252 Vegbooks reviews published in 2011.
What a wonderful book, packed with so much! One Nighttime Sea is a book about discovering the many creatures who lurk in the sea at night—while we sleep (which makes it a perfect bedtime story). As we count up from…
Tags: AnimalsBedtimeCountingDeborah Lee RoseGood for ToddlersMarine AnimalsMarine MammalsNighttimeOceanPreschoolersRhyming BooksRobyn MooreSteve JenkinsTurtlesWhales
Peter is a boy with a wild imagination. He likes to pretend he is a knight protecting the castle from dragons. But poor Peter. Every time he is in the middle of a fight, about to take down the dragon, he starts to…
Tags: Anthony LewisAsthmaBreathing ProblemsDragonsEarly ElementaryGood for ToddlersInhalerJanna MatthiesJennifer KaliMedical TreatmentNebulizerPreschoolers
A lovely, vegan-friendly Easter book/song about an Easter bonnet and going through town for the Easter parade. I picked up this story serendipitously at the library and was hopeful that I had found a chicken-free,…
Tags: Early ElementaryEasterHolidayHoliday BooksHumorHuyen MacMichaelIrving BerlinLisa McCueNew York CityPreschoolers
Frequent Vegbooks readers may have picked up on my scorn of some alternative energy nonfiction that clearly omits any mention of solar energy. The cosmos aligned and sent me a copy of The Kids’ Solar Energy Book,…
Tags: Alternative EnergyCarolyn M. MullinMalcom WellsOlder ElementaryRenewable EnergySolar PowerTilly Spetgang
I’m probably not the best person to review this book, since I’m not Jewish and this book is about the celebration of Passover in early 20th century St. Louis. Still, ever since my daughter attended a Jewish preschool…
Tags: Anna OlswangerEarly ElementaryHoliday BooksHolidaysJewish CultureJudaismPassoverPaula Goodman KozveganVegan AuthorVegetarianYiddish
When I saw Hiroe Nakata was the illustrator of this book, I got excited because my daughter and I had long ago fallen in love with her work in Dashka Slater’s Baby Shoes and Jane Yolen’s Time for Naps. Nakata…
Tags: AnimalsBirthDeborah Lee RoseEarly ElementaryHiroe NakataHuyen MacMichaelMarine AnimalsMarine MammalsOceanPreschoolersReproductionSeahorsesWildlife
That Pesky Rat by British children’s author/illustrator Lauren Child is a wonderful story about a brown rat who doesn’t quite fit in with his life circumstances. As he introduces himself and takes us on a tour of his…
Tags: Early ElementaryJennifer GannettLauren ChildPet StoresPreschoolersRatsRodents
I had the pleasure of hosting Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson at a conference some years ago at Farm Sanctuary. He’s as down-to-earth as the animals he depicts in his books on animal sentience. Most recognized for When…
Tags: Animal EmotionAnimalsBest Books for Vegetarian KidsCarolyn M. MullinCatsDairyDogsElephantsIllustrationJeffrey Moussaieff MassonOlder ElementaryShirley Feltsvegan
On the Night You Were Born is a very sweet book, perfect for bedtime. This book shows kids just how special they really are. The book is based around a child’s birth. Kids will learn that on the night they were born,…
Tags: BedtimeEarly ElementaryNancy TillmanPreschoolersRobyn MooreZoos
I’ve been on a quest for vegan-friendly Easter books for two years now, but the pickin’s are awfully, awfully slim. It’s a surprise too, since Easter is about new life, so you’d think there would be a huge number of…
Tags: Baby AnimalsBest Books for Vegetarian KidsDori ChaconasEarly ElementaryEasterHoliday BooksHolidaysLife-AffirmingMargie MooreMothersPreschoolersReverenceveganVegetarian
This delightful story about a precocious child cheers on children’s creativity and imagination. Even with stifling school agendas, lively children can re-animate a class and educational staff. At least in Olive’s…
Tags: CreativityDebbie TilleEarly ElementaryEducationFemale ProtagonistHuyen MacMichaelIllustrationOriginalityPreschoolersRoberta BakerSupportive Parents
Dog lovers will be especially appreciative of Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan Charest’s I Didn’t Do It, a short volume of poems illustrating various facets of life from a dog’s perspective. All of the dogs…
Tags: Companion AnimalsDogsEarly ElementaryEmily MacLachlan CharestIllustrationJennifer GannettKaty SchneiderPatricia MacLachlanPoetryPreschoolers
