224 Vegbooks reviews by Jessica Almy.
“Fish are friends, not food!” No wonder PETA loved this animated flick aimed at the preschool and early elementary crowd. While parts were scary for my kiddo, she empathized with the plight of fish in captivity,…
Tags: Animals as FoodAnimals in CaptivityEarly ElementaryFishFishingMovies for Vegetarian KidsOlder ElementaryPETAPortrayal of Vegetarians in FilmVegetarian Characters
Slated for release in May, Art Corriveau‘s middle-grade novel How I, Nicky Flynn, Finally Get a Life (and a Dog) deals in equal measure with the pain of divorce and the trials of adopting a dog. When Nicky’s parents…
Tags: AdoptionAnimal SheltersArt CorriveauCompanion AnimalsDivorceDogsGerman ShepherdOlder ElementaryService DogTransformation
Uh oh, I thought when I first viewed this title in our local library. I’m going to hate this book. Happily, I soon discovered that no harm comes to the chicken in Tony Johnston and Eleanor Taylor’s silly book. When…
Tags: Chicken in the KitchenChickensEarly ElementaryEleanor TaylorPreschoolersTony Johnstonvegan kidsvegetarian kids
This picture book by Marion Dane Bauer and Dorothy Donahue introduces kids to the ecological needs of animals through touching, even funny, poems — with gorgeous illustrations to boot. Each page could stand on its…
Tags: Dorothy DonahueEarly ElementaryEco-Friendly Kids BooksFrogsMarion Dane BauerPolar BearsPreschoolers
By JESSICA ALMY My sister-in-law and one of my dearest friends are both expecting. So me being me, I’m planning to give them books and diapers! (What else do you really need for a baby anyways?) While I’m shopping, I…
Tags: Best Family CookbooksHealthy LivingNatural LivingRaising Vegetarian KidsVegan ParentingVegan ParentsVegan PregnancyVegetarian Baby Food
If your kiddo likes Good Night, Gorilla, I suggest you freecycle (or maybe just recycle) the zoo propaganda and pick up a secondhand copy of Anthony Browne’s Gorilla instead. This heartwarming picture book details…
Tags: 1980s Childrens LiteratureAnthony BrowneChildren's LaureateChimpanzeesEarly ElementaryFemale ProtagonistGorillasOrangutanPreschoolersPrimatesZoo
I grew up watching “The Muppet Show” weekly, so I rushed out to watch “Muppets from Space” when it was released in 1999. (I think I saw it at the local drive-in.) This New Year’s Eve, we decided to have a family…
Tags: 1990s MoviesDepictions of Meat in FilmEarly ElementaryFamily MoviesGonzoJim HensonKermit the FrogMiss PiggyMuppetsOlder ElementaryPreschoolers
Did you catch the CBS clip a while back about the elephant and the stray dog who became best friends? Well, the lovely Carol Buckley, founder of The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee, has written a children’s book that…
Tags: Carol BuckleyCircusElephant SanctuaryElephantsFemale ProtagonistInterspecies FriendshipZoo
Sherry Been and Cathy Morrison’s book gives kids a taste of natural history by telling them about a tiger’s life in the second person. “If you were a tiger,” the book reads, “we would call you Great Swimmer. You have…
Tags: Cathy MorrisonEarly ElementaryNatural HistoryNature BooksPreschoolersSherry BeenTiger
By JESSICA ALMY Common Sense Media has compiled a list of the top-ten books for preschoolers published during the last decade. Two of their picks are among kiddo’s favorite: the delightful My Friend Rabbitfrom Eric…
Tags: Eric RohmannJane O'ConnorKevin HenkesKitten's First Full MoonMy Friend RabbitPreschoolersRobin Glasser
Beautiful illustrations depict an American wetland in Have You Seen My Duckling? by Nancy Tafuri. When kiddo was little, she enjoyed looking for the lost duckling, who is barely in view in each of the scenes. Now…
Tags: Baby BookBoard BookCaldecott HonorDucksFemale ProtagonistGood for ToddlersHeronPreschoolersTurtlesWildlife
Kiddo and I both loved “Bolt,” though I do think she was a little young to understand it entirely. It starts sweetly when Penny rescues Bolt as a puppy. Viewers soon discover that Bolt and Penny are stars of an…
