Every review published by Vegbooks from 2009 through 2021.
Life isn’t so lucky for most lobsters. Snatched from their habitats, they are kept in crowded tanks until they’re bought and boiled alive. Given new evidence that despite their simple nervous systems, lobsters may…
Tags: Animal Liberationanimal rightsAnimal SufferingBooks for Vegetarian KidsCrustaceansE-BooksGary DorionJennifer TaylorLobstersVegan Childrens Books
What a cute book! My two-year-old daughter received this in her Easter Basket and has enjoyed it for months. We have a pug, so that connection makes the story that much more enjoyable. The pictures are adorable. Some…
Tags: ChickensDogsEarly ElementaryHumorIllustrationJennifer KaliPreschoolersPugs
Unlikely animal friendships has been a popular theme on Vegbooks, as can be seen with the reviews of Owen and Mzee, Tarra and Bella and Dogs Have the Strangest Friends. Author Catherine Thimmesh brings another…
Tags: Carolyn M. MullinCatherine ThimmeshEarly ElementaryFriendshipInterspecies FriendshipPreschoolers
There are so many things I like about Charlie Parker Played Be Bop. My daughter received it for her second birthday and really enjoyed the text and the images. Its simple, rhyming text really held her attention. It’s…
Tags: Baby BookCharlie ParkerChris RaschkaDepictions of Meat in BooksGood for ToddlersJazzJennifer KaliMusicPreschoolers
Pairing rhythmic, sometimes-rhyming prose with expressive illustration, the forthcoming book Magic Trash: A Story of Tyree Guyton and His Art tells the uplifting story of the Detroit native who saved his neighborhood…
Tags: ArtBiographyCommunityDetriotDetroit RiotHeidelberg StreetJ.H. ShapiroPaintingPovertySocial JusticeTrashTyree GuytonVanessa Brantley-Newton
Black Cat is the rhythmic, melodious story of a black cat who moves through the urban environment of New York City — and not the opulent neighborhood that redtailed hawk Pale Male chose as his home. Christopher…
Tags: CatsChristopher MyersCompanion AnimalsEarly ElementaryHomeless AnimalsHomelessnessIllustrationJennifer GannettNew York CityPreschoolers
This is one of those books that I knew I had to review for Vegbooks just to share it with others. It is one of the first nonfiction books to truly capture my daughter’s attention right away and keep it. The…
Tags: AstronautsBrian FlocaDepictions of Meat in BooksEarly ElementaryHoma WoodrumIllustrationMoon LandingNonfictionPreschoolersSpace
When the typical order of daily events breaks down on a farm, some atypical helpers emerge in Chickens to the Rescue. Silly events develop as the helpful poultry assist in all quarters. Watch fell down a well? Too…
Tags: ChickensEarly ElementaryFarmFarmed AnimalsHumorJennifer GannettJohn HimmelmanPreschoolers
In this picture book, Chris Gall employs a mixture of verse and prose to tell a cautionary tale of the consequences of pranks, misdeeds and carelessness. When a mysterious green, one-eyed character, “the Substitute…
Tags: Andrea ZollmanChris GallEarly ElementaryHalloweenPreschoolersSchoolTeachers
This book is an excellent introduction to the Buddhist concepts of karma and satsarma. Set in Vietnam, the story begins and ends with a young girl named Mai, who longs to set sparrows at a nearby temple free from…
Tags: BirdsBuddhismEarly ElementaryEujin Kim NeilanJennifer GannettKindness to AnimalsRoseanne ThongSparrowsVietnam
What do you do when you notice all hell’s broken loose? That’s the question frog researcher Edgardo Griffith faced when he observed the dramatically declining populations of Panama’s national amphibian symbol, the…
Tags: AmphibiansCarolyn M. MullinEdgardo GriffithEnvironmentFrogsMysteryOlder ElementaryPanamaSandra MarkleScienceScience Books
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
Chickens Aren’t the Only Ones doesn’t start off on a promising note for vegans because the first few pages are dedicated to the traditional notion that chickens lay eggs to be bought, eaten (boiled or fried) or dyed.…
Tags: AmphibiansBirdsChickensDinosaursEarly ElementaryFishJennifer GannettNatural HistoryReptilesRuth HellerWildlife
You don’t hear much historical lore about bald eagles outside of them being known as the United States’ national bird, and even that was famously contested by Benjamin Franklin’s favoritism for the American turkey.…
Tags: Anne LeeBirdsCaptive WildlifeCarolyn M. MullinCivil WarEaglesEarly ElementaryHistoryPatrick YoungPreschoolersRaptorsWarWild Animals in Captivity
As a nature lover, exposing my children to and helping them to learn about the great outdoors is paramount to me. From discussing things that fly by to taking nature walks, creating an appreciation for the natural…
Tags: CloudsDandelionsEarly ElementaryFirefliesJacqueline BodnarLisa Campbell ErnstNonfictionPreschoolersSnailsWagons
A sign displayed on the wall of our veterinarian’s office discusses what indoor cats “miss” — indoor-only cats miss out things like attacks by wild or domestic animals, being hit by vehicles, killing songbirds, abuse…
Tags: CatsCompanion AnimalsEarly ElementaryIllustrationJennifer GannettJoy HarjoNative AmericanNative PeoplesPaul Lee
Upon receiving a review copy of this collection of “36 color-and-learn placemats,” I immediately tore out one of the perforated pages and set it under my almost 3 year old daughter’s dinner plate. The sheet is about…
Tags: Early ElementaryFruitsHealthy ChoicesHealthy EatingHealthy LivingHoma WoodrumPreschoolersRyan SiasVegetables
I’m naturally drawn to historical accounts involving animals, and the story of Gracie, a lighthouse cat whose kitten becomes imperiled during a storm is a short, action-packed and dramatic one. Based on a true…
Tags: Animal EmotionAnimal FamiliesCarolyn M. MullinCatsCompanion AnimalsEarly ElementaryHistoryPreschoolersRuth Brown
In the world in which we live, bugs usually get a bad rap! People fear them, don’t understand them and, well, tend to run from them. But one read through a book like Bugs by the Numbers and people may start to turn a…
Tags: CockroachesEarly ElementaryFleasInsectsJacqueline BodnarMosquitoesPreschoolersSarah ForssSharon Werner
Come and Eat! is a delicious banquet of food photos and cultural eating customs around the world. It brings to mind Time Photos of “What the World Eats” (Peter Menzel’s book Hungry Planet) except Come and Eat! serves…
Tags: Cultural TraditionsDepictions of Meat in BooksEarly ElementaryFood ChoicesGeorge AnconaHuyen MacMichaelMulticulturalPreschoolers
What caregiver is a stranger to the push-pull that can arise around young kids and eating? Although the dynamic plays out differently in each relationship, more than a few of us are guilty of trying to cajole…
Tags: Female ProtagonistHealthy EatingHumorJennifer GannettKes GrayMothersNick SharrattPreschoolersVegetables
I read this lift a flap board book (a review copy from the publisher) to both my 1 year old and my 3 year old. My 1 year old was interested in pulling at the flaps which, sadly, are a structural weak point in a book…
Tags: AnimalsBaby BookBirdsCowsGood for ToddlersHoma WoodrumLoveOwlsSandra Magsamen
Popular culture and movies abound with depictions of Doctor Dolittle, the man who could talk to the animals. The original series spanned several novels, of which The Story of Doctor Dolittle is the first. It’s a…
Tags: 1920s Children's LiteratureAfricaAnimals in CaptivityCommunicationCrocodilesDoctor DolittleDogsEarly ElementaryHugh LoftingMonkeysOlder ElementaryParrotsWild AnimalsWildlife
Dark subject matter and equally dark drawings comprise Gowanus Dogs, the story of a family of homeless dogs and the homeless man who changes their lives and whose life is in turn changed through knowing them. Though…
Tags: Animal SheltersBrooklynEarly ElementaryHomeless AnimalsHomelessnessJennifer GannettJonathan FrostKindness to AnimalsNew York City