133 Vegbooks reviews by Jennifer Gannett.
Love That Dog by Sharon Creech is an extraordinary book of poetry, telling a story that will tug at your heartstrings. The book is a frank, open account of a young student who is both simultaneously discovering the…
Tags: Companion AnimalsDeathDeath of a PetDogsJennifer GannettOlder ElementaryPoetrySharon Creech
When a filthy, near-frozen kitten turns up in the Book Return slot of the Spencer, Iowa library, the staff bathes him and christens him Dewey (a later contest would fill out his name to Dewey Readmore Books). Dewey’s…
Tags: Bret WitterCatsCompanion AnimalsEarly ElementaryHumorJennifer GannettLibraryPreschoolersSteve JamesVicki Myron
Lured by its cover featuring adorable marine life and its eco-conscious title, I eagerly flipped through the pages of World Water Watch. What I found inside was a mixed bag. The book presents our gloomy environmental…
Tags: Early ElementaryEco-Friendly Kids BooksEnvironmentIllustrationJennifer GannettOil SpillOlder ElementaryPolar BearsSealsTurtlesWildlife
Several years ago, Nubs was living in a remote border fort in Western Iraq when he developed a relationship with members of a U.S. Border Transition Team stationed there — in particular, Major Brian Dennis. Nubs: The…
Tags: Animal RescueAnimal WelfareCompanion AnimalsDevotionDogsEarly ElementaryJennifer GannettKindness to AnimalsLoyaltyMilitaryWar
Note: To honor Blog Action Day 2010: Water, Vegbooks is reviewing a book on water conservation and related issues. The scarcity of clean water has particularly harsh consequences for children — some estimates suggest…
Tags: Blog Action DayConservationEarly ElementaryEco-Friendly Kids BooksEnvironmentIssues Facing ChildrenJennifer GannettPreschoolersWater
In City Dog, Country Frog, Caldecott Honoree Mo Willems has penned a tale about friendship and change. When City Dog arrives in the country for a springtime visit, he runs as fast and as far as he can (without a…
Tags: ALA Notable Children's booksDogsEarly ElementaryFriendshipFrogsIllustrationInterspecies FriendshipJon J. MuthLossMo WillemsNature
In our house we love cats, and playing Cat Adoption Center is a favorite activity in our home, so I was happy to get a chance to review I Don’t Want a Cool Cat! — a silly, fun read. With its clever, simple rhymes and…
Tags: CatsCompanion AnimalsEmma DoddGood for ToddlersHumorJennifer GannettPreschoolersRhyming Books
Once I Was a Cardboard Box … But Now I’m a Book About Polar Bears! is a clever book designed not only to inform children about the biology and status of polar bears but also give them a detailed look at what happens…
Tags: Climate ChangeEarly ElementaryEco-Friendly Kids BooksEnvironmentGlobal WarmingJennifer GannettPolar BearsPreschoolersRecycling
In The Berenstain Bears’ New Kitten, the popular series tackles the subject of stray animals. When Brother finds a kitten in a pond and brings her home, the whole family becomes involved in cleaning and comforting…
Tags: Animal RescueAnimal SheltersBerenstain BearsCatsCompanion AnimalsDogsEarly ElementaryJennifer GannettPreschoolers
In Animalia, author and illustrator Graeme Base treats readers to a remarkably captivating alphabet book. Each letter is represented with an alliterative phrase about a featured animal. Upon closer inspection, it…
Tags: AlliterationAlphabetAnimalsArmadillosEarly ElementaryGraeme BaseJennifer GannettPreschoolersZebras
With Hug Time, Patrick McDonnell, longtime cartoonist and creator of “Mutts” (as well as the artist behind New Jersey’s animal friendly license plate), has crafted another winner. The sweet rhyming cadence and nicely…
Tags: Climate ChangeJennifer GannettKittensMonkeysPatrick McDonnellPolar BearsPreschoolersWildlife
I Heard It From Alice Zucchini: Poems About the Garden spans the course of all four seasons. The poems are narrated by various garden denizens at different places and times in their growing grounds, and the book…
Tags: Early ElementaryGardenGardeningJennifer GannettJuanita HavillNatural LivingPreschoolers
In The Ugly Vegetables, author and illustrator Grace Lin‘s narrator is excited about planting a garden with her mother, but her joy quickly turns to concern as she notices all of the things that her mom is doing…
Tags: Chinese VegetablesCookingFemale ProtagonistGardenGardeningGrace LinJennifer GannettPreschoolersVegetables
Author and illustrator Eric Carle has an extensive body of work that is well known to those with children or even those who have set foot in the children’s section of any American bookstore or library. A brief…
Tags: ConsumerismDucksEco-Friendly Kids BooksEnvironmentEric CarleGlobalizationGood for ToddlersHuman RightsJennifer GannettPreschoolers
Animal Poems features thoughtful poems about a variety of animals and insects. The late Valerie Worth’s poems unfold from a welcome awareness of the creatures’ perspective. These are not silly childish rhymes but…
Tags: AnimalsElephantsHummingbirdsInsectsJennifer GannettPoetrySteve JenkinsValerie WorthWhales
When mean, crusty farmers become fed up with Mr. Fox’s pilfering of their poultry, they decide to eradicate Mr. Fox and his family. They declare a full-on war against Mr. Fox and declare their intentions to stop at…
Tags: ChickensFarmingFoxesJennifer GannettOlder ElementaryRabbitsRoald Dahl
Oil spills. Climate change. Polluted oceans, rivers, lakes, bays and watersheds. Environmental justice concerns. Drought. Famine. Collapse of global fisheries stocks. Factory farming. Sometimes it feels like despite…
Tags: Alex LinEco-Friendly Kids BooksErica FernandezHarriet RohmerJennifer GannettOlder ElementaryWill Allen
Liam, a curious young urbanite, looks at the drab, grey concrete bleakness around him and wonders if it could be different. While he’s out exploring, a few neglected pieces of greenery peeking out from an abandoned…
Tags: Children's Choice Book AwardsE.B. White Read Aloud Award WinnerEarly ElementaryEco-Friendly Kids BooksEnvironmentEnvironmental Children's LiteratureGardeningJennifer GannettNew York CityPeter BrownPreschoolersUrban Wildlife
I enjoy Lois Ehlert’s colorful, captivating books and Growing Vegetable Soup is no exception. Featuring her trademark bold, graphic illustrations and a simple message laid out in large print, she tells a story…
Tags: GardenGardeningGood for ToddlersJennifer GannettLois EhlertPreschoolersVegetables
As a crafty dabbler who lives with both a spare-time painter and a young child in whom we are attempting to instill a strong sense of appreciation for his own and others’ creative processes, I end up thinking a lot…
Tags: Art ProjectsCreativityEnvironmentHealthy LivingJennifer GannettOlder ElementaryParents
Animal Watch covers a variety of subjects facing all animals—human and non-human—on our planet. The book is broken up into three main sections: Habitats at Risk, Hunting and Trade and Back From the Brink. Within each…
Tags: CondorHabitat DestructionHuntingJane ParsonsJennifer GannettOlder ElementaryRoger FewWhalesZoo
This counting book opens with the pronouncement that it is spring and immediately queries whether the children have remembered their animal friends. I found that one question very powerful- how have we remembered our…
Tags: Baby BookEasterGood for ToddlersJennifer GannettMousePreschoolersSpring
Author Jean Craighead George and artist Wendell Minor have teamed up to bring us the beautifully illustrated tale in The Wolves Are Back. Using the story of a male wolf and his pup to trace the re-introduction of…
Tags: Early ElementaryJean Craighead GeorgeJennifer GannettPreschoolersWendell MinorWolvesYellowstone
Big Cat Conservation starts off on shaky ground when early on, author Peggy Thomas exclaims how happy she is that she can see a beautiful tiger in his enclosure in the Buffalo Zoo. However, from there she goes on to…
Tags: ConservationEco-Friendly Kids BooksJennifer GannettOlder ElementaryPanthersPeggy ThomasTigerWildlifeZoo