Vegbooks

The Whales’ Song

January 27th, 2012 · Books

Review By LISA ONYKAHONIE

This beautiful little story book is lovely to read aloud to young children.

It’s about the relationship between Lilly, her grandmother, and the whales who appear at the ocean nearby, to sing their mysterious and haunting songs.

Grumpy Great Uncle Fredrick reminds Lilly and her grandmother that whales were hunted for their meat, oil, and blubber and can’t see why they’re so sentimental. Lilly ignores his outburst and Uncle Fredrick stomps out of the room. That night Lilly dreams about the whales and when she awakens, she goes down to the ocean and throws a flower into the water for them. Lilly waits and waits and eventually she is rewarded when she catches sight of some whales nearby.

Read and try not to cry!

Ages 3-8. For activities related to the book, visit Jackson McCormack.

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Billie the Unicorn

January 25th, 2012 · Books

Review By HOMA WOODRUM

Billie the Unicorn by Brianne Brouhard is a vividly illustrated story set in what we learn is a world where unicorns grow plants and flowers. Billie is a little blue unicorn who seems to continually long for different pastures. She tends a cornfield but ventures into the forest to learn from her cousins who show her their skills at growing sunflowers and strawberries. She wants to grow flowers like them but instead grows corn in the forest.  With encouragement, she grows a blue cornflower. Billie grows restless again upon hearing of a queen’s beautiful garden and ventures (without her cousins) off in search of it, hoping to learn more about growing flowers.

At this point the story takes a rather scary turn as the queen’s garden is tended by a miserable imprisoned unicorn who grows metal flowers at the queen’s command. Before Billie can escape, she is the new prisoner of the garden and is commanded to continue the old unicorn’s work. Her friends come to rescue her but first grow real flowers in the garden before making their escape.

I think that the idea of making any animal, even an imaginary one, a prisoner is a topic of interest to veg families. It is easy for a child to see how different the lives of the free unicorns and the imprisoned one differ. Both have the same powers but when forced to “perform” they are unhappy and fearful. The book’s message is “be yourself” and the illustrations are engaging though I do wonder where the previous unicorn in the queen’s garden ended up as Billie and her cousins live happily ever after.

Ages 5 and up.

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From Trash to Treasure

January 23rd, 2012 · Books

Review By CAROLYN M. MULLIN

In the same vein as the Grow It Yourself! series, the six titles in the Trash to Treasure lineup make arts and crafts an easy, green practice for early elementary students and also challenge their reading skills.

Books are broken up into their respective reuse material: cardboard, jars and pots, buttons and beads, old clothes, paper, and plastic. Each work generally has the same format: description of the material, what happens once it’s disposed of (landfill), how to recycle and repurpose it through a pictorial example of craft ideas, and at least 1 how-to project guide. Included activities can be a bit more commonly known (snow globe from a jar), while others are so creative that even I want to do them: a flower bouquet made of buttons or a ceramic pot wind chime.

I know if I was back in kindergarten I would have absolutely loved to dive into these works with an adult by my side and give them a go. Although there is really only one project with instructions contained within each title, author Daniel Nunn includes website links to the other craft projects. Most adults can figure out what materials are needed and how to assemble them on their own, but who doesn’t love getting more crafty ideas from the net, especially when Nunn recommends PBS Kids and Artists Helping Children?

Ages 3-8.

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One More Acorn

January 21st, 2012 · Books

Review By JESSICA ALMY

In honor of Squirrel Appreciation Day, I thought it would be appropriate to review a book that my daughter received from some fellow squirrel enthusiasts entitled One More Acorn.

The story follows a father grey squirrel in the late fall, as he searches for a buried acorn. People have descended upon Washington, D.C., the city in which the squirrel lives, for a parade, and he anxiously scurries around their feet in search of one more acorn. Set against a stunning backdrop that includes Lafayette Square and the Washington Monument, the book sets the drama in the squirrel’s life — finding food for his family to last the winter — against the drama of out-of-town visitors gathered in the nation’s capital for what is clearly a monumental event.

The real drama and charm of this book, however, are in the story behind the story. Written and illustrated in both the 1960s and the early 2000s, this picture book represents a collaboration between a son and his father, Don Freeman, the author and illustrator of some of the most beloved children’s books, including Corduroy. A note at the end of the book explains that Don Freeman began the book when he visited Washington to cover hearings on the Civil Rights Bill in 1963 for Christian Science Monitor. Saddened, however, by the subsequent assassination of President Kennedy, the elder Freeman never finished the book, and it wasn’t until his son, Roy Freeman, inherited his father’s sketch books and notes that the story was completed.

The end result is a beautiful, seamless book that will enchant children and adults alike. It’s a great pick for anyone who likes squirrels, and would be particularly apt as reading material during a visit to Washington.

Ages 3-7.

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Born to Be Wild

January 20th, 2012 · Movies

Review By JENNIFER GANNETT

“Born to Be Wild” is an IMAX film focusing on the conservation efforts of two women working a world away from each other in different conditions but with aligned goals. Both have set up systems of caring for and ultimately releasing orphaned wild animals back into the wild. Daphne Sheldrick, who founded the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, maintains facilities in Kenya where young elephants who have lost their mothers to poachers are taken in, cared for and, years later, reintroduced to their native habitat. Birute Galdikas founded Orangutan Foundation International, which advocates and cares for orphaned orangutans in Indonesia as well as works to preserve their rapidly declining habitat.

Narrated by Morgan Freeman, “Born to Be Wild” contains amazing footage of the lush Borneo rainforests and the dry Kenyan terrain. While the narrative explains the conditions, history and current work of each organization, the generous shots of the young elephants and orangutans (and their caregivers) are heartwrenchingly adorable — so much so that it is almost possible to forget the two distinct yet equally disturbing reasons that create the need. At the same time, it is the lack of emphasis on the deforestation in Borneo and poaching in Kenya that makes this movie not just appropriate but enjoyable for younger kids. Instead, while the issues are mentioned, the film specifically focuses on the work of these two women and those in their employ, as well as the stated goal of returning the orphaned babies back to the wild.

There are a couple of points in the movie which may be uncomfortable — namely, the reenactment of the arrival of one of the orangutans at OFI’s Camp Leakey and the footage of a capture of a baby elephant who had been spotted with a group of bulls, a scenario in which the young elephant would have starved to death. Both seemed contrived to add an unnecessary sense of drama to the film, though I later learned that yes, the elephant rescue just happened to occur while the film crew was on location. These are small blips in this compelling movie. I recommend this film for kids 5 and up (though as with all IMAX features, the noise levels and large images can be overwhelming for sensitive folk of any age). The experience of watching this, especially for children who are being raised with a heightened awareness of human interaction with animals, may be a very profound one.

Some webisodes have been created around the film. Check them out to get a flavor for the movie. You can enjoy some of the information and adorability from the comfort of your own computer.

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The It-Doesn’t-Matter Suit

January 18th, 2012 · Books

Review By JESSICA ALMY

The other day, my 6-year-old was slumped over Sylvia Plath, moping. Before you assume she’s terribly precocious or that I’m semi-negligent in giving my child depressing books, however, let me direct you to a recent article on Brain Pickings about obscure children’s books by famous “adult” lit authors.

It’s true, Sylvia Plath wrote a children’s book. (I could have sworn Plath’s book was on Brain Pickings’ list — it’s not. Apparently, the list just inspired me to dig deeper. Of course, none of this explains my kiddo’s moping either, but that’s neither here nor there, so back to the book.)

Plath penned The It-Doesn’t-Matter Suit, a strange tale about a boy who lives in an alpine village and longs for a suit. One day, his family receives a package with the name of the addressee obscured, and so when they open it to discover that it contains … drumroll, please … a suit, the father and each of the boys tries it on, from largest to littlest. The suit is dismissed by one person after the other, each of whom worries about whether its color (mustard-yellow) and texture (woolly) are appropriate for the activity he enjoys most, from skiing and bicycling to hunting and fishing. Finally, our protagonist tries on the suit, and it’s perfect. He wears it around the village, and he is able to accomplish each of the activities that the previous wearers had in mind — plus, to his delight, all the dogs and cats follow him around.

If your family is vegetarian or vegan for ethical reasons, I’m sure your ears already pricked up at the mention of hunting and fishing. The book does depict a gun, a boy hooking a fish, and a fox being led out of the forest with a leash (?!). Each family will have to decide whether the depiction of these activities, which ranges from matter-of-fact to bizarre, is appropriate for them.

This quirky book is geared to kids ages 5 to 8.

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All Kinds of Kisses

January 16th, 2012 · Books

Review By HOMA WOODRUM

Lavishly illustrated, All Kinds of Kisses by Caldecott Medalist Nancy Tafuri is a big and bright book that follows animal parents kissing their babies. The unifying narrative that is noteworthy for veg parents, however, is that the animals featured are all connected by living on the same farm, ending with the human mother in the farmhouse kissing her baby.

Before writing reviews for Vegbooks, I never considered that images and stories that depict life on a farm as idyllic, with chickens scratching around out of doors, a farmer lovingly hand feeding sheep apples, and pigs playing in a pool of water, is a form of propoganda. A strong word, I know, but the classic image of the American subsistence farmer is heavily marketed to children with books, toys, and songs. At any rate, I still think this book is beautiful, the illustrations really take advantage of the large size of the book and even have visual goodies like a different bug hiding on each page. The animal baby and parent theme is common enough that veg parents can decide whether to check this one out (Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too? comes to mind as an alternative) but I think we’ll be keeping this review copy on our shelves.

Ages 1-4.

Do you have a favorite book with hidden details?

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Go, Diego, Go!

January 14th, 2012 · Movies

Review By JENNIFER KALI

Dora’s cousin Diego is also an adventurer, but Diego is a boy with a mission. At the beginning of each episode, Diego announces, “Hi!  I am Diego and I am an animal rescuer!” Then he goes on to exclaim, “I love animals!” With his team, made up of his sister Alicia and Click the camera, each episode revolves around Diego rescuing a wild animal in need. The animals are in somewhat dangerous situations (such as stuck in a tree in a flood), but the show is fun and not too scary. Since each show is about a different animal, each show focuses on learning traits specific to each animal, and at the end of the episode, Alicia reviews the traits we learned and records them in her animal science journal.

My daughter, age 2.5, loves this show. She received a three-episode DVD for Christmas from Grandma and she begs to watch it every day. I think I know those three episodes by heart now. All seasons of the show are available on Netflix instant viewing, so thankfully, we don’t have to only watch those three episodes.

She’s also a big Dora fan. I enjoy Dora for her because she is a great female role model. She goes on outdoor adventures and there is nothing she can’t do. But I also really like Diego because it’s all about helping animals. Diego seems to be aimed at a slightly older demographic than Dora and teaches different skills. While both shows focus on problem solving and Spanish language skills, Dora seems more focused on lists and ordering while Diego is more focused on learning about animals. My favorite thing about both shows is that the main characters are non-white. Like my daughter, the characters have brown skin and big brown eyes, such a rarity in children’s TV and books. 

Overall I think this is a great show, especially for families with concerns about animal welfare.

Ages 2-7.

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Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother Too?

January 12th, 2012 · Books

Review By HOMA WOODRUM

We are Eric Carle fans so I love discovering new (to us) books with his illustrations. Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too? is a great book with a veg and family friendly theme (and a wonderful companion to Mister Seahorse). Each page asks if a different animal has a mother, responding on each following page to the affirmative. The featured animals are kangaroo, lion, giraffe, penguin, swan, fox, dolphin, sheep, bear, elephant, and monkey.  The final pages ask and answer:

And do animal mothers love their babies?
YES!  YES! Of course they do. 
Animal mothers love their babies, just as yours loves you.

I thought this book would be perfect for Vegbooks because it asks children to relate to the love their mothers feel for them and feel compassion in the process. As with many Eric Carle books, there is an informational page in the back, this time listing the animal baby, mother, father, and group names. Did you know, for instance, that a group of monkeys is called a group, troop, or tribe? My favorite new (to me) fact is that a group of giraffe can be called a tower. What have you learned lately from reading a children’s book?

Ages 1 and up.

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City Life

January 10th, 2012 · Books

Review By JENNIFER KALI

We love this book. We got it for our daughter (age 2.5) for Christmas and have read it many times since then. It’s the story of a little girl thinking about all of the fun she and her two moms are going to have in her neighborhood the next day. As she lays in bed listening to the sound of the train go by, she thinks about taking the bus to the museum, eating pretzels from a cart, and feeding pigeons in the park.  And as she drifts off to sleep, she thinks, “I like city life the best.”

As city dwellers ourselves, this book really resonated with us. So many children’s books are about farming or other things that are just not a part of our lives. Our daughter loves this book because it features two moms, which is like her family, but also because she recognizes all of the images in the book. We take buses and trains, we go to museums, and we walk to the farmers market.

The text of the book is simple and the illustrations are unique. The pages with text feature large black text on bold colors (orange and green mostly) and the facing pages feature simple hand drawn black and white drawings.

Because we love this book so much, we find it unfortunate that it depicts both zoos and aquariums. The book is short, maybe 20 pages, so it’s amazing to find two mention of animals in captivity.  My daughter, never having been to an aquarium, thinks it’s pretty silly to “take a bus to see the hippopotamus.”

Because we like this book so much, we will keep it in our collection, though we find the references to animals in captivity to be quite unfortunate.

Ages 2-6.

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