Coloring Book Company Releases 9/11-Themed Coloring Book and Trading Cards

9/11 and terrorism are hard subjects to talk about, much less teach our children about. But, it's something that needs to be taught, especially to the next generation who did not have to live through it. But what is the best way to teach kids about this horrible event?

A St. Louis-based coloring book company has published a new 9/11-themed coloring book in an attempt to educate children about terrorism. The book, entitled "We Shall Never Forget 9/11 Volume II: The True Faces of Evil-Terror," also comes with 36 "terrorist trading cards" featuring photos and information on numerous 9/11 terrorists.

The 40-page book features black-and-white drawings of the branches of the U.S. military and outlined images of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, all ready and waiting be colored in. It also features photos of 9/11 crash sites, excerpts from a letter from Rep. Michele Bachman questioning the head of Homeland Security about the Muslim Brotherhood, and four full-color pull-out pages of glossy trading cards.

On the table of contents page kids are urged to "share the information in this book with your friends, neighbors, teachers, educators, religious leaders." They're also cautioned to get their parents' permission before taking the book to school "to share with friends."

It's the type of book that people have to judge by its content, not its cover, Bell explains.

"A lot of people simply love the book because it's not politically correct, and they're not teaching the history of terrorism in schools today," he says. "This book has nothing to do with the Muslim faith. It has nothing to do with Islam. It just so happens that a lot of the high-profile terrorists happen to be radical Islamic jihadists."

I can understand the intention of the book in trying to educate the kids on this event, but this is really not the right way to do it. This is a serious, tragic event, and trying to put it into a coloring book seems a little...well, childish. And adding something like trading cards to the book just makes it even more childish. You don't see any coloring books or trading cards dealing with Pearl Harbor, or the JFK assassination, do you?

I do think childen need to learn about 9/11 and how it has changed our country. I just don't think a coloring book is the most appropriate way to do it.