Last week there was considerable consternation over a new children's book called Maggie Goes on a Diet, which was being marketed on Amazon with a reading level for kids between ages 4 and 8. As you can see by the cover illustration, Maggie does need to drop a few pounds in order to fit into that sleeveless dress and earn the respect of her peers. As the book's synopsis puts it, "Maggie has so much potential that has been hiding under her extra weight." And [SPOILER] she manages to unleash that potential without any binging, purging, cutting, or cocaine. For that, Fox News hails Maggie as "a welcome truth-seeker" and "a fabulous role model, far better than the size 20 women who go on talk shows and lie about how happy they are with their bodies." And today the Daily News concurs:

The author, New Yorker Paul Kramer, went on "Good Morning America" to defend himself. Two questions: Why should he have to, in an era when childhood obesity is epidemic? And how come Ed Koch's forthcoming children's book, "Eddie Shapes Up," isn't getting this much attention?

"Eddie" is Hizzoner's semiautobiographical tale of a portly boy who eats too many chips and dreads recess, until he starts caring about food and exercise. Maggie, meet Eddie. You two should have a chat about the hypersilliness of those who believe that girls are the weaker sex when it comes to brainwashing.

It's true that Kramer doesn't have to defend himself as he boosts book sales with television appearances, just as the Daily News editorial board doesn't have to defend themselves for boosting Ed Koch's book sales. (Just don't be surprised if the 59th Street bridge gets rechristened the "Ed Koch Daily News Queensboro Bridge.") But what's really rankling critics is that the book is written by a man with no expertise in health, and features a female protagonist. Cathleen Connors, author of HerBadMother.com, told The Daily Caller, "It's so interesting that he didn't write it about a boy, and that he uses girl-body-image stereotypes to make his point—young girl dreaming about fitting into nice jeans, etc."

Kramer, in his defense, tells Fox, "I'm not advocating, and never have, that any child should go on a diet. " See, it's just the title of the book, with the word "diet" in it, that's being twisted around by the press. We're sure if anybody in the lamestream media actually bothered to pick up a copy and read it, they'd find that Maggie doesn't go on a diet, she goes to the Diet of Worms, which is why she's picking out a fancy dress, duh. We're sure the next book in the series, Maggie Gets a Bikini Wax, will be equally misconstrued by the fathead libtards.