How true Mike it is something that the western world is loosing and we must not let it happen.
This is one of the reasons I am in favour of the 11plus in the UK when children are selected to go to either secondary school or the more academically minded grammar schools.
It gives them that competitiveness at crucial time in their development which IMHO will remain with them throughout their lives and enable those who have it to achieve in the future to suddenly have to do it at 16 or 18 is too late IMHO.
I will sit with my oldest grandson and let him know that he can do a better job of coloring his page, than the Author did, I will explain to him that the Authors coloring is quite good, but I know he can do better. I will sit with him and we will go over all the options and it will be done better.
I appreciate the challenging coloring books you sent to my Grandchildren, I just wish their teachers would do the same.
God Bless You!