The story Ethan is reading to the kids is “The Story of Little Suck-a-Thumb” (“Die Geschichte vom Daumenlutscher” or “Historien om tommelsugeren”) from Heinrich Hoffmann’s “Der Struwwelpeter” (which Wikipedia tells me is known in Norway as “Busteper”). The non-elective amputation of a child’s thumbs isn’t even the worst thing that happens in these little ditties.
Well, they sound like perfect stories for Brockton Bay children.
I wonder how many superpowered kids they have resulted in.
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