86 Vegbooks reviews by Jennifer Kali.
My 9 year old daughter loves the book series Percy Jackson and the Olympians. We’ve been reading it aloud together, and on her own she’s working through the Kane Chronicles by the same author. Percy Jackson, a 6th…
Tags: FantasyJennifer Kalimiddle readersPercy JacksonPercy Jackson and the Olympians
My 9-year old daughter and I really enjoyed reading Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH together. I had seen the movie The Secret of NIMH as a kid, but it has been a long time. This book, a Newbery Award winner, is…
Tags: animal testingchildren's booksJennifer KaliMrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMHRobert C. O'Brien
My 9-year old daughter and I really enjoyed reading the novel Stef Soto, Taco Queen by Jennifer Torres together. Stef is in middle school and is the child of immigrant parents. Throughout the book, she comes to terms…
Tags: Female Protagonistimmigrant experienceJennifer Torresmiddle grade readersmiddle schoolStef Soto Taco Queentacos
As children of the 80’s, my wife and I are very familiar with Fievel and his family. We can belt out Somewhere Out There with the best of them. When I saw An American Tail on a list of recommended movies about…
Tags: An American Tailimmigrant experienceJennifer Kalivegetarians in films
One weekend, my family enjoyed a movie marathon of “Dr. Dolittle” and “Dr. Dolittle 2.” The first movie tells the story of a doctor (Eddie Murphy) who suddenly realizes he can talk to animals. He spends most of the…
Tags: 1990s MoviesEddie MurphyFamily MoviesJennifer KaliOlder Elementary
My 8-year-old daughter has been making her way through every book in the Vet Volunteers book series available at our local library. The series combines her love of mystery novels (she’s also reading every Nancy Drew…
Tags: Animal RescueFemale ProtagonistJennifer KaliKindness to AnimalsMysteryOlder ElementarySeriesVeterinarian
My family has mad love for all things Star Wars and the latest movie is no exception. We saw “The Last Jedi” as a family and my 8-year-old daughter said, “That was just amazing! It’s the best movie I’ve ever seen!”…
Tags: Depictions of Meat in FilmDiversityFamily FilmsFamily MoviesFantasyFemale ProtagonistGenderJennifer KaliOlder ElementaryStar Wars
“Bee Movie” was a big hit for family movie night. Written by Jerry Seinfeld, who also voices the lead bee, this movie is funny and entertaining for the entire family. It was enjoyed by the kids (ages 3 and 8) and the…
Tags: Animated MoviesBeesEarly ElementaryFamily MoviesHumorJennifer KaliJerry Seinfeld
My kids, ages 3 and 8, are obsessed with “Dolphin Tale.” I reviewed the junior novel based on the screenplay recently, and the plot is exactly the same. But the movie, with real people (Ashley Judd, Harry Connick…
Tags: Animal RescueAshley JuddDolphinsEarly ElementaryFamily FilmsFamily MoviesHarry Connick JrJennifer KaliMarine AnimalsMarine MammalsMorgan FreemanOlder Elementary
My 7-year-old daughter has recently decided she wants to be a marine biologist, which is how we ended up reading Dolphin Tale together. Dolphin Tale, the junior novel, is based on the screenplay for the 2011 hit…
Tags: Animal RescueDolphinsEarly ElementaryJennifer KaliMarine AnimalsMarine MammalsOlder ElementaryWildlife Rehabilitation
I was so happy to hear that the American Film Institute movie theatre near my home was running a Muppet retrospective. The Muppets were a huge part of my childhood, but haven’t been much a part of my kids’ lives. But…
Tags: Depictions of Meat in FilmEarly ElementaryFamily MoviesFrogsJennifer KaliMuppetsOlder ElementaryPreschoolers
I received these two books from the publisher for review. They are cute books appropriate for a baby or young toddler. Each book is a silly celebration of the fruit in the title. The basic structure is the same for…
Tags: ApplesBaby BookBananasFruitsGood for ToddGreg PizzoliJennifer KaliMarilyn Singer
When my older daughter was three, we tried watching “Finding Nemo,” a movie beloved by many but way too scary for my daughter. My youngest is now three, and a parent of a friend of his suggested we watch “Finding…
Tags: Animated MoviesEarly ElementaryEllen DeGeneresFishJennifer KaliMarine Animals
My three-year-old son has recently become interested in Dr. Seuss’s Yertle the Turtle, which seems appropriate in this political climate. My seven-year-old has even started asking to read it. It’s Dr. Seuss, but it…
Tags: 1950s Children LiteratureDr. SeussEarly ElementaryJennifer KaliPowerPreschoolersTurtles
I took my kids (ages 3 and 7) to see the movie “Trolls.” I had heard that it was about happiness but didn’t know much beyond that, so I was pleasantly surprised at the animal friendly message. In the middle of it, my…
Tags: Animated MoviesEarly ElementaryFamily FilmsFamily MoviesHappinessJennifer KaliMeat-eatingMusic
My mom’s favorite movie is “The Wizard of Oz,” so I’ve seen it dozens of times, but I’ve never read the book. I was happy to come across a copy of it in the Little Free Library on my street. My seven-year-old…
Tags: Classic BooksCompassionFantasyFemale ProtagonistJennifer KaliKindnessL. Frank BaumW. W. Denslow
We were excited to see this movie as a family. We’re dog people and happen to have a pug a lot like the character Mel (voiced by Bobby Moynihan) in the movie. We saw it on vacation at an awesome drive-in theater in…
Tags: Animated MoviesBobby MoynihanCatsDogsEllie KemperEric StonestreetFamily MoviesHomeless AnimalsJennifer KaliLouis C.K.Michael BeattieNew York City
Inspired by the movie that was recently released, my seven-year-old daughter and I read The BFG together. It’s a fun read and many times my daughter laughed out loud. From Roald Dahl, the author of Charlie and the…
Tags: Animals in CaptivityDepictions of Meat in BooksFemale ProtagonistJennifer KaliRead AloudRoald DahlVegan Protagonist
We took our seven-year-old to watch this delightful movie about a big friendly vegetarian giant and the entire family enjoyed it. Directed by Steven Spielberg, the live action and CGI cast bring this lovely story to…
Tags: Family MovieJennifer KaliMovies for Vegetarian KidsPortrayal of Vegetarians in FilmRoald DahlSteven Spielberg
Our family loves outdoor movie night screenings, and thankfully these are pretty common in our area. This weekend we went to a screening of “Open Season,” which I was excited about because I’ve been wanting to watch…
Tags: Animated MoviesAnti-HuntingAshton KutcherFamily FilmsFamily MoviesHuntingMartin Lawrence
My son, now 2.5, received this book version of Ringo Starr’s famous song for his first birthday and it has been his favorite book since. Many night this is the only book we ready before bed (again, and again…).…
Tags: Animals in CaptivityBen CortEarly ElementaryFishGood for ToddlersJennifer KaliMarine AnimalsMusicPicture BooksPreschoolersRingo StarrSea Life
I love this book! I picked it up because of the amazing animotionillustrations on almost every page that make it seem like the book is in motion, with bees flying, dogs running, a boy waving goodbye, a flower…
Tags: AnimationBeesEarly ElementaryEcosystemsElle J. McGuinnessEnvironmentGood for ToddlersIllustrationJennifer KaliPollinationPreschoolers
Fans of Tarra and Bella will love this book. My six-year-old daughter and I loved reading it together. It tells the true story of an unlikely friendship between a baby hippo named Owen and a 130 year old giant…
Tags: Craig HatkoffInterspecies FriendshipIsabella HatkoffJennifer KaliNonfictionPaula Kahumbu
We watched “Free Willy” for our family movie night with our six-year-old daughter. I hadn’t seen this movie since it came out years ago. I was amazed at how strong the anti-captivity message is in this lovely family…
Tags: Amazon PrimeAnimals in CaptivityCaptive WildlifeEarly ElementaryFamily MoviesJennifer KaliOrcasStreaming MoviesWhalesWild Animals in Captivity