224 Vegbooks reviews by Jessica Almy.
Sarah Rudy’s slim paperback portrays a school-age boy’s crisis of faith in vegetarianism. While this book is likely to appeal only to a narrow subsection of vegetarians, it could serve as a helpful tool for parents…
Tags: ChickensCowsEarly ElementaryFarmed AnimalsHealthy LivingPeer PressurePigsSarah RudyveganVegetarian
All kids can use the message in The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Junk Food— that healthy, nourishing foods are better than candy and processed snacks — but vegetarian and vegan families might have some heavy editing…
Tags: Animals as FoodBerenstain BearsEarly ElementaryFood ChoicesHealthy ChoicesHealthy LivingJan BerenstainPreschoolersStan BerenstainveganVegetarian
A Garden for Pigis a new title that encourages kids to grow and eat their veggies. Based on a true story, in which a pig breaks into a neighboring garden, eats some squash, and “delivers” the seeds to his own pen,…
Tags: CompostingEarly ElementaryFruitGardenGardeningIllustrationKathryn ThurmanLindsay WardOrganicPigsPreschoolersVegetables
A dog is too loud. A horse is too big. What’s an animal-loving kid to do when her parents’ response to every species she suggests is “no”? As much as she likes the “pet” cactus her parents gave her, Elizabeth, the…
Tags: Bruce WhatleyBugsCompanion AnimalsEarly ElementaryFemale ProtagonistInsectsMargie PalatiniPreschoolersSpeciesism
I love wordless or nearly wordless books. I’m simply captivated by Eric Rohmann’s The Cinder-Eyed Cats and David Wiesner’s Tuesday. For me, it doesn’t get much better than when illustrations carry the story, and the…
Tags: BeachBirdsEarly ElementaryIllustrationNatureNew York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2008OceanPreschoolersSuzy LeeWordless Books
Mem Fox spent seven years writing this lovely little book about a rabbit-eared bandicoot — an adorable Australian desert animal — and the devotion he showers on an egg that he has found. While there’s some ambiguity…
Tags: AustraliaBiomesConservationEarly ElementaryEggsEndangered SpeciesHabitatsMem FoxPamela LoftsPreschoolersvegan
I love this book! Featuring some nontraditional (read: tattooed and pierced) parents, compassionate and assertive kids, and cute dogs, The Trouble with Dogs, Said Dad is a fun read. Bob Graham tells a story that’s…
Tags: Bob GrahamCompanion AnimalsDogsEarly ElementaryIllustrationPreschoolers
Whoever uses the word “chicken” to mean cowardly has certainly not met Louise, the feathered heroine of Kate DiCamillo’s book. Louise longs for adventure and wanders off the farm to find it. She narrowly escapes…
Tags: Animals in CaptivityChickensCircusEarly ElementaryFarmed AnimalsFemale ProtagonistHarry BlissKate DiCamilloPreschoolers
Vacillating between anthropomorphism and a playful look at bats as bats, Bats at the Beach is a fun read for kids ages 4 to 8. Some of the images are designed to make kids squirm — marshmallows made of bugs, for…
Tags: Animal EmotionAnimal FamiliesBatsBrian LiesEarly ElementaryPreschoolers
What a wonderful book for vegetarian and vegan kids! Jacqueline Briggs Martin and Melissa Sweet team up to create a playful adventure book about saving a chicken. Set in the bayou, Chicken Joy on Redbean Road is the…
Tags: Best Books for Vegetarian KidsChickensEarly ElementaryFarmFarmed AnimalsJacqueline Briggs MartinMelissa SweetPreschoolersVegetarian Kids Books
Many of us are inspired to become vegetarians after they learn about the widespread animal exploitation that supports the Standard American Diet. We can only hope that the next generation sees animals differently…
Tags: Books that Teach EmpathyCompassionEarly ElementaryGardenJoanne RyderLynne CherryNatural HistoryPreschoolersSnailsWildlife
Having loved the original Ladybug Girl as much as I did, I was a little reluctant to readJacky Davis and David Soman’s latest book in the growing series. After all, series books often have trouble rekindling the…
Tags: BraveryCompassionDavid SomanDogsEarly ElementaryFemale ProtagonistFeminismIndependenceJacky DavisPreschoolers
