134 Vegbooks reviews published in 2012.
Little Colt’s Palm Sunday is a gentle retelling of Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem on a young donkey, who had never been ridden before and was recruited along with his mother from a nearby town by Jesus and his…
Tags: Ben DeVriesChristianityDonkeysEarly ElementaryEasterIllustrationPalm SundayPreschoolers
Molly’s Organic Farm is written by Carol L. Malnor and Trina L. Hunner, and realistically illustrated by Trina L. Hunner. I received the book from Dawn Publications as a review copy and, much like their other…
Tags: Carol L. MalnorCatsCompanion AnimalsEarly ElementaryGardenGardeningHoma WoodrumHomeless AnimalsInsectsOrganicPreschoolersSeasonsTrina L. HunnerVegetables
Manatee Winter tells the story of a mother manatee and her calf in late fall taking the journey from the chilly Gulf of Mexico to warmer waters of a spring fed river. The journey is long and the water is cold and the…
Tags: AnimalsBaby AnimalsFloridaGood for ToddlersJennifer KaliKathleen Weidner ZoehfeldManateesMarine AnimalsMarine MammalsMother's DayMothersPreschoolersSteven James Petruccio
Animals used for therapeutic services are seen all over the American landscape, but their presence in children’s literature is just now making its foray. After chronicling her struggles with the real-life Toby (read:…
Tags: Carolyn M. MullinCharmaine HammondCompanion AnimalsDogsEarly ElementaryEarly ReadersHuman-Canine BondIllustrationPreschoolersRose Anne PrevecSeriesTherapy Animals
I was delighted to receive this bookfor review. It was already on my wish list! A book about a boy with our family name, Kali,who was disinterested in hunting, seemed right up my alley. Kali lives in ancient times,…
Tags: Anti-HuntingBooks that Teach CharacterBraveryChallenging StereotypesComing of AgeCompassionEarly ElementaryGenderHuntingJennifer KaliNaturePreschoolersRespect for NatureWildlife
It’s probably inevitable that a book on factory farming will elicit strong reactions from vegetarian and vegan families, and no doubt some people will have a quarrel with Old MacDonald Has No Farm … ee-i-anymore.The…
Tags: Animals as FoodChickensCowsDepictions of AnimalsEarly Elementaryfactory farmingFarmFarmed AnimalsKathy CoughlinPigs
I received this book as a review copy. It is a picture book based on the Woody Guthrie song. The book takes the reader on a road trip through the United States, with images from New York City to Washington, D.C., to…
Tags: Car TripsCarsFishingGolden Gate BridgeJennifer KaliLift-a-FlapMount RushmoreNew York CityScott MenchinWashington D.C.Woody Guthrie
We have an overflowing bookshelf containing cookbooks so when we go back to a cookbook a couple times a month or more, it says something. Our go-to recipe for pancakes is in this cookbook and although we often use a…
Tags: Best Family CookbooksChef Brian P. McCarthyCookbooksCookingHuyen MacMichaelVegan CookbooksVegetarian Cookbooks
Meadowlands: A Wetlands Survival Story delves deep into the historical, social and natural significance of one of America’s most well-known estuaries. Author/illustrator Thomas Yezerski treats us to a well written…
Tags: BirdsCrabsEarly ElementaryEnvironmentFishIllustrationJennifer GannettNew JerseyNonfictionThomas YezerskiWetlands
Mercy Watson to the Rescue by Kate Di Camillo (of The Tale of Despereaux fame) and illustrated by Chris Van Dusen is the first of what is currently a six book series centered around the exuberant pig Mercy Watson.…
Tags: Chapter BooksChris Van DusenEarly ElementaryHoma WoodrumHumorIllustrationInterspecies FriendshipKate Di CamilloPigsPreschoolersRead AloudSeriesUnconditional Love
Ever since I learned that Universal Pictures was making a film recounting the rescue of a family of Alaskan whales in the 1980s, I’ve been looking forward to seeing it. Happily, “Big Miracle,” starring Drew…
Tags: 1980s CultureAlaskaAnimal RescueEarly ElementaryFamily FilmsFamily MoviesMarine AnimalsMarine MammalsOlder ElementaryWhalesWhaling
Much like Jo MacDonald Had a Garden and generously provided in review form from the same publisher, Over in the Forest: Come and Take a Peek is patterned after a well known childhood song, “Over in the Meadow.”…
Tags: Animal FamiliesAnimal TracksBeaversCountingDeerFoxesHoma WoodrumJill DubinMarianne BerkesMothersOpossumsRaccoonsSkunksSquirrelsTurkeysTurtlesWildlifeWoodpeckers
I love Keith Baker’s Who Is the Beast? but had never read any of his other children’s books, so when I discovered he had written a series about two alligators, I eagerly sought out a book for my six-year-old…
Tags: AlligatorsCampingEarly ElementaryEarly ReadersKeith BakerMarriageSeries
In this latest installment of the “Aggie and Ben” series, Ben learns that Aggie does not listen well. After she chews his homework, he decides to send her to “Doggie school.” Unfortunately, Aggie does not listen to…
Tags: Andrea ZollmanChapter BooksCompanion AnimalsDogsEarly ElementaryEarly ReadersFrank W. DormerHumorIllustrationLori RiesPreschoolersSeries
Surprisingly dark for a family film, “Babe: Pig in the City” didn’t please all the fans of the first “Babe” movie who had so eagerly awaited the sequel. Still, animal rights advocates will find much to like in the…
Tags: 1990s MoviesCatsDiscriminationDogsEarly ElementaryFamily MoviesHomeless AnimalsPigsVivisection
A delectable, veg-friendly story about a wicked witch named Gritch who gets a craving for piggie pie. Of course the witch is not veg-friendly, but we can happily cheer on the clever piggies as they outsmart her. The…
Tags: Early ElementaryHoward FineHumorHuyen MacMichaelIllustrationsMargie PalatiniPigsWitches
We’ve been reading this book a lot lately. We picked it up at a garage sale over the summer, but it wasn’t until recently that my 2.5 year old became interested in it. The book depicts many different types of…
Tags: Animal FamiliesDiverse FamiliesDivorceFather's DayFathersGood for ToddlersGrandparentsJennifer KaliMother's DayMothersPreschoolersRobert SkutchTwo-Dad FamiliesTwo-Mom Families
Once upon a time, Newfoundlands were a very popular canine companion to keep, or so it seems. Emily Dickinson, one of America’s most beloved poets, joined the ranks of Newfoundland lovers when she was bestowed a…
Tags: Carolyn M. MullinCompanion AnimalsDogsEarly ElementaryFemale ProtagonistHistoryMarty Rhodes FigleyMassachusettsPoetryPoets
I have a weakness for folk tales, and I really enjoy this retelling of a story that has, according to the authors’ notes, Cherokee, Abenaki, and Iroquois roots. How Chipmunk Got His Stripesis a picture book about a…
Tags: AbenakiAriane DeweyBearsBraggingCherokeeChipmunksEarly ElementaryFolk TalesIroquoisJames BruchacJose AruegoJoseph BruchacTeasing
If you’ve read Huyen’s glowing review of Jo MacDonald Saw a Pond,my take on a publisher’s review copy of the companion Jo MacDonald Had a Garden will come as no surprise. We really enjoyed this book! In fact, my…
Tags: Female ProtagonistGardenGardeningGood for ToddlersHoma WoodrumLaura J. BryantLifecycleMary QuattlebaumNatureNature BooksPreschoolersSeasonsSpring
How to Take Your Grandmother to the Museum is written by Lois Wyse and Molly Rose Goldman and illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay (the illustrator of the lovely Houndsley and Catina series previously reviewed on…
Tags: BugsDinosaursEarly ElementaryFemale ProtagonistGrandparentsHoma WoodrumLois WyseMarie-Louise GayMolly Rose GoldmanNatural HistorySpaceWildlife
Authored by humane educator extraordinaire Zoe Weil, Claude and Medeatraces the compassionate awakening of two twelve year olds. Both students at a prestigious private school in Manhattan, Claude comes from a…
Tags: Animal RescueAnimal Researchanimal rightsDogsHumane EducationJennifer GannettOlder ElementaryPortrayal of Vegetarians in BooksRatsVegetarian CharactersVegetarian ProtagonistZoe Weil
When a mama mouse living in a field must save her family from the plow, including her son who is stricken with pneumonia, she discovers a secret world of super-intelligent rats who have suffered at the hands of…
Tags: 1980s Childrens MoviesAnimal Researchanimal rightsAnimated MoviesDon BluthEarly ElementaryFemale ProtagonistMiceOlder ElementaryRatsVivisection
I checked out this book based on Jessica’s suggestion as it was just featured as a 2012 Sydney Taylor Honor Book for Younger Readers. As is apparent from the title, Naamah and the Ark at Night, by Susan Campbell…
Tags: ALSC Notable Childrens BookAnimalsEarly ElementaryFemale ProtagonistHolly MeadeHoma WoodrumJewish CultureNighttimeNoah's ArkPreschoolersSusan Campbell BartolettiSydney Taylor Honor Book for Younger Readers