252 Vegbooks reviews published in 2011.
Playful and colorful, this sequel to Only One You stars Linda Kranz’s bright, vivid “rockfish,” and cleverly incorporates photographs of the ocean into the background. As little rockfish Adri swims home after…
Tags: Andrea ZollmanDifferencesEarly ElementaryEncouragementFishIllustrationLinda KranzOceanPreschoolers
Ack! Why does something so sweet and well-intentioned have to be such a letdown? Suryia and Roscoe, in theory, is a perfect tale for preschoolers and early elementary students about a unique friendship between an…
Tags: Bhagavan AntleBooks to AvoidCarolyn M. MullinDogsInterspecies FriendshipOrangutan
The Magic School Bus series of books and cartoons are a reliable source of good information about science for elementary aged kids. We have read a number of these books and enjoyed them, so I picked up The Magic…
Tags: Animals as FoodEarly ElementaryFishJennifer GannettMagic School BusMigrationNatural HistoryReproductionSalmonScienceScience BooksSeriesWildlife
A holiday television classic. Peppermint Patty invites herself and a few friends to Charlie Brown’s house for Thanksgiving. Old Chuck is in a pickle because all he knows how to cook is toast and cold cereal. He…
Tags: 1970s Childrens MoviesAnimated MoviesCharlie BrownFamily MoviesHoliday MoviesJennifer KaliThanksgiving
I am so torn about this book! The artwork is spot on and just fits (you can see it in the book’s trailer). The dialogue follows a trend I first noticed and liked in the Elephant and Piggie books where a font color…
Tags: ALSC Notable Childrens BookBearsEarly ElementaryGeisel Honor BookHoma WoodrumHumorJon KlassenNew York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2011
As my husband and I sat with our specially ordered vegan meals in front of us, I heard the wedding guests sitting on the other side of the table raving about deep frying turkeys and giving pointers to another couple…
Tags: Cathryn FalwellChristmasEarly ElementaryHuyen MacMichaelIllustrationNatural HistoryPreschoolersThanksgivingThanksgiving Books for Vegetarian KidsTurkeysVegan ThanksgivingVegetarian ThanksgivingWildlife
Through poetry and illustration, Joyce Sidman and Beth Krommes explore all the diverse places — from snail shells to hibernating chipmunks — that spirals appear in the natural world in Swirl by Swirl. This stunning…
Tags: Beth KrommesEarly ElementaryEco-Friendly Kids BooksElephantsEnvironmentIllustrationJoyce SidmanMathNatureNature BooksPreschoolersScienceSeahorsesWildlife
We debated here at Vegbooks headquarters about reviewing this book — after all, it is neither a kids book nor a movie. In the end, we accepted a review copy, and the lucky job of reviewing fell to me! My family and…
Tags: Best Family CookbooksCookbooksCookingJennifer GannettveganVegan CookbooksVegetarianVegetarian Cookbooks
It’s no secret that Nathalie VanBalen’s Garlic- Onion- Beet- Spinach- Mango- Carrot- Grapefruit Juice gets me totally, TOTALLY pumped! Or that ever since my husband and I started making our free-form garlic mashed…
Tags: Best Books for Vegetarian KidsColoringEarly ElementaryNathalie VanBalenNative AmericanNative PeoplesOlder ElementaryPreschoolersRecycled Paper BooksThanksgivingThanksgiving Books for Vegetarian KidsVegan ThanksgivingVegetarian Kids BooksVegetarian Thanksgiving
Wishbone Farm is a popular place come fall. Pumpkins abound in October. Apples are ripe for the picking. And in November, the public is on the hunt for the perfect turkey. But it seems that only Runt, the smallest…
Tags: AutumnCarolyn M. MullinEarly ElementaryFallFarmed AnimalsLisa WheelerPreschoolersThanksgivingThanksgiving Books for Vegetarian KidsTurkeys
We are big Eric Carle fans but it was not until recently that we got a copy of Mister Seahorse in board book form. It follows Mister Seahorse through the ocean as he cares for his and Mrs. Seahorse’s eggs. On his way…
Tags: Early ElementaryEric CarleFather's DayFathersFishHoma WoodrumOceansPreschoolersSeahorses
Most of us apply the “reduce, reuse and recycle” mantra in many ways during the day. As veggies we reduce our ecological footprint with our choice to eat lower on the food chain (go, plants!). Likely we’ve invested…
