressed her support of teachers who have had to explain the Paris attacks to children on their return to school. In a tweet she said, “J’ai une pensée profonde pour les enseignants qui doivent être forts ce matin devant les élèves, nous les accompagnons #ValeursRepublique” – I’m thinking deeply of our teachers who need to be strong in front of their pupils. We are with them.

A crying Eiffel Tower mourns the Paris victims in an educational leaflet for children Image by Astrapi

The minister later also tweeted a link to a pamphlet released by educational publisher Astrapi who released a special guide to talking to children about what happened in the Paris attacks. The colourful and illustrated guide shows a weeping Eiffel Tower holding hands with children. Beneath it there are listed a series of possible questions children might ask: “Is it true that France is at war now?”, “Can the terrorists get into our house?”.

Written in clear and simple language, the pamphlet goes on to explain the details of the attacks, going on to say that 129 innocent people were killed by men “filled with hate”. The pamphlet concludes, “in the aftermath of this terrible event we all ask ourselves questions, the adults as well as the children”. The pamphlet includes messages of hope and tolerance alongside informative and factual details about the attacks and their aftermath.

A little girl says ” But freedom scares the terrorists even more!” Image by Astrapi / CC BY 2.0

The pamphlet makes a point of describing the terrorists as committing these atrocities in the name of Islam, but that “they do not represent the majority of Muslims who live their life peacefully.”

One cartoon shows a boy and a girl discussing the attacks. The little boy says, “Terrorism scares me!” to which the girl in the cartoon replies, “But freedom scares the terrorists even more!” Another cartoon shows a group of children holding up a French emblem that reads ‘Liberté’.

The leaflet ends by reassuring children that the president and the country are making sure that everyone is safe.

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