Vegbooks reviews of movies, music, television, and board games.
A holiday television classic. Peppermint Patty invites herself and a few friends to Charlie Brown’s house for Thanksgiving. Old Chuck is in a pickle because all he knows how to cook is toast and cold cereal. He…
Tags: 1970s Childrens MoviesAnimated MoviesCharlie BrownFamily MoviesHoliday MoviesJennifer KaliThanksgiving
I watched this movie with my daughter (2 years old) and her friend (3 years old). We were doing overnight babysitting and thought a movie night would be fun. I loved the Care Bears as a kid but knew nothing about…
Tags: BearsCompanion AnimalsGood for ToddlersInsectsJennifer KaliPreschoolersWild Animals
Get ready for Vegbooks’ first CD review! I had the pleasure of meeting the ever so talented Paul Helou at HSUS’s Taking Action for Animals Conference this July, and he graciously provided me a copy of his latest…
Tags: Carolyn M. MullinGood for ToddlersMusicNaturePaul HelouPreschoolers
Last year’s big screen release, “How to Train Your Dragon” has a powerful message about tolerance and respect for animals. Set in a Viking village, the film opens on a scene of terrible violence in which humans and…
Tags: AnimatedAnimated MoviesDepictions of Meat in FilmDragonsEarly ElementaryFamily FilmsFamily MoviesGenesis AwardsOlder Elementary
The animated movie “Rio” really had me at the first scene, where all the birds of the rainforest ascend into the sky to sing and fly in a huge, showy musical number. Add to the lush animation and the spirited music a…
Tags: AnimatedAnimated MoviesBirdsBrazilCaptive WildlifeEarly ElementaryFamily MoviesHumorJemaine ClementMusicParrotsPet StoresPet TradePreschoolersRainforestWild Animals in CaptivityWildlife
You gotta love that kids movies sometimes say what adult films never could. Continuing the tradition of “Bambi” and “The Fox and the Hound,” the 2006 release “Open Season” depicts hunting from the animals’…
Tags: Animated MoviesAnti-HuntingBearsEarly ElementaryHuntingOlder ElementaryRabbitsWildlifeWildlife Rehabilitation
Don’t let the title put you off too much. “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” is actually a decent animated flick. While there aren’t strong animal or environmental themes, vegetarians will be interested to know that…
Tags: Animated MoviesConsumption of MeatDepictions of Meat in FilmEarly ElementaryFamily FilmsFood ChoicesGenetically Modified FoodMeteorologyOlder ElementaryScience
The words that come to mind to describe “Where the Wild Things Are” are not ones I often use to describe things geared to kids. They’re words like melancholy, dark, and eerie. Reading Maurice Sendak’s book Where the…
Tags: Coming of AgeDreamyFamilyFamily FilmsFriendshipMax RecordsMonstersOlder ElementarySpike JonzeSurreal
I have to admit that a good part of my enchantment with Disney’s 2009 flick “The Princess and the Frog” has to do with its toe-tapping soundtrack, and the role that jazz plays in the New Orleans-based storyline. This…
Tags: Animated MoviesCrocodilesDisneyEarly ElementaryFemale ProtagonistFrogsJazzMusicOlder ElementaryPrincess
There’s not much to say about “Toy Story” from a vegetarian perspective. Chances are most kids will enjoy the simple but fun plot line, and there’s certainly very little that would offend anyone, much less…
Tags: 1990s MoviesChained DogsCompanion AnimalsDisneyDogsEarly ElementaryJunk FoodPixarPreschoolers
By JESSICA ALMY If you’re making a list and checking it twice, consider these titles for the kids in your life. They’ve all gotten positive reviews on Vegbooks in the past year. Granny Gomez and Jigsawby Deborah…
Tags: Animated MoviesASPCABest Books for Vegetarian KidsBooks for Vegetarian KidsDeborah UnderwoodEarly ElementaryEnvironmental Kids MoviesFarm SanctuaryMelvin BergerNancy FurstingerNatural Resources Defense CouncilOceanaOlder ElementaryParentsPCRMPETAPreschoolersScott MagoonSheryl L. PipeVegan OutreachZoe Weil
As I’ve previously alluded, I am not a huge fan of the Disney princess franchise. Not only am I concerned that we’re inculcating young girls with stories about privilege and a certain brand of feminine beauty – not…
Tags: Animated MoviesButterfliesDisneyEarly ElementaryFairiesFamilyFemale ProtagonistFriendshipPreschoolers
Parents, get the tissues for this heartwarming (and heartbreaking) family flick! Based on the same true story as Lesléa Newman’s Hachiko Waits, this movie is about the faithfulness of a dog who accompanies the man he…
Tags: Companion AnimalsDeathDogsEarly ElementaryFamily MoviesLive Action MoviesLossOlder Elementary
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
“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
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
All I’d heard about Pixar’s animated film “Up” was that it was about the loss of a loved one, so was I surprised when I discovered that it’s also about the protection of endangered animals! When widower Carl (voiced…
Tags: Animal AbuseBirdsEarly ElementaryEndangered SpeciesEnvironmentEnvironmental Kids MoviesOlder ElementaryPixarWildlife
As a mom and a feminist, I’m not crazy that “The Little Mermaid” is premised on Ariel’s decision to leave her family and literally give up her voice for a man she’s only just met. I worry what this teaches our…
Tags: 1980s Childrens MoviesCrabsDisneyEarly ElementaryFemale ProtagonistFishFishingMermaids
Opening to the song “Born Free,” “Madagascar” follows the adventures of Marty the zebra, Alex the lion, Gloria the hippopotamus and Melman the giraffe. Denizens of the Central Park Zoo, they and their neighbors have…
Tags: Early ElementaryGiraffesHippopotamusJennifer GannettLionOlder ElementaryZebraZoo
“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
“Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” brings us more silliness from prehistory’s most unusual herd. Ellie and Manny are on the verge of welcoming a baby mammoth, and we’re introduced to Buck, short for Buckminster, long…
Tags: Animated MoviesDinosaursIce AgeJennifer GannettPortrayal of Vegetarians in FilmT RexVegetarian
“Ice Age 2: The Meltdown” continues where “Ice Age” left off– Manny (mammoth), Sid (sloth) and Diego (smilodon) are an unlikely but bonded herd. They learn of a flood threatening their valley and the film follows…
Tags: Animated MoviesIce AgeJennifer GannettMammothsPortrayal of Vegetarians in FilmPossumsSlothsSmilodon
A movie about a friendly rat who loves to cook? Sign us up! Buoyed by our love of the Ice Age films (despite my initial skepticism), I cozied up with my son and waited for Disney and Pixar to cast their magic spells…
Tags: Depictions of Meat in FilmDisneyEarly ElementaryJennifer GannettPixarRatRatatouille