Every review published by Vegbooks from 2009 through 2021.
Like many Vegbooks readers, Maryan Faresh is a caring and compassionate individual; she’s a children’s advocate and an animal advocate, and the niche she’s carved out for herself in kid lit melds these two areas of…
Tags: Animal AdoptionBooks that Teach CharacterCarolyn M. MullinEarly ElementaryEmpathyFriendshipGail Suzanne WeismannLiving with DisabilitiesMaryam FareshPreschoolersSelf-AcceptanceSensitivitySpecial NeedsTolerance
Six Is So Much Less Than Seven is the thoughtful story of an older farmer with six affectionate cats. The book opens with all of them rising together, heading out to milk the farm’s cow and then moving on to the…
Tags: CatsCompanion AnimalsCowsDeathDeath of a PetEarly ElementaryFarmJennifer GannettLossPreschoolersRonald Himler
Mister Bud had the life that I’d wish for all dogs — a loving home and things of his own. So, he’d be forgiven, even if he weren’t a little gray in the snout, for being resentful about the arrival of a second dog.…
Tags: Carter GoodrichCompanion AnimalsDogsEarly ElementaryNew SiblingPreschoolersPug
Every artist parent should be familiar with Lois Ehlert (author of Growing Vegetable Soup, Caldecott Honor book Color Zoo, and Planting a Rainbow, among others) and if not, Hands is the book to warm any creative…
Tags: ArtCreativityEarly ElementaryHuyen MacMichaelLois EhlertPreschoolers
Two powerhouses team up to bring young readers a sweet and inspiring autobiography of one girl who made her dream a reality. Vegbooks contributors Jennifer and Jessica (not once, but twice!) have fawned over Patrick…
Tags: AfricaALSC Notable Childrens BookAnimalsBiographyCaldecott HonorCarolyn M. MullinCharlotte Zolotow AwardChimpanzeesCybils AwardEarly ElementaryEggsFemale ProtagonistJane GoodallNew York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2011Patrick McDonnellPreschoolers
If you love chicken books like I love chicken books, then Beautiful Yetta: The Yiddish Chicken is one to add to your shelves. When I read a children’s book about chickens, even if it is humorous, I pay attention to…
Tags: Animals as FoodBrooklynChickensDaniel PinkwaterEarly ElementaryFarmed AnimalsHumorJennifer GannettJewish CultureJill PinkwaterParrotsPreschoolersSpanish
Kids will laugh aloud as they turn the pages of Hogwash. It’s silly and funny, and it has an important message about respecting animals for who they are. In the story, Farmer decides to bathe all of his animals…
Tags: DirtEarly ElementaryFarmFarmed AnimalsHumorKarma WilsonPigsPreschoolersRobyn Moore
Based on her own experiences, Cari Best has penned a picture book that is equally heartfelt and thought-provoking. She tells Goose’s Story from the perspective of a girl who first observes and then befriends an…
Tags: BirdsCanada GeeseCari BestFemale ProtagonistGeeseHenry Bergh Award WinnerHolly MeadeIllustrationLiving with DisabilitiesWild AnimalsWildlife
When indoor kitty Nini spies an open door on a beautiful day, she strolls outside, though it can’t be said that she doesn’t look back and fondly recall all of the cozy spots in the house. However, the sensory…
Tags: Anita LobelCaretakingCatsCompanion AnimalsEarly ElementaryIndoor CatsJennifer GannettPreschoolers
I have a very big soft spot for Mark Twain, born Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835 – 1910). His literary works are touchingly raw and honest, and he himself was a unique character with a great affinity for animals,…
Tags: Animal ResearchBarbara KerleyCarolyn M. MullinCatsCybils AwardDewin FotheringhamEarly ElementaryHistoryMark TwainPreschoolersVivisection
I can’t imagine a more ambitious project than creating a book of children’s poems and illustrations to pay tribute to species of animals now extinct — and yet, J. Patrick Lewis and Christopher Wormell have…
Tags: AnimalsChildrens Poet LaureateChristopher WormellEarly AdultEarly ElementaryEco-Friendly Kids BooksEndangered SpeciesEnvironmentEnvironmental Children's LiteratureExtinctionIllustrationsJ. Patrick LewisOlder ElementaryParentsPoetryPreschoolersWoodcut
We discovered the world of the Moomins via this book when my cousin sent it from Finland as a gift for my son (now almost 1) and daughter (now almost 3). It is her daughter’s favorite book and I can see why. It has a…
Tags: 1950s Children LiteratureDie CutEarly ElementaryGood for ToddlersHoma WoodrumIllustrationImaginationOlder ElementaryPreschoolersTove Jansson
(Warning: contents include animal and human trade.) What are two goldfish worth? What is a negligent, newspaper-reading dad worth? A mischievous boy and his friends dicker and deal to trade for what most appeals. One…
Tags: AnimalsDave McKeanEarly ElementaryFather's DayFathersFishHuyen MacMichaelNeil GaimanPreschoolers
As a follow-up to her historical fiction piece on Clara the Rhino, author/ curator/ teacher Mary Tavener Holmes depicts the life and travels of one other influential animal in A Giraffe Goes to Paris. Born in 1824,…
Tags: African AnimalsCarolyn M. MullinEarly ElementaryGiraffesHistoryJon CannellMary Tavener HolmesWild Animals in CaptivityWildlife
The Snail and the Whale was so entertaining that it helped my four-year-old and my friend’s active two-year-old stay seated and riveted during our lengthy lunch at a restaurant. Sure, I had to read between bites but…
Tags: Animal RescueAxel SchefflerEco-Friendly Kids BooksEnvironmental Children's LiteratureHuyen MacMichaelInvertebrate AnimalsJulia DonaldsonMarine AnimalsPreschoolersSnailsWhales
Author, illustrator and Caldecott Honoree Mo Willems brings us What’s Your Sound, Hound the Hound? This simple picture book depicts a number of different adorable animal friends asking each other what sound they…
Tags: Animal SoundsAnimalsBaby BookEarly ElementaryGood for ToddlersJennifer GannettMo WillemsPreschoolers
I have a soft spot for The Poky Little Puppy because it reminds me of my childhood. And since the book was originally published in 1942, my mother probably read it to me because she remembered it from her childhood.…
Tags: 1940s Childrens LiteratureCompanion AnimalsDogsEarly ElementaryFoodGood for ToddlersGustaf TenggrenJanette Sebring LowreyPreschoolers
In Making Good Choices About Renewable Resources, author Jeanne Nagle provides a comprehensive overview of renewable energy: solar, geothermal, wind, hydro and biomass. Each type of power source is discussed in…
Tags: Alternative EnergyConservationEco-Friendly Kids BooksEnergyEnvironmentJeanne NagleJennifer GannettOlder ElementaryRenewable Energy
My daughter and I enjoyed reading about Mr. McGreely’s gardening enthusiasm and battle with the bunnies over his vegetables. G. Brian Karas (whom I recognized from My Crayons Talk and Baby Bug) creates cute little…
Tags: AnimalsCandace FlemingConflictConflict ResolutionEarly ElementaryG. Brian KarasGardenGardeningHumaneHumorHuyen MacMichaelPreschoolersProblem SolvingRabbitsUrban Wildlife
Beginning with the words, “Dads do many things,” this charming book by Sneed B. Collard III and Steve Jenkins draws parallels between the dads of other species and human dads. The use of the first person plural is…
Tags: Animal FamiliesDadsEarly Elementaryemperor penguinsFamilyFather's DayFathersNatural Historyprairie volesPreschoolerssicklebacksSneed B. Collard IIISteve JenkinsWild AnimalsWildlife
When Kitty overhears her caretakers mentioning that they are out of food for her and that she’ll have to eat a delicious (to humans) alphabet of delightfully healthy choices from asparagus to zucchini, she decides at…
Tags: AlphabetCatsCompanion AnimalsFoodFood ChoicesHumorIllustrationJennifer GannettMischiefNick BruelPreschoolersVegetables
Any book that begins with the unlovely depiction of life on a factory farm, such as this one which opens, “once upon a time, there were three thousand three hundred and thirty-three chickens who lived in a great big…
Tags: AnimalsChickensEarly ElementaryEggsfactory farmingFarmFarmed AnimalsHanna JohansenHensIndustrial FarmingJennifer GannettKathi Bhend
Kiddo and I were surprised that I hadn’t reviewed Tuesday for Vegbooks. We love this book, because as kiddo puts it, “It’s funny and strange.” With few words and very detailed illustrations, David Wiesner has crafted…
Tags: 1990s BooksCaldecott MedalDavid WeisnerDogsEarly ElementaryFrogsHumorIllustrationMysteryNearly Wordless BooksPigsPreschoolers
They’re magnificent and majestic, generally easy going and easily taken advantage of. As large and as intimidating as they once were, whales have come a long way in our cultural and societal portrayals and…
Tags: Animal Exploitationanimal intelligenceBiologyCarolyn M. MullinCharles SiebertMarine AnimalsMarine MammalsMoralityOlder ElementaryWhalesWhaling