68 Vegbooks reviews by Huyen MacMichael.
Every artist parent should be familiar with Lois Ehlert (author of Growing Vegetable Soup, Caldecott Honor book Color Zoo, and Planting a Rainbow, among others) and if not, Hands is the book to warm any creative…
Tags: ArtCreativityEarly ElementaryHuyen MacMichaelLois EhlertPreschoolers
(Warning: contents include animal and human trade.) What are two goldfish worth? What is a negligent, newspaper-reading dad worth? A mischievous boy and his friends dicker and deal to trade for what most appeals. One…
Tags: AnimalsDave McKeanEarly ElementaryFather's DayFathersFishHuyen MacMichaelNeil GaimanPreschoolers
The Snail and the Whale was so entertaining that it helped my four-year-old and my friend’s active two-year-old stay seated and riveted during our lengthy lunch at a restaurant. Sure, I had to read between bites but…
Tags: Animal RescueAxel SchefflerEco-Friendly Kids BooksEnvironmental Children's LiteratureHuyen MacMichaelInvertebrate AnimalsJulia DonaldsonMarine AnimalsPreschoolersSnailsWhales
My daughter and I enjoyed reading about Mr. McGreely’s gardening enthusiasm and battle with the bunnies over his vegetables. G. Brian Karas (whom I recognized from My Crayons Talk and Baby Bug) creates cute little…
Tags: AnimalsCandace FlemingConflictConflict ResolutionEarly ElementaryG. Brian KarasGardenGardeningHumaneHumorHuyen MacMichaelPreschoolersProblem SolvingRabbitsUrban Wildlife
This tressed-up, teased and twisted, stylish hair story completely makes the cut for me. Compelling and strange, it sucked me up like Rapunzel’s hair-rope into Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean’s artful scalps. It begins…
Tags: AnimalsBraveryCollageDave McKeanEarly ElementaryHairHumorHuyen MacMichaelIllustrationNeil GaimanPreschoolersRhyme
Mama hints to Marco about a big surprise in the Memorial Day parade and as Marco encounters each exciting section of the parade, he attempts to guess at the big surprise. The fast pace as the pair hurry to the parade…
Tags: Alexandra ArtigasAmericanEarly ElementaryHoliday BooksHolidaysHuyen MacMichaelIllustrationMemorial DayMilitary ServiceParadesPreschoolersSoldiersTheresa Martin Golding
This story is as sad as a droopy basset hound ’s face for as many reasons as he has wrinkles. Although the pencil-sketch style illustrations of the animals are adorable, the story illustrates so many acts of…
Tags: BirthCatsDogsEarly ElementaryHuyen MacMichaelIllustrationJanet StevensKittensPolly M. RobertusPreschoolersReproductionSpay
Pinch is a hoarding packrat who initially refuses to give up any of his stuff for the town’s tag sale. His house was overflowing onto the street with “piles of magazines and old clothes” and toys and other items. His…
Tags: ConsumptionEarly ElementaryEco-Friendly Kids BooksHoardingHuyen MacMichaelMaterialismPreschoolersRatsRecyclingResaleSteve CoxSteven KrollStuffTag SalesWaste
I have no idea where we picked up this 1992 paperback, but my daughter and I love reading this story over and over. An enthusiastic Grover introduces and lists the simple things we can all do to save energy, conserve…
Tags: ConservationEco-Friendly Kids BooksEnergyEnvironmentGood for ToddlersHuyen MacMichaelPreschoolersTom LeighWater
Mia Posada hatches a great children’s book that appeals to children’s curiosity and fascination with the natural world. She uses a couple rhyming sentences to hint at a mysterious animal in an egg before adding the…
Tags: AnimalsBiologyBirdsDucksEarly ElementaryEasterEggsEmbryo DevelopmentHuyen MacMichaelIllustrationMia PosadaPenguinsPreschoolersSpringWildlife
This is the cutest story about a woman named Ms. Taffy who calls in to a radio station with the correct answer and wins the pig prize. She mistakenly thinks she won a pig trinket to fit on her shelf with the rest of…
Tags: CitiesCommunityEarly ElementaryFemale ProtagonistHuyen MacMichaelIllustrationPigsPreschoolersSuzanne BloomUrban Living
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
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
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
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
This story is a perfect introduction for youngsters to the Lunar New Year. It follows a Chinese family as they prepare and celebrate the coming new year. Simple sentences and colorful, energetic cartoon illustrations…
Tags: AsiaAsianChinese New YearCleaningCookingCultural TraditionsDumplingsEarly ElementaryEthnic FoodGrace LinHolidaysHuyen MacMichaelLunar New YearPreschoolers
After reading this story and seeing the magnetic chart, my daughter hurried to the kitchen to set up the chart and eat more fruits and vegetables! My preschooler and I really enjoyed Kia Robertson’s book about five…
Tags: Cecilia MarianoFruitsGood for ToddlersHealthy ChoicesHealthy EatingHealthy LivingHuyen MacMichaelIllustrationKia RobertsonNutritionPreschoolersVegetables
Anh is a young Vietnamese boy happily building his tower of blocks when he is asked to stop to eat the dinner his grandfather cooked. After repeated requests, Anh reluctantly stops building, but is suddenly ambushed…
Tags: AngerChristiane KromerCompassionEarly ElementaryEmotionGail SilverGrandparentsHuyen MacMichaelIllustrationKindnessMeditationMulticulturalPreschoolersZen Teachings
Madeline is a familiar and popular series to many so I thought I would introduce the stories to my daughter. We picked out this particular one by chance thinking it was about a hat, of course. But we were surprised…
Tags: ActivismAnimal Abuseanimal rightsCatsChange of HeartCompassionDogsEarly ElementaryFemale ProtagonistFranceHumaneHuyen MacMichaelKindnessLudwig BemelmansMadelineParisPreschoolersTransformation
This is a strange and mysterious Zen ghost story within a ghost story that is perfect for Halloween. Jon J. Muth’s third book about Stillwater the Zen panda bear and his friends Addy, Michael, and Karl continues to…
Jon J. Muth amuses and teaches again through the character of Stillwater the Zen panda in this second children’s book of Buddhist teachings. Just like in Zen Shorts, the giant panda is introduced by a child who…
Tags: BuddhismCompassionEarly ElementaryHuyen MacMichaelIllustrationNeighborsPandasPreschoolersZen Teachings
My family and I were thrilled when we discovered this book about a Zen Buddhist giant panda named Stillwater and his friendship with the neighboring children Addy, Michael, and Karl. It’s rare to find a children’s…
Tags: AngerBuddhismCaldecott HonorEarly ElementaryHuyen MacMichaelJon J. MuthMaterialismOlder ElementaryPandasPreschoolersZen Teachings
Anyone who has ever visited a farm animal sanctuary is touched by the stories and personalities of the animals. The next best thing to visiting a farm sanctuary, is reading Ninety-Five: Meeting America’s Farmed…
Mem Fox writes a brilliant and memorable tale of the innocence and simplicity of a child reaching out and connecting with the elderly, who have been forgotten and are forgetting a part of themselves. It is a…
Tags: 1980s Childrens LiteratureAgingCompassionEarly ElementaryHuyen MacMichaelIllustrationJulie VivasMem FoxPreschoolersThoughtfulness