See this fascinating Los Angeles Times article about ads actually masquerading as educational tools.
Kudos to reporter Catherine Price for this astute, insightful article, "Candy-counting books are teaching our children to pack on the pounds," that unmasks a huge problem. She writes:
"ANYONE WONDERING why American kids are so fat should take a look at "The Oreo Cookie Counting Book." "Ten little Oreos, all in a line," its first page says, next to an illustration of a child’s hand eagerly extended toward a row of cookies. "Dunk one in a glass of milk, and now there are … nine.""Unfortunately, the book — published by an imprint of Simon & Schuster and recommended for children ages 4 to 8 — fails to mention what would happen if you actually followed its instructions. "Children will love to count down as 10 little Oreos are dunked, nibbled and stacked one by one … ," says its back cover, "until there are none!" Ten Oreos have more than 20 grams of fat and 500 calories — almost a third of the energy the average 4- to 8-year-old needs per day. Sure, counting is important, but isn’t there a low-cal version?
"Not really. When it comes to product placement masquerading as education, junk foods dominate the market."