Author defends diet book for girls as young as four

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The author of a controversial diet book for children has defended his work, saying that he is 'amazed' by the storm of outrage it has provoked.Paul Kramer's Maggie Goes On A Diet tells the story of heavily overweight 14-year-old girl who becomes a school football star after losing weight.Critics argued that the book - targeted at children as young as four-years-old - may promote eating disorders and health problems.

Provocative: Paul Kramer whipped up a storm by penning Maggie Goes On A Diet after wanting to help overweight childrenIn the interview with Good Morning America, Mr Kramer said 'he had no idea that anything like this [reaction] was going to happen.'The independently-published book's site has had five million hits so far - many of which are from an incensed public.Though not due for release until October, the diet book is on pre-order at Barnes & Noble, where it is listed with a recommended reading age of six to 12. Amazon offers it to an even younger readership, suggesting ages four to eight.The 44-page hard-backed book is about change, says the author.

'Children are pretty smart... they will make a good choice if you allow them that opportunity''My idea was just to write a story to entice and to have children feel better about themselves, to discover a new way of eating, learn to do exercise, try to emulate Maggie and learn from Maggie's experience.'Children are pretty smart... they will make a good choice if you allow them that opportunity. If you push them and tell them that they can't do something, they will probably go and do the opposite.'The Hawaii-based author was asked why he chose to use the contentious word 'diet' in the title, which, says GMA, 'sends all the wrong messages.''Diet is a misconstrued word and it has many, many meanings,' Mr Kramer said.One reader, Dewi Gallagher Wilson, asked Mr Kramer via GMA's Faceb! ook page : 'Why not call it "Maggie Gets Healthy"?'

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Mr Kramer said that it would not have the same effect: 'Somebody at a bookstore looking at a title Maggie Gets Healthy is really not going to identify with someone who who has been overweight or has health problems, who can't bend, play sports properly because they're just too uncomfortable.'The book's description says that Maggie's insecurities are transformed when she becomes a normal sized girl: 'Through time, exercise and hard work, Maggie becomes more and more confident and develops a positive self image.'Experts have warned of the story's possible negative effects, however.
Joanne Ikeda, a nutritionist emeritusat University of California-Berkeley, told News-Medical.net that the book 'does not empower a child to adopt good eating habits,' by focusingon imperfections.Rather, it may cause lower self-esteem by failing to achieve what Maggie did. 'if you don't look like Cinderella, you're a failure' said Ms Ikeda.'I wouldn't want a child to read this ... because they might, in fact, try to do this and fail. What is that going to do to their self-esteem?'

Controversial: The book goes on sale in October and tells the story of a 14-year-old who becomes a school football star after losing weight'Body dissatisfaction is a major risk for eating disorders in children all the way up through adulthood,' Ms Ikeda warned.A report published last year in the journal Pediatrics revealed that the number of U.S. children under 12 that had been hospitalised with eating disorders had soared by 119 per cent between 1999 and 2006.Mr Kraner also came in for criticism over Maggie's portrayed acceptance of bullying.'Maggie is not a mean person,' he said. 'Maggie is! accepti ng that kids are mean, kids can be mean. She has decided to dosomething about it and to take things in her own hands and try to change her life, try to make herself more healthy.''She wants to look nice. She wants to not be teased.'Critics have not been so understanding of Mr Kramer's good intentions, with some particularly irate about the story's focus on girls in particular.
Miss Lisa Hutchison wrote on Amazon'sreader forum: 'This book is an abomination... It takes so little to trigger eating disorders in children and teenagers and this could be such a huge trigger. If you read this to your kid it is tantamount to abuse.'E. Williams added: 'It is irresponsible to equate thinness with self-confidence. Children of everysize need self-confidence in order to adjust to the demands of school.'The idea that weight is something anindividual can or should control is misleading, given that only 5 per cent of dieters succeed in maintaining weight loss for even one year.'Mr Kramer remains sanguine in the face of the outcry.
'I was always taught as a child and all my life that you can't judge a book by its cover,' says Mr Kramer.
'I think that all these people, especially that those who have written negative comments without actually reading the book have judged this book solely by its cover.'