Comments on: The War on Fat Kids Spreads to the Library http://kateharding.net/2007/06/26/the-war-on-fat-kids-spreads-to-the-library/ 2007-2010 Thu, 15 Jul 2010 02:13:02 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Rio Iriri http://kateharding.net/2007/06/26/the-war-on-fat-kids-spreads-to-the-library/#comment-2834 Mon, 02 Jul 2007 01:20:06 +0000 http://kateharding.net/2007/06/26/the-war-on-fat-kids-spreads-to-the-library/#comment-2834 Good lord, this book is disgusting.

Do you know of any size-positive children’s books to counter this message? I would love to donate some to the local library.

]]> By: Kate217 http://kateharding.net/2007/06/26/the-war-on-fat-kids-spreads-to-the-library/#comment-2661 Wed, 27 Jun 2007 22:42:21 +0000 http://kateharding.net/2007/06/26/the-war-on-fat-kids-spreads-to-the-library/#comment-2661 I remember loving Michael Ende for his objecting to the film version of Neverending Story. The whole point of the book is that Bastian is fat and he’s the hero of his own story. He is the one who ends up saving the magical kingdom, not the skinny bullies who terrorize him. Ende, reportedly livid that the actor who portrayed Bastion was slender, wanted his name removed from the project. He was very vocal about the entire point of the book’s being that the fat kid is the hero, and removing that detail destroys the message of the book. That made him my hero.

]]> By: lauredhel http://kateharding.net/2007/06/26/the-war-on-fat-kids-spreads-to-the-library/#comment-2612 Wed, 27 Jun 2007 15:54:36 +0000 http://kateharding.net/2007/06/26/the-war-on-fat-kids-spreads-to-the-library/#comment-2612

Do not shame yourself in FRONT of your children!

^^^^^^^^ YES. That. I see this constantly. Children are getting the generational fatphobia message loud and clear.

]]> By: kateharding http://kateharding.net/2007/06/26/the-war-on-fat-kids-spreads-to-the-library/#comment-2600 Wed, 27 Jun 2007 14:46:23 +0000 http://kateharding.net/2007/06/26/the-war-on-fat-kids-spreads-to-the-library/#comment-2600 In the words of Chandler Bing, “You don’t get a lot of ‘doy’ these days.” Nice.

]]> By: Wendy http://kateharding.net/2007/06/26/the-war-on-fat-kids-spreads-to-the-library/#comment-2598 Wed, 27 Jun 2007 14:35:20 +0000 http://kateharding.net/2007/06/26/the-war-on-fat-kids-spreads-to-the-library/#comment-2598 Uh, that should read: Depressingly, the covers for more recent editions of the book depict a decidedly thinner Marcy, if they even show her at all.

Doy.

]]> By: Wendy http://kateharding.net/2007/06/26/the-war-on-fat-kids-spreads-to-the-library/#comment-2593 Wed, 27 Jun 2007 14:13:42 +0000 http://kateharding.net/2007/06/26/the-war-on-fat-kids-spreads-to-the-library/#comment-2593 When Paula Danziger died a couple years back, I wrote a blog entry about reading The Cat Ate My Gymsuit and how I was fascinated by the cover of the 70s paperback edition. Depressingly, the covers for more editions of the book depict a decidedly thinner Marcy, if they even sho her at all.

]]> By: Mel http://kateharding.net/2007/06/26/the-war-on-fat-kids-spreads-to-the-library/#comment-2591 Wed, 27 Jun 2007 13:54:44 +0000 http://kateharding.net/2007/06/26/the-war-on-fat-kids-spreads-to-the-library/#comment-2591 If I remember correctly (and it’s been years since I read it), “Bat in Bunk Five” seemed to push the message that Marcy (her name?) wasn’t any more comfortable in her skin since she had lost weight. That losing weight wasn’t the miracle panacea she once believed.

Man, I forgot about how good “Blubber” and “Cat Ate My Gymsuit” are!! When you read something and cringe because it’s so true to life, the author has done her job.

]]> By: Jess http://kateharding.net/2007/06/26/the-war-on-fat-kids-spreads-to-the-library/#comment-2590 Wed, 27 Jun 2007 13:33:22 +0000 http://kateharding.net/2007/06/26/the-war-on-fat-kids-spreads-to-the-library/#comment-2590 withoutscene, “stigmatizing children” is a particularly apt tag for this book… bravo.

]]> By: Katie http://kateharding.net/2007/06/26/the-war-on-fat-kids-spreads-to-the-library/#comment-2585 Wed, 27 Jun 2007 11:07:06 +0000 http://kateharding.net/2007/06/26/the-war-on-fat-kids-spreads-to-the-library/#comment-2585 The worst children’s book I ever read – and this was probably back in the very early ’90s when I was about 11 – involved a chubby, clumsy boy who made a bet with his friend that he could go an entire summer without injuring himself. If he lost he had to kiss the fat girl in front of everyone on the first day of school. Of course he exercised and lost weight in an effort to “be less clumsy” (yeah, I’m sure that’d turn be into a genuine ballerina), but got hurt anyway. But fortunately, the fat girl had lost weight over the summer herself! HOTT!

The terrible thing is that it all struck me as perfectly natural at the time – I didn’t realize how truly awful it was until years later.

]]> By: withoutscene http://kateharding.net/2007/06/26/the-war-on-fat-kids-spreads-to-the-library/#comment-2583 Wed, 27 Jun 2007 06:28:01 +0000 http://kateharding.net/2007/06/26/the-war-on-fat-kids-spreads-to-the-library/#comment-2583 You all, I just got a chance to go over to Amazon and review this book…and I found out something I didn’t know. Customers can TAG books. I have taken the liberty of putting in several appropriate tags and I encourage you to do the same.

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