Every review published by Vegbooks from 2009 through 2021.
Ever since I first heard the deep baritone, political stylings of Michael Franti and his vibrant band Spearhead, I haven’t been able to satiate my appetite for their music. He’s produced album after album, each with…
Tags: Ben HodsonCarolyn M. MullinEarly ElementaryFeel-GoodFunMichael FrantiMusicalPreschoolersVegetarian AuthorYoussoupha Sidibe
Christian children’s books about the biblical story of Easter or the animals we culturally associate with the celebration today (bunnies, chicks, etc.) are plentiful. But books which are true to the original message…
Tags: Anna VojtechBen DeVriesBirdsChristian VegetariansChristianityDandi Daley MackallEarly ElementaryEasterEggsFemale ProtagonistGrandparentsHolidaysReligionReligious Books
In our house, we’ve really enjoyed a math-themed book by the author of Apples, Cherries, Red Raspberries: What is in the Fruit Group? and since it has been such a beloved read, so I was excited to see what this book…
Tags: Books to AvoidBrian P. ClearyEarly ElementaryFishingFruitFruitsHealthy EatingHealthy LivingJennifer Gannett
This is the cutest story about a woman named Ms. Taffy who calls in to a radio station with the correct answer and wins the pig prize. She mistakenly thinks she won a pig trinket to fit on her shelf with the rest of…
Tags: CitiesCommunityEarly ElementaryFemale ProtagonistHuyen MacMichaelIllustrationPigsPreschoolersSuzanne BloomUrban Living
Ruth Krauss and Crockett Johnson, the team behind The Carrot Seed, created this lovely little book, which captures the life of an egg in simple terms for young listeners and beginning readers. While the use of the…
Tags: Animal FamiliesBaby BookBirdsCrockett JohnsonEasterEggsGood for ToddlersParentsPreschoolersRuth KraussSpring
While I’d like to say I’m pretty up to date on the tragedy of modern fur farming and hunting, I know very little about its antecedents. I picked up this extensive historical text by farmer Cris Peterson mainly to see…
Tags: Carolyn M. MullinCris PetersonFurFur TradeHistoryOlder ElementaryWildlife
Calvin is a young starling who is different from his three brothers, four sisters and sixty-seven thousand four hundred and thirty-two cousins (as this humorous book points out, starlings have big families). When it…
Tags: BirdsBooksCommunityEarly ElementaryJennifer BerneJennifer GannettKeith BendisLibraryPreschoolersReadingStarlingsWildlife
What a wonderful book, packed with so much! One Nighttime Sea is a book about discovering the many creatures who lurk in the sea at night—while we sleep (which makes it a perfect bedtime story). As we count up from…
Tags: AnimalsBedtimeCountingDeborah Lee RoseGood for ToddlersMarine AnimalsMarine MammalsNighttimeOceanPreschoolersRhyming BooksRobyn MooreSteve JenkinsTurtlesWhales
Peter is a boy with a wild imagination. He likes to pretend he is a knight protecting the castle from dragons. But poor Peter. Every time he is in the middle of a fight, about to take down the dragon, he starts to…
Tags: Anthony LewisAsthmaBreathing ProblemsDragonsEarly ElementaryGood for ToddlersInhalerJanna MatthiesJennifer KaliMedical TreatmentNebulizerPreschoolers
A lovely, vegan-friendly Easter book/song about an Easter bonnet and going through town for the Easter parade. I picked up this story serendipitously at the library and was hopeful that I had found a chicken-free,…
Tags: Early ElementaryEasterHolidayHoliday BooksHumorHuyen MacMichaelIrving BerlinLisa McCueNew York CityPreschoolers
Frequent Vegbooks readers may have picked up on my scorn of some alternative energy nonfiction that clearly omits any mention of solar energy. The cosmos aligned and sent me a copy of The Kids’ Solar Energy Book,…
Tags: Alternative EnergyCarolyn M. MullinMalcom WellsOlder ElementaryRenewable EnergySolar PowerTilly Spetgang
I’m probably not the best person to review this book, since I’m not Jewish and this book is about the celebration of Passover in early 20th century St. Louis. Still, ever since my daughter attended a Jewish preschool…
Tags: Anna OlswangerEarly ElementaryHoliday BooksHolidaysJewish CultureJudaismPassoverPaula Goodman KozveganVegan AuthorVegetarianYiddish
When I saw Hiroe Nakata was the illustrator of this book, I got excited because my daughter and I had long ago fallen in love with her work in Dashka Slater’s Baby Shoes and Jane Yolen’s Time for Naps. Nakata…
Tags: AnimalsBirthDeborah Lee RoseEarly ElementaryHiroe NakataHuyen MacMichaelMarine AnimalsMarine MammalsOceanPreschoolