Children’s Books in China

choi

Children’s literature | Much Red Reading Books; The politics of children’s stories. Economist, Nov 28, 2015.
http://www.economist.com/news/ch ... h-red-reading-books

Note:
(a) "The richer parents are, the more they splash out on children’s books."

splash out (sth): "UK  ​spend a lot of ​money on ​buying things, ​especially things that are ​pleasant to have but that you do not need <They ​splashed out £3,000 on a ​holiday>" http://dictionary.cambridge.org/ ... lish/splash-out-sth
(b) "The moral is often laid on thick. One provincial publisher (state-owned, like all of them) has titled a six-volume set of nursery rhymes 'A Good Father is Better Than a Good Teacher 好爸爸胜过好老师 [unheard of in Taiwan].'  "

lay it on thick: "Fig. to exaggerate or over-state praise, excuses, or blame"
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. 2002
idioms.thefreedictionary.com/lay+it+on+thick
(c) "Paddington, a marmalade-loving bear from darkest Peru"

Paddington Bear
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paddington_Bear
(section 1.1 Origin)