Every review published by Vegbooks from 2009 through 2021.
In A House in the Woods, friendly neighbors living together in the forest include pigs, a moose and a bear. They shuffle residences and share fun adventures but the living situation seems amiss. Moose has a…
Tags: Co-HousingCooperationFriendshipInga MooreInterspecies FriendshipJennifer GannettPreschoolersSharing
When kiddo expressed an interest in jazz music (read: she was listening to Ella Fitzgerald’s Christmas album year-round), we were delighted to find that the world music compilation “Jazz Playground” both appealed to…
Tags: Don SpencerEarly ElementaryGood for ToddlersMusicMusic for BabiesPreschoolersSnakesWee Hairy Beasties
Learn about the mounted police through the eyes of a horse by spending a day in New York City with a mounted police officer in Finnegan and Fox: The Ten-Foot Cop, written by Helen L. Wibur and illustrated by John…
Tags: Andrea ZollmanEarly ElementaryHelen L. WilburHorsesJohn MandersNew York CityPoliceWorking Animals
I offer it [this book] to those parents struggling to find a way to console a distraught child who may have lost that closest of all best friends, the beloved pet. I sincerely hope this will make the tears ease a…
Tags: Carolyn M. MullinCompanion AnimalsDeath of a PetDogsEarly ElementaryJoshua NashKenny LogginsLossPreschoolers
Counting books can be a wonderful way to engage young children. Filled with pictures and numbers it can quickly be used as a tool to help them learn counting skills. With One Gorilla: A Counting Book (affiliate…
Tags: Anthony BrowneCountingGorillasJacqueline BodnarPreschoolers
Jasper’s Story: Saving Moon Bears is as much a story about the consequences of cruelty to animals as it is about learning to trust again after your heart has been broken. It is a story of recovery and resilience that…
Tags: Animal AbuseEarly ElementaryJane CowlesJill RobinsonMarc BekoffMoon Bears
The I Love Vegetarian Food coloring book by Ashley Lucas features cute, delightful drawings of a variety of yummy veg food, all just waiting to be colored or painted by little — or big — hands. I reviewed Ms. Lucas’s…
Tags: Ashley LucasBooks for Vegetarian KidsColoringColoring PagesEarly ElementaryGood for ToddlersJennifer GannettPreschoolersVegetable BooksVegetarian
As a history buff and an avid animal lover-advocate, I can’t help but do a little dance when these two interests come together in a historical picture book for kids. I’ve reviewed others that have told history from…
Tags: BiographyCarolyn M. MullinCompanion AnimalsDogsEarly ElementaryHistoryKathryn SelbertWinston ChurchillWorld War II
Otter and Odder (affiliate link) is a stirring story of true love, tough choices and happy endings. When Otter, on the search for dinner, falls in love with a fish, an obvious dilema ensues. He looks into her “round,…
Tags: Animals as FoodBeaversChris RaschkaEarly ElementaryFishInterspecies FriendshipJames HoweJennifer GannettOtters
In the many years that I’ve been working with children and literacy programs, there never has seemed to be enough bilingual books on the shelves of the classrooms, libraries or museums, much less titles with an…
Tags: BilingualBill Martin Jr.Carolyn M. MullinDan LipowEarly ElementaryLoveMulticulturalNature BooksPreschoolersSpanish
With just 3,500 left in the wilderness of their Pakistani home in the Hindu Kush Mountains, snow leopards are a rare and mesmerizing endangered species for any age group to read about and study. Beautifully white…
Tags: Alan MarksBig CatsCarolyn M. MullinEarly ElementaryEndangered SpeciesLeopardsPakistanPreschoolersSandra MarkleWildlifeWildllife Books for Kids
Around Martin Luther King Day, my 3-year-old daughter’s preschool class talked about their dreams. My daughter’s dream was: “One day I want to work in a soup kitchen.” Well, there is one proud mama here, let me tell…
Tags: CompassionDepictions of Meat in BooksDyanne Disalvo-RyanHomelessnessInequalityJennifer KaliPreschoolers
When I received a review copy of Bob Staake’s Look! Another Book! in the mail, our nearly 6-year-old was instantly drawn to it. The larger than average size and bright, illustrated cover compelled us to open the book…
Tags: Bob StaakeDepictions of Meat in BooksHeather ClarkIllustrationPicture BooksPreschoolers
On a class trip to the zoo, a penguin escapes from his enclosure and starts to follow Tina around. Realizing that the zoo is no place for a penguin, Tina dresses the penguin in a disguise with a pink beret and sneaks…
Tags: animal rightsHeather DyerJennifer KaliMireille LevertPenguinsPreschoolersWild Animals in CaptivityZoos
Today is Albert Schweitzer’s birthday. Those of us who work to instill in our children reverence for life are indebted to the Nobel Peace Prize winner for developing an ethical framework based on the basic principle…
Tags: Albert SchweitzerBiographyCompassionEarly ElementaryHistoryReverenceVegetarian Protagonist
Growing up in a Catholic, Mexican household, the saints were familiar faces. That of Saint Anthony, my mom’s personal favorite, could be found as a statue in the garden, another item dangling on her keychain, and as…
Tags: Carolyn M. MullinCatholic CultureCatholicismCompassionDavid DiazEarly ElementaryGary D. SchmidtPura Belpre Award WinnerSaints
The idea of a teenager writing about her summer away from home is nothing new. But this story of a girl getting her first summer job on a lush island far from home has a few twists and turns that will surprise even…
Tags: Caelyn AB WilliamsFossilsKati GreenKristin WaldMysteryNatureOlder Elementary
All families who care about animals should also care about the planet. After all, having a healthy planet involves helping to take care of the animals and ensuring that they will have all they need to naturally…
Tags: Alexandra ColomboChristmasConsumerismEllie BethelEnvironmentJacqueline BodnarRecycling
Polar bears aren’t the only victims of climate change. In real life, we know that species that inhabit mountaintops and islands are imperiled by the shifting tree compositions and rising sea levels. In fiction, that…
Tags: ChristmasClimate ChangeEarly ElementaryGlobal WarmingHoliday BooksMirna KantarevicPreschoolersSanta ClausVictoria Perla
Sometimes you just come across a gem. This one is one of a couple library books we checked out while looking for stories about elves. (Yes, my daughter is into that Elf on a Shelfcraze and wanted to learn more about…
Tags: ChristmasEarly ElementaryHenrike WilsonHoliday BooksHolidaysHuyen MacMichaelPreschoolersReindeerRudolphSanta Claus
In Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah(Amazon affiliate link), Susan L. Roth’s collages depict a mouse family celebrating Hanukkah alongside the lyrics to a song about the holiday. The mice light a menorah, dance the hora, eat…
Tags: CollageHolidaysHoma WoodrumIllustrationJewish CultureMice
Making good choices is not an easy process and takes practice. Feelings of ambivalence and indecision can strike adults as well as children so this book is a useful tool for parents to help children make thoughtful…
Tags: Early ElementaryEileen CooleyHealthy ChoicesHuyen MacMichaelJill DubinPreschoolers
India seems to be calling the Vegbooks team. VB Founder Jessica Almy just returned from a trip to this land of enchantment, and I discovered a great new title, Peaceable Forest: India’s Tale of Kindness to Animals,…
Tags: Carolyn M. MullinCheetahsChristopher LloydCourageFamily FilmsFamily MoviesFriendshipHabitat DestructionIndiaJane LynchJason AlexanderVanessa WilliamsWildlife
In Treasury for all Seasons, Julie Andrews and her daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton, selected poems and organized them (with introductory sections and including some of their own pieces) using the progression of a year…
Tags: Barbara Juster EsbensenChristmasDr. SeussE.B. Whitee.e. cummingsEarly ElementaryEmma Walton HamiltonGood for ToddlersHoliday BooksHoma WoodrumJulie AndrewsMarjorie PricemanPoetryPreschoolersSeasonsSummer