10,000 textbooks recalled over 3-armed girl illustration

That's hilarious! : D They should keep it.

So what's the big deal? Simply recall the books, erase the extra and reprint. How is this news in the 1st place?

If that's the worst thing wrong with that textbook...just let it go and save the trees.

Maybe 1st grade children thought it is a manga?

If I find a mistake on any worksheets already printed I just point out the mistake to my students. Just update it when the next reprint is needed. Such a waste and not a good example to set for the students.

But, the mistakes in the English textbooks are allowed to sail through uncorrected and are even repeated in subsequent editions.

The parents should keep. Some years later, these books will be collectors items.

"We apologize if our attempts at inclusiveness resulted in traumatized children."

I think they should leave it in. It's pretty funny, but hard to spot without it being pointed out to you first. Might be amusing for the occasional student to find it. But yes, I agree also that it's a big waste of trees to scrap and reprint the whole run.

Remember the three-eyed fish in The Simpsons?

have a little humor uptight hypcrite educators...

Made in Fukushima?

Made in Fukushima?

Or made in France?

Back on topic please.

There was funny stuff all the time in my textbooks, and it wasn't a big deal, usually because textbooks in our countries are constantly re-printed and re-sold nearly every single year

a collectors edition, the otaku will go nuts for it

Woah, what a disgusting waste, and a terrible example of being environmentally to young kids.

The illustration is a harmless mistake and even adds character to the book.

I wish there was more criticism of the actual content of the textbooks.

She has three arms. Who cares? It was a mistake. Don't bother with the recall.

It should be used with a small notice about the error pasted on the cover or thereabouts - as they say, "Forewarned is ... three-armed"(?)

The editor needs a good kick in the butt for letting this one go unnoticed. The illustrator? What can you say? He's just an artist!

Enlighten me on who is footing the bill? A sense of proportion is needed.

Thankfully the students are paying attention to something.... good spot! Dont worry about recall, just put a sticker over it, safe the environment.

Stupid waste of government ressources. WHy not just keep the book. If a kid notices, the teacher can use that as a conversation topic. What is the big deal? Anal-retentive bureaucrats stay out of it.

I wonder if it's was the same artist who drew the 5 legged sheep new years card? Maybe it's a bit of a running joke in all of their work?

http://en.rocketnews24.com/2014/11/22/can-you-spot-the-problem-that-led-to-the-recall-of-this-otherwise-cute-japanese-new-years-card/

Great way to keep kids interested in the books, whats going to be next they would think! more more more

When I entered an elementary school about 54 years ago, all the school text books were free, but they were often misprinted. I thought (think) it was normal. Do not think much of this 3-arms girl picture. No perfect text book.

Whomever the editors are this is a pretty sloppy mistake, but I think recalling, reprinted, and sending new ones is a gross waste of money and completely unnecessary. In fact, this kind of misprint, since it's rare, should give it automatic cult and collectable status. The kids can keep them and later post the "three handed girl" texts on auction or something. haha.

Seriously, it's an overreaction, and no doubt somewhere along the line someone is profiting from it. Who pays for the recall? the company? the ministry? I sure hope there was nothing about fear that it might be linked to Fukushima, as one poster pointed out, in the decision process.

Dumb mistake, but let it go!

Whomever the editors are this is a pretty sloppy mistake....

Whomever??

Now that's a sloppy mistake....

Actually, the teacher or mother in the picture has only one arm.

Could have been used as a fun "find the mistake in the picture" game for the 6-year-olds.

Maybe the girl comes from the Isle of Man (Oh! no - sorry, then she'd have three legs!).

Obviously, this recall poses a public safety hazard and is justified at any expense... =P

I was having a good time and laughing until I started reading some comments... Come on boys and girls! It's Friday! It is a weird note. Have a bit of fun!

What's all the fuss about the books getting wasted? All they need to do is cover it with a sticker of the correct illustration. And if they really want to save on cost, they should just have the teachers do the sticking for them.

If readers have ever been involved in test making or other kinds of creation of public documents, especially for education, they would understand this. They cannot let it go. It would have been missed by almost endless vetting. Someone's head, and one sketched hand, is going to roll. Ironically, one of my uni students spotted it in the news and used in class!

They should just say the 3rd arm is actually from an Ayakashi possessing the girl and mix a few with the correct printing. Then you can create an urban legend that if you happen to have the one with only 2 arms. That means the goblin that was in the girl has left and entered the owners body. That would be a good prank or making of an interesting low budget C-rated horror film.

Man where I come from, kids draw things worse than a 3rd arm in a textbook.

Monumental waste of time and money to recall these books. If it were a clawed hand or something truly scary, I could possibly see something like this. Have the publisher print a bunch of corrected stickers of just this one illustration and have the kids put them in the book. Seems more cost effective. I hope the illustrator doesn't suffer because of this.

There goes a collectictible!

Actually, the teacher or mother in the picture has only one arm.

You can see part of her right sleeve - along with the cuffed end - on the left edge of the picture. Both arms appear to be present.

The final sentence: 'textbooks are screened.' So countries with a government ministry to screen school textbooks are Japan, North Korea and.......any more?