Posted on 09/22/2005 6:49:46 PM PDT by shining_city
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) September 22, 2005 -- An unlikely children's book has stepped forward to challenge "Harry Potter" for the #1 ranking on Amazon.com's bestseller list, and its portrayal of left-wing icons Hillary Clinton and Ted Kennedy as cartoon villains has provoked a firestorm of controversy in the process.
"Help! Mom! There Are Liberals Under My Bed" (Kids Ahead; hardcover $15.95; ISBN 0976726904) by Katharine DeBrecht soared to #6 in Amazon's overall rankings on Wednesday afternoon after being praised by talk radio king Rush Limbaugh on his national radio show. The illustrated book ranked second only to J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" in Amazon's children's book category, and was also ranked as #8 overall on Barnes & Noble's site.
Should the book go on to topple "Harry Potter" for the top spot, it would be a major upset by a most unlikely underdog. Not only have the leading publications in the publishing industry such as Publisher's Weekly and The New York Times Book Review ignored the book, it has also been fiercely denounced by liberal pundits and bloggers. The average customer review for "Liberals Under My Bed" on Amazon stood at only one star out of five earlier this week as liberals flocked to the site to criticize the controversial book. But its fortunes dramatically reversed as word of the book spread in conservative circles.
"Our hat is off here to Katharine DeBrecht, the author of 'Help! Mom! There Are Liberals Under My Bed,'" Limbaugh proclaimed to his audience, adding that left-wing critics were upset about DeBrecht's book because of its accurate parody of the liberal movement. "I'm telling you, the liberals cringe -- they go ape! -- when you dare be honest about them. They call it an attack!" Limbaugh added.
Limbaugh recounted that Ron Reagan — whom he playfully referred to as an MSNBC "quasi-host" — scolded DeBrecht on his cable television show, and that Alan Colmes, the liberal co-host of "Hannity & Colmes," claimed her book existed for the purpose of brainwashing. Limbaugh went on to note that the popular Democratic Underground website named DeBrecht to its "Top 10 Conservative Idiots" list, and that the highly trafficked left-wing blog Daily Kos likened her book to Nazi propaganda.
"Help! Mom! There Are Liberals Under My Bed" -- which features full-color illustrations by award winning artist Jim Hummel -- tells of two brothers who open a lemonade stand. Their plans to save up their hard-earned profits to buy a swing set go awry when a Ted Kennedy character taxes away their proceeds and a pants-suit clad Hillary Clinton look-alike outlaws sugary drinks. The book is being hailed by traditional values advocates as an alternative to liberal books such as "Rainbow Fish" (where a fish is hectored into giving away his beautiful scales so that all the fish look the same) and "King & King" (where two princes marry each other and adopt a little girl), which are often found in our nation's classrooms.
About Kids Ahead: Kids Ahead is an imprint of Los Angeles-based World Ahead Publishing, the West Coast's premier publisher of conservative and libertarian books. To learn more, visit www.worldahead.com .
Contact Information: To interview author Katharine DeBrecht, contact Special Guests at (630) 848-0750.
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I don't care which side, there's a special place in Hell for people who try to warp kids with politics.
I read about this on FR yesterday or the day before... I will definately be buying several copies.
ps: I'm 42 and almost done reading HP book 4 and have enjoyed all of them and plan on reading them all. My daughter loves them all. She will be reading this book to.
Major understatement of the week. Why is it that they aren't permitted to be made fun of, like everyone else is from time to time? Are they a master race, beyond the reach of human criticism?
Get a sense of humor. I doubt many children actually read it but if they do, so what?
I think children need to be told the truth, in an age appropriate way.
Since they are being bombarded with pro-homosexual crap in GRADE SCHOOL now, this book provides a humorous WONDERFUL opportunity to put a few conservative values on the table for young ones to ponder.
I think children need to be told the truth, in an age appropriate way.
Since they are being bombarded with pro-homosexual crap in GRADE SCHOOL now, this book provides a humorous WONDERFUL opportunity to put a few conservative values on the table for young ones to ponder.
Do you mean warp them like the public schools and their teachers union minions do?
Or do you mean warp them like the mass media does?
All that is happening here is a little balance being thrown onto the scales...and believe me...it is a very little balance against all the weight of the left side.
Oh, I love the title of that book! It sounds like a must buy for my nieces and nephews this Christmas.
What is the purpose of "childhood"? If you say anything other than the development of a responsible adult, then you might have your priorities mixed up...
Maybe so, but the Left started it, and are the worst offenders. Some of their propoganda aimed at children, like "Heather had Two Mommies" has actually been placed in public schools!
["Help! Mom! There Are Liberals Under My Bed" -- which features full-color illustrations by award winning artist Jim Hummel -- tells of two brothers who open a lemonade stand. Their plans to save up their hard-earned profits to buy a swing set go awry when a Ted Kennedy character taxes away their proceeds and a pants-suit clad Hillary Clinton look-alike outlaws sugary drinks.]
GOOD!
We're finally starting to get our kids to read more non-fiction.
I kinda agree - but it will be bought for ADULTS more than for kids anyway.
This book will be on my kids' Christmas list.
How long has Rowling's book been number one? How many millions of copies has she sold? I doubt that this book will come anywhere near to that.
The real problem with "Rainbow" was not that he had the beautiful scales, but that he was so stuck up - arrogant about it.
That said, I never cared for the book (or video) very much. Not because I thought it was indoctrinating my kids, but just because it seemed so childish without having much redemptive about it. I'd give it two stars.
We'll know how much kids really like it when we see how many are lined up at midnight dressed as the main characters when the author's next book is published.
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