reported by Diane Rollins, FictionFanatic.com

The New York Times has named controversial children's book "Help! Mom! There Are Liberals Under My Bed" (Kids Ahead; hardcover: $15.95; ISBN 0976726904) by Katharine DeBrecht as one of the books most frequently discussed by bloggers last year. The inclusion on this high profile list alongside ?The Da Vinci Code,? ?Freakonomics,? and ?Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince? is just the latest surprise in a long list of unlikely accolades -- and angry criticism -- garnered by this conservative illustrated book.

Written by a self-proclaimed "Security Mom for Bush," the illustrated picture book -- which features Hillary Rodham Clinton and Ted Kennedy as cartoon villains who tax and regulate a lemonade stand -- rocketed to national fame last fall when Rush Limbaugh praised it on his national radio show and it later soared to the #1 sales ranking on Barnes & Noble's website. Following a flurry of media coverage including articles in Publishers Weekly and US News & World Report, the book continues to attract a strong following in conservative circles; it currently ranks as the number two bestseller on National Review's book service.

While conservatives embraced "Help! Mom! There Are Liberals Under My Bed," liberals vigorously denounced the book. Fox News host Alan Colmes said the book was "brainwashing," MSNBC host Ron Reagan told DeBrecht that he wanted to write a children's book portraying conservatives as ?hating black people,? the Democratic Underground website named the author to its ?Top 10 Conservative Idiots? list, and the popular left-wing blog Daily Kos likened ?Help! Mom!? to Nazi propaganda.

But the most widely reported criticism of the children's book came from one of the subjects of its satire. The Congressional newspaper The Hill quoted the spokesman for Senator Clinton -- who is expected to run for the presidency in 2008 -- issuing a snippy retort. Press secretary Philippe Reines mocked the book, incorrectly insinuating that it had not sold well while saying, "[I can't wait for the sequel, 'Help! Mom! I Can't Read This Book Because Republicans Have Cut Literacy Programs!'"

Fortunately, Senator Clinton and her spokesman won't have to wait much longer for a sequel. Next month "Help! Mom! Hollywood's in My Hamper!" (Kids Ahead; hardcover: $15.95; ISBN 0976726912) hits stores just in time for the Academy Awards. But in spite of her notoriety and placement on the New York Times list, author DeBrecht has no delusion about receiving an invitation to the Oscars. The book features cartoon versions of outspoken celebrities such as Barbra Streisand, Madonna, Oprah, and Tom Cruise, making it likely that Hollywood will roll out the red carpet for "Help! Mom!" any time soon.

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 http://www.helpmombooks.com.