Down the historical rabbit hole, it can be hard to determine whether or not there is truth to an anecdote, especially when it pertains to the legendary American icon and President Abraham Lincoln. Within the animal…
Tags: Abraham LincolnAnimal WelfareAnimalsCarolyn M. MullinEarly ElementaryEllen JacksonHistoryPresident
I had never heard of Mardy Murie before reading this book, but after reading Jequita Potts McDaniel’s account of this pioneering conservationist, I now have an appreciation for the woman whose work influenced the…
Tags: Andrea ZollmanBiographyCaribousConservationDogsEarly ElementaryEco-Friendly Kids BooksFemale ProtagonistHistoryJequita Potts McDanielMardy MurieNational ParksPreschoolersWildernessWolves
A delightful animal tale for bedtime or anytime. Il Sung Na writes a simply sweet story of a night owl who witnesses a variety of sleeping creatures and their unique ways of snoozing. The playful, artistic…
Tags: AnimalsBedtimeBoard BookEarly ElementaryHumorHuyen MacMichaelIl Sung NaIllustrationOwlsPreschoolersSleep
Wow! I love David Wiesner’s work — Tuesday is a classic around these parts — and so I was delighted to discover the new-to-me title The Three Pigs at the library recently. This book won the 2002 Caldecott Medal, so…
Tags: Animal RescueCaldecott MedalClassic Fairy TalesDavid WiesnerEarly ElementaryFatePigsStorytellingWolves
My toddler loves this book. Its simple repetitiveness keeps her interested to the end, when she often says, “Again.” It starts with the statement “I love animals,” and each page is an expression of love for a…
Tags: AnimalsBaby BookDucksFarmed AnimalsFlora McDonnellGood for ToddlersJennifer Kali
14 Cows for America is the true story of a Maasai village’s response to the September 11, 2001 attacks. One of the villagers, Wilson Kimeli Ole-Naiyomah, was in Manhattan on that day, and when he returned to his…
Tags: AfricaCarmen Agra DeedyCowsEarly ElementaryJennifer GannettMaasaiPreschoolersSeptember 11TerrorismThomas GonzalezWilson Kimeli Naiyomah
February is National Bird-Feeding Month! What better way to get in the mood than with trivia and folklore about one of the smallest and most intriguing creatures of flight, the hummingbird? Like any reputable…
Tags: Adrienne YoinksBirdsCarolyn M. MullinEco-Friendly Kids BooksFabric ArtFolk TalesHummingbirdsJanet LarsonNatural HistoryNatureNonfictionOlder ElementaryWildlife
This cookbook is probably a great find for vegetarian families — since all of the recipes, geared to preschoolers, are vegetarian — but for vegans like us, it was a bit of a disappointment. Mollie Katzen’s recipes…
Tags: CookingEarly ElementaryKids CookbooksMollie KatzenPreschoolersRecipesVegetarian ChildrenVegetarian CookbooksVegetarian Cooking
The message of this book is clear. If you have two moms, you are a lucky, lucky kid. “Mommies ride bikes and conquer the flu. They keep on the fridge the things that you drew. Mommies jump on trampolines and plant…
Tags: Consumption of AnimalsCrystal TompkinsDiverse FamiliesEarly ElementaryFamilyGood for ToddlersJennifer KaliLindsey EvansMothersPreschoolersTwo-Mom FamiliesZoos
One of the challenges that children’s authors and animal rights activists alike face is to portray animals as they are — not as humans in costume, but as feeling, sentient, and diverse creatures. In the new book…
Tags: Alan MarksEarly ElementaryFemale ProtagonistPreschoolersSandra MarkleWild AnimalsWildlifeWolvesYellowstone
If I had the chance to modify the lyrics to The Sound of Music’s My Favorite Things, I’d be sure to list “finding random children’s animal rightsy books at the library” as one of them. I just recently scored this…
Tags: Animal Rescueanimal rightsAnimal Rights Books for KidsBest Books for Vegetarian KidsCarolyn M. MullinChapter BooksClaudia MillsDissectionFemale ProtagonistOlder Elementaryveganvegan kidsVegetarian CharactersVegetarian Kids BooksVegetarian Protagonist
Old Turtle and the Broken Truth is a beautifully written book, with beautiful watercolor illustrations to match. In this story, a “truth” falls from the sky. The creatures of the land all pick up the “truth,” but…
Tags: Acceptance of OthersAnimalsDouglas WoodEco-Friendly Kids BooksIllustrationInclusionJon J. MuthNatureOlder ElementaryRobyn Moore