The 1966 Dr. Seuss classic “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is a holiday tradition for my family. Kiddo, being 4, didn’t remember the movie from last year, so it was fun to watch her experience it as if for the first…
Tags: 1960s MoviesChristmas MoviesDr. SeussHoliday MoviesMeat-eating
This 1939 classic features everyone’s favorite little red-headed fille, Madeline. We love this book! The French orphans care deeply for Madeline and are understandably distressed when she needs to have her appendix…
Tags: 1930s Childrens LiteratureClassic BooksFemale ProtagonistLudwig BemelmansMadelineZoos
Jerry Pinkney’s new book is a visual treat, using stunning illustrations to retell Aesop’s fable. Using only the occasional sound, Mr. Pinkney’s storybook lends itself to an interpretation that supports and…
Tags: Animal Rights Books for KidsCaldecott MedalEarly ElementaryHuntingJerry PinkneyLionMouseNew York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2009PreschoolersWildlife Books for Kids
I want to wallpaper my apartment with the illustrations from Carin Berger’s The Little Yellow Leaf! OK, maybe I’ll just frame a few images. All joking aside, this is one of the most beautiful children’s books I’ve…
Tags: Carin BergerEarly ElementaryNature BooksNew York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2008Preschoolers
Kiddo has been asking about what happens to trash, and she was appalled to learn about landfills. So you can imagine her excitement when we rented Backpack Jack’s “All About Garbage and Recycling.” I’d never watched…
Tags: ActivitiesEarly ElementaryEducational Kids FilmsEnvironmental Kids MoviesGarbagePreschoolersRecycling
It’s hard not to be amazed by this book by Sarah C. Campbell and Richard P. Campbell. First there’s the surprise of a carnivorous snail. To see one up close, complete with lip extensions that look like a mustache,…
Tags: CarnivoresEarly ElementaryGeisel Honor BookNature BooksPreschoolersRichard P. CampbellSarah C. Campbellvegetarian kidsWolfsnail
Vegetarian Christians can take comfort in Roger L. Robbennolt’s The Unicorn at the Manger: Yearlong Stories of the Holy Night. While animals are relegated to the role of a living backdrop in some traditional nativity…
Tags: Animal Rights Books for KidsBest Books for Vegetarian Christian ChildrenChristian VegetariansEarly ElementaryGood for ToddlersHoliday BooksOlder ElementaryOwlPreschoolersRead AloudReligious BooksUnicornVegetarian Christmas
I’ve heard people cite The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein as an example of environmental children’s literature, but I’m not so sure. Of course, the boy’s connection with the tree, at least at the beginning of the…
Tags: EnvironmentEnvironmental Children's LiteratureNature Is Not InfiniteShel SilversteinTree
By JESSICA ALMY School Libary Journal has the skinny on loads of forthcoming kids books. Several look like good reads for vegetarian and vegan kids. Moon Bear by Brenda Z. Guiberson and Ed Young promises to expose…
Tags: BadgersBearsBest Books for Vegetarian KidsBirdsBrenda Z. GuibersonBrian SkerryBrigette LucianiCarin BergerChickensDaniel PinkwaterEd YoungEve TharletForthcoming BooksFoxesManateesMarine MammalsMeggan HillMoon BearsParrotsRabbitsSoon-to-be-publishedSusan M. Graunke
Revisiting the original book about everyone’s favorite chimpanzee, Curious Georgeby Margret and H.A. Ray, I was surprised by some of the details I’d forgotten as a child. Of course, The Man with the Yellow Hat baits…
Tags: 1940s Childrens Literatureanimal rightsChimpanzeesMargret and H.A. RayMonkeysZoo
This cute little board book by Jane Brett and Kate Davies teaches little kids counting while demonstrating a mother hen’s love for her brood. The farm is idyllic — picture Farm Sanctuary or Poplar Spring — unlike…
Tags: Animal FamiliesBaby BookChickensGood for ToddlersMomma Animals
I remember loving Beatrix Potter’s book The Tale of Peter Rabbit when I was a little girl, so it’s fun to look at it again as an adult. While it’s true that the animals wear shoes and jackets (which is a little…
Tags: ActivitiesBeatrix PotterEarly ElementaryLiving With WildlifeMr. McGregorPeter RabbitPreschoolersRabbits