Maggie Goes On A Diet

Seriously??? Do young girls today not already have too many issues with body image and self esteem that we have to write books like this? The girl in the story is 14, but the target demographic is 4-8 year olds! I'm sure the author means well, but this feels like a line is being crossed somewhere. It says in the book after Maggie loses weight that she gains popularity and fame. If you're going to write a book like this, shouldn't it focus mainly on the rewards of being healthy NOT that people will like you better if you're thin? Way to create some nuerotic children! What to you think?

Here's a link to a news story about it if you haven't already seen or read about it...

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/aug/23/news/la-heb-maggie-goes-on-a-diet-book-20110823

I agree that the way they portray it is wrong.  Health should be the #1 concern, not fame or popularity.  I know there are SOME very young children that need diets. My nephew was over 150 lbs before he was 10...prime example of where a parent should have taken the sweets away and given the kid a carrot. (I only say that because I saw the living environment and bad habits being instilled in the children, I don't assume that is the situation for all overweight children though so please dont get me wrong there!)  

I'm tired so I hope it doesnt come out wrong the way I said it LOL basically: I agree with you 100%

I posted a similar remark on another forum.

I was a very heavy child, in a home where there weren't much sweets.  My mom put me on a swim team, and the two-a-day workouts took the weight right off!  I stayed at a good weight until I had kids in my 30's.

Yeah, I can assure you, if it is up to me, my daughter won't even know what the word diet means. I made the decision to have WLS to change my lifestyle, and fully intend on teaching her the same way of life. Good healthy eating choices, with an occasional TREAT. If she lives her life that way, she'll never need to 'diet'. I hate the 'd' word.

Its funny.  Barnes and Noble says the target age is 6-12, but I ask my 12 year old her opinion and she said it looked like a book for a 5 year old.  She also said kids don't need to go on a diet.   I agree that  young children don't need a book like this.  Middle school and high school is a totally different matter.  As an overweight 7th grader one of my favorite books was about a girl that loses weight before high school.  It increased her confidence and she was able to make friends and even tried out for the cheerleading squad.  It gave me hope that I might be able to do the same.  Those were lonely years for me and I needed that. 

It seems like the problem with this book is that it seems to say that it was normal and OK for kids to tease Maggie when she was overweight and that it was up to her to lose weight so she wouldn't get teased anymore.  It makes it sound like it's perfectly OK that she didn't have friends when she was fat and that it should be expected that you won't have friends unless you lose weight.

A book about an overweight girl that decides to take steps to get healthy would be fine.  But if the book includes other children teasing her, then I think the book should show teachers and parents stepping in to stop the teasing.  The positive consequences of her weight loss should include things like now she has the ability to be on the soccer team because she can run faster and stuff.  The positive consequences should not be that now she can have friends.