Thanks to Kate Harding for posting about the latest entry in the fat hatred sweepstakes--a joint project from two of my former favorite children's book authors. The book is The Gulps, and it features a lazy, gluttonous family who are constantly eating junk food and watching TV. Just like all the fat people I know in real life!
The Gulps was written by Rosemary Wells and illustrated by Marc Brown (of Arthur fame). May it die a speedy, painful death and be remaindered as quickly as possible.
7 comments:
The ignorance of the 'so called' educated [publisher in this case] never ceases to amaze me! If this book was written about a person's race, no matter what it is, it would stand out as an obvious hate crime.
I am ashamed for them. I hope the reviews open their eyes!
They practically handed us proof of the 'obesity epidemic' problem on a silver platter. She's offered us an excellent opportunity to point out the flaws in the new regime to get us all on a treadmill eating carrot sticks and living to be the next model. UGH Isn't there more to what we are here for, living for? Caring for others instead of bashing them, loving one another as we are, with all our challenges. Doesn't everyone have a challenge? I think so.
I have high expectations of anyone who works with children or educates them and she failed. Sadly she may have revealed her own discriminations.
Another thing I hate is when authors cater to what they think is going to be a $hot market$, and this is what it appears to be. They had better make sure they are willing to stand behind their words. What was she thinking?
I have a hunch this little book is not going to slither away quietly. It deserves to be addressed as does the media. Perhaps we can kill 2 birds with one stone.
Go Mary!
I'm encouraged by the fact that 9 out of 10 reviews of this book on Amazon gave it one star and dissected it intelligently and cogently. I hope the message gets through to the publisher.
Hey, I, too, left a review and a few tags. I was, well..."passionate" to say the least. :D Maybe instead of wasting time ranting about garbage printed on paper, then we should reccomend one of Daniel Pinkwater's stories? Or read or hey, even write some fat erotica (assuming we're all adults here? >:) )
By the way, great blog! *thumbs up*
And oh yeah, I thought I should mention that Daniel Pinkwater writes children's books as well as some adult's stories. I've known that in an interview he had with Marilyn Wann (*worships*), the author of the Fat!So? zine, book, and site. And I was kidding about the erotica part (I hang around a lot of perverts--good hearted female perverts who only look but not touch. Yes, this is what the anime fandom is made of).
And I must say as an artist who aspires to illustrate children's books, and even write some of my own, I hope I will never have to take commissions from some prejudiced loser who only sees waist size as a predictor of health.
....or waist size as a predictor of worth, because that's part of the prejudice, too.
I love Daniel Pinkwater! Everyone should go out and read his stuff.
When you're a successful illustrator, anonymous, you can choose what commissions to turn down. :-)
I've noticed Amazon has posted another glowing review of the book that's quite pointedly hostile toward what the writer calls the "bigfatblog.com reviewers." If you haven't reviewed the book on Amazon yet, take a few minutes to let the world know what you think.
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