224 Vegbooks reviews by Jessica Almy.
Kiddo loves The Digging-est Dogby Al Perkins and Eric Gurney, but I’m not so crazy about it. Told from the dog’s point of view, the story has a somber but promising start: “I was the saddest dog you could ever see,/…
Tags: Al PerkinsAnimal AbuseCowsDairy IndustryDogsEarly ElementaryEric GurneyPet StoresPreschoolers
Spiders have a special status in our home. Rather than shoo them outside — as we do for other bugs — we let spiders stay, at least for a little while. It’s not surprising then that Eric Carle’s classic board book,…
Tags: ActivitiesBaby BookBoard BookEric CarleGood for ToddlersPreschoolersSpider
Check out the stories, poems, and (most importantly) pictures of the dogs loved by Lucy Cousins, Barbara Westman, Lisa Campbell Ernst, Wendell Minor, Betsey Everitt, and other children’s book illustrators. From the…
Biscuit, the little golden pup in Alyssa Satin Capucilli and Pat Schories’s early reader book, wants all the same things as kids do when he’s getting ready for bed. He wants a snack, a drink, a kiss, a hug, one more…
Tags: Alyssa Satin CapucilliBiscuitBooks that Teach EmpathyCompanion AnimalsDogsPreschoolersPuppy
Stan and Jan Berenstain’s silly book introduces readers to words that begin with A by following a trail of ants “across an apple and an acorn, across an apricot, an ax, and an angleworm” … all the way to an anteater…
Tags: AlliterationAntsBeginning ReadersBerenstain BearsBest Books for Vegetarian KidsEarly ElementaryEarly ReadersPreschoolers
Last night, my husband and I enjoyed the zany antics and fun music of “Shark Tale” on DVD. Geared to older kids, the movie is still too mature for kiddo. Vegetarian kids will love that Lenny the Shark (Jack Black)…
Tags: Animated MoviesJack BlackMarine AnimalsOlder ElementaryPETAPortrayal of Vegetarians in FilmRaising Vegan KidsSea LifeSharksVegetarian Family
Robert McCloskey’s classic book describes a chance encounter between a child and her momma and a bear cub and his momma. When both families head to Blueberry Hill to stock up on fruit for the winter, the little ones…
Tags: 1940s Childrens LiteratureBaby BookBearsClassic BooksFemale ProtagonistIllustrationLiving With WildlifeMothersPicture BooksPreschoolersRespect for NatureRobert McCloskeyWildlife Books for Kids
Dawn Bentley and Beth Stover have collaborated on four wildlife books in the Soundprints Read-and-Discover “Hoppers” series for kids preschool to first grade: Welcome Back, Puffin!, Wake Up, Black Bear!, Busy Little…
Tags: Beth StoverDawn BentleyEarly ElementaryEarly ReadersEco-Friendly Kids BooksPreschoolersWildlife Books for Kids
All that the scarecrow in Tim Preston and Maggie Kneen’s picture book wants is for the animals to like him. If only he weren’t so, well, scary. This simple story follows the progression of the seasons with stunning…
Tags: BadgersDucksEarly ElementaryFoxesMaggie KneenMicePreschoolersSnailTim PrestonWildlife Books for Kids
Move over, Frank Sinatra and Vanessa Williams! This Dance With Me, written by Ron Hirschi and featuring beautiful photography by Thomas D. Mangelsen, is a celebration of the movement of wild animals. From prairie…
Tags: Animal CourtshipEarly ElementaryOrcasPhotographyPrairie ChickensPreschoolersRon HirschiThomas D. MangelsonWildlifeWildlife Books for Kids
Written by David L. Rice and illustrated by Trudy Calvert, Do Animals Have Feelings Too? explores the animal kingdom emotion by emotion. Kids will learn that chimpanzees exhibit compassion, elephants grieve, and…
Tags: Animal Familiesanimal intelligenceDavid L. RiceEarly ElementaryElephantsIllustrationOlder ElementaryPreschoolersTrudy CalvertWildlife Books for Kids
This year, Santa is bringing kiddo books! In celebration of the winter holidays, I’ve compiled two lists for you: one of the books that have gotten top reviews on Vegbooks and the other of online storefronts that…
Tags: ASPCABest Books for Vegetarian KidsFarm SanctuaryHoliday ShoppingHortonHumane SocietyNRDCVegan Action