Tags: ArtCarol SirrineCarolyn M. MullinCraft ProjectsEco-Friendly Kids BooksEnvironmentJen JonesOlder ElementaryRecyclingUpcycling
In the evenings when we sit outside, we see bats swooping through the air. My daughter happily points out that they are “Stellalunas!” Granted, Stellaluna is about a fruit bat and we don’t have them here in Southern…
Tags: BatsEarly ElementaryFriendshipHalloweenHoma WoodrumIllustrationInterspecies FriendshipJanell CannonPreschoolers
Allie Gator (a John Deere tractor) is excited to be pulling her first hayride. She will take the children through the cornmaze to the pumpkin patch. Just as she is about to begin, a black cat crosses her path, and…
Tags: CatsGhost StoriesGood for ToddlersHalloweenJennifer KaliPreschoolersTractors
This is the fourth in a series of books showcasing the Octonauts, a team of eight underwater explorers with a mission to explore, rescue, and protect their ocean surroundings. The book follows the Octonaut crew as…
Tags: AdventureEarly ElementaryEco-Friendly Kids BooksHalloweenHeather ClarkIllustrationMarine AnimalsMichael MurphyMysteryOceanPreschoolersReefTurtlesVicki Wong
By JESSICA ALMY It’s our second anniversary, and while we’ll be announcing the winner of our 500th Review Contest shortly — hold onto your socks! — we wanted to commemorate this milestone by sharing with you our…
Tags: Best Books for Vegetarian KidsBoard BooksGood for ToddlersHoma WoodrumHuyen MacMichaelJennifer GannettJennifer Kali
This adorable take on “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” made me and my daughter want to clap our hands and sing the story. We thoroughly enjoyed reading and rereading it. My daughter got a kick out of the surprise element…
Tags: Early ElementaryEco-Friendly Kids BooksEnvironmentHuyen MacMichaelLaura J. BryantMary QuattlebaumNaturePlantsPondsPreschoolersWaterWildlife
Spike Lee – yes, the famous filmmaker and the man with his own cable channel – is a children’s author! Giant Steps to Change the World isn’t his first work, but it sure is a heavy hitting one. Its message is solid,…
Tags: Albert EinsteinBarack ObamaCarolyn M. MullinEarly ElementaryHeroesHistoryInspirationJean-Michel BasquiatLangston HughesPreschoolersSean QuallsSpike LeeTonya Lee
The angle that brought this book to us at Vegbooks (a free review copy) is that the protagonist in the story is vegan and a vegan vampire also is featured, so I will focus on those aspects as well as the claim that…
Tags: Blair RichmondFemale ProtagonistHoma WoodrumOlder ElementaryPortrayal of Vegetarians in BooksVampiresveganvegan teensYoung Adult
It’s about time for an honest, open, factual, and focused discussion with older children about how animals suffer in our society. Rob Laidlaw, author of Wild Animals in Captivity and founder of Zoocheck Canada,…
Tags: Animals in EntertainmentCaptive WildlifeCarolyn M. MullinCircusOlder ElementaryRob LaidlawWild Animals in CaptivityZoo
The girl in this book has long curly red hair. Each day of the week she wears it differently – she’ll dress it up with barrettes, give it bangs like spaghetti, and adorn it with headbands, gold dust, and confetti.…
Tags: Beginning ReadersEarly ElementaryEarly ReadersJennifer KaliPreschoolersTamara PetrosinoWhale WatchingWhales
In order to prove to the masses that animals are intelligent, scientists have spent countless hours – decades even (think: Jane Goodall) – observing their behavior or carrying out experiments. On a personal level,…
Tags: animal intelligenceAnimalsCarolyn M. MullinCockroachesDiane SwansonDolphinsElephantsGorillasNonfictionOlder ElementaryParrotsPythonsScience
Miss Spider wants to have a tea party. She sets a beautiful table and waits for someone to fly by. She invites ladybugs, ants, bees, and other insects that fly by, but none of them “would dare to share a tea with…
Tags: David KirkFemale ProtagonistGood for ToddlersInsectsJennifer KaliPortrayal of Vegetarians in BooksPreschoolersSpiders
Dishearteningly, a recent survey indicated that more than three-quarters of adults in the United States are not educated about the origins of most puppies available for sale in pet stores. A Home for Dakota, a title…
Tags: Animal AbuseDogsEarly ElementaryFoster CareIllnessJan Zita GroverJennifer GannettPuppy Mills