I decided to check out this older early-reader book because it was tagged as “vegetarian” on one of the major online book retailers (and other sites have similar synopses). Unfortunately, while it does deal with the…
Tags: Books to AvoidDaniel PinkwaterEarly ElementaryPreschoolersThanksgivingVegetarian
Before Granny Gomez and Jigsaw, vegetarian and vegan families had Susan Jeschke’s book Perfect the Pig. Celebrating porcine intelligence and the human-animal bond, Ms. Jeschke’s storybook also deals with animal…
Tags: Animal AbuseBest Books for Vegetarian KidsCompassionEarly ElementaryFarmFarmed AnimalsInterspecies FriendshipLesson PlansMeat-eatingPerforming AnimalsPigsVegan Childrens BooksVegetarian Kids Books
I’d seen “Babe” years ago, at a time when I was neither a child nor a parent, so it was fun to revisit the movie with my 4-year-old daughter. What I’d forgotten, or perhaps hadn’t noticed, about the 1995 live-action…
Tags: 1990s MoviesAnimals as FoodEarly ElementaryFamily MoviesFarmed AnimalsFarmingLive Action MoviesOlder ElementaryParentsPigsPreschoolers
This little book by Lara Bergen and Vincent Nguyen introduces kids to the concept of climate change. When a little girl from the Arctic takes a canoe ride with her father, they spy two polar bear cubs alone on the…
Tags: Climate ChangeEarly ElementaryEco-Friendly Kids BooksEnvironmentGreen PublishingLara BergenPreschoolersVincent Nguyen
David George Gordon’s Uncover a Horse transported me back to the days of 4-H hippology competitions. This book is perfect for budding equine enthusiasts who want to know about horses’ anatomy or behavior. Page by…
Tags: AnatomyAnimal BehaviorDavid George GordonHorsesNatural HistoryOlder Elementary
“The Fox and the Hound” is classic Disney, in the best sense. In this 1980s animated film, the makers of “Bambi” are at it again, taking on hunting from the animals’ perspective. While some scenes are a little scary…
Tags: 1980s Childrens MoviesAnimated MoviesDisneyDogsEarly ElementaryFoxesHuntingOlder ElementaryWildlifeWildlife Rehabilitation
I have to admit that one of the reasons I think books are the perfect gift for a child is because, as a rule, they don’t make noise. So I’m more than a little surprised to find myself so enamored with Sounds of the…
Tags: AfricaEarly ElementaryElephantsMaurice PledgerNatural HistoryNature BooksWildlifeWildlife Books for KidsZebras
Angela Farris Watkins recounts her childhood memories of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in the forthcoming book, My Uncle Martin’s Big Heart. Her recollections are warm and personal, and give children an opportunity…
Tags: ActivismAngela Farris WatkinsCivil RightsEarly ElementaryEric VelasquezMartin Luther KingPreschoolersSocial Justice
Revisiting this classic animated film with my little girl, I realized for the first time how much of the plot is one big chase scene. Still, if you can stand that, you’ll find yourself cheering for the Dalmatians as…
Tags: 1960s MoviesAnimal RescueCompanion AnimalsDogsEarly ElementaryFurOlder Elementary
Vegetarians who forgo fish for environmental reasons will adore “Happy Feet.” Along with giving kids a glimpse into the natural history of penguins, this animated movie also deals with issues of overfishing,…
Tags: Early ElementaryEnvironmental Kids MoviesFishingNatural HistoryOlder ElementaryPenguinsWarner Bros.Zoo
The love of all things princess has driven saner parents than me crazy, so when my daughter started talking about Belle, Cinderella, and the rest of the Disney clan (despite having never seen the movies), I knew I…
Tags: 1980s Childrens LiteratureAnimal CareBabette ColeDragonsEarly ElementaryFemale ProtagonistFeminismIndependencePreschoolersPrincess
Kiddo has a couple books that will bring me to tears, and Mutt Dog!by Stephen Michael King is one of them. The book’s sensitive approach to homelessness, human and canine, and its happy ending get me every time. Mutt…
Tags: AdoptionDogsEarly ElementaryHomelessnessKIND Children's Honor BooksPreschoolersSocial Justice