Published in 1941, Robert McCloskey‘s well-known picture book conveys respect for animals and kindness toward them. Mr. and Mrs. Mallard set up their home in Boston, carefully selecting a safe location, building…
Tags: 1940s Childrens LiteratureAnimal FamiliesClassic BooksDucksEarly ElementaryPreschoolersRobert McCloskeyWildlife
Ever get so mad at someone that you see red? When that happens to the narrator of Roald Dahl and Quentin Blake’s book The Magic Finger, she points her magic finger and well … things happen. Veg kids will probably…
Tags: 1960s Childrens LiteratureAnimal Familiesanimal rightsAnti-HuntingDeerDucksHuntingOlder ElementaryQuentin BlakeRoald Dahlvegan kidsvegetarian kids
I absolutely adore Dr. Seuss’s storybook Horton Hears a Who! and the 1970 animated short of the same name (sometimes included with the old Grinch on DVD). So when I heard that talents Jim Carrey, Steve Carell, and…
Written by poet Eve Merriam and illustrated by Pam Paparone, Low Song is a rhythmic ode to all things small and low. The narrator sings the praises of dachshunds, a cow’s tongue licking clover, sleeping giraffes, and…
Tags: CowsDachshundsDogsEarly ElementaryFarmed AnimalsGiraffesPreschoolersRaccoonsSeasonsvegan kidsWildlife
Inspired by the fact that a baby spiny anteater is a puggle (!), Pam Munoz Ryanwrote A Pinky Is a Baby Mouseto introduce young children to animal families ranging from spiders to lions. Her delightful text is…
Tags: Animal FamiliesBirdsDiane deGroatEarly ElementaryFishFrogsGoatsLionMaine Animal CoalitiionMoms and BabiesMousePam Munoz RyanPigPigeonPreschoolersSnakesSpiny AnteaterWildlifeWildlife Books for KidsZoo
This old movie, available on DVD, uses the character of Alice in Wonderland to present a variety of classic children’s stories including one featuring the French orphan Madeline. Veg parents should know that while…
Tags: Animated MoviesCircusMadelineMeat-eatingvegetarian kidsZoo
Little kids seem to love Sandra Boynton’s board books. Of all of that kiddo had, this is my favorite, in part because it teaches about the sounds animals make (albeit from a pretty anglo perspective) but also because…
Tags: Baby BookBoard BookCatsCowsDogsFarmed AnimalsIllustrationPigSandra BoyntonSheep
Cynthia Rylant’s work suggests that she knows what it’s like to grieve for an animal companion. In this beautifully illustrated book, she envisions an afterlife for dogs, complete with angel children to play with,…
Tags: CatsCynthia RylantDeath of a PetDogsEarly ElementaryGrievingIllustrationPreschoolers
Dav Pilkey, creator of Captain Underpants, wrote and illustrated a decidedly pro-vegetarian children’s book for publishing behemoth Scholastic. In a playful parody on the classic Christmas poem, Pilkey brings a…
Tags: ActivitiesDav PilkeyEarly ElementaryFarmed AnimalsHoliday BooksLesson PlansPreschoolersThanksgivingThanksgiving Books for Vegetarian KidsTurkeysveganVegan Authorvegan kidsVegan ThanksgivingVegetarianvegetarian kidsVegetarian Kids BooksVegetarian Thanksgiving
This rhyming board book by John Schindel and Sean Franzen is a great primer on cat behavior for little ones. The kitties stroll, roll, hiss, kiss, think, and drink. The photos are delightful, showing a variety of…
Tags: Baby BookBoard BookCatsGood for ToddlersJohn SchindelPhotographySean Franzen
Dr. Seuss’s classic is a fantastic way to teach your kids about the importance of sticking up for the defenseless. When Horton the Elephant hears the microscopic Whos on a speck of dust, he doesn’t stop to question…
Tags: 1950s Children LiteratureAnimal Emotionanimal intelligenceanimal rightsDr. SeussEarly ElementaryElephantsHortonInterspecies FriendshipPreschoolersRead AloudVegetarian Kids Books
Kids who have read Pinkaliciousby Victoria Kahn and Elizabeth Kahn know that Pinkalicious loves the color pink! In Purplicious, our bedazzled heroine must decide what to do when all the girls at school decide black…
Tags: Early ElementaryElizabeth KahnFemale ProtagonistPinkVictoria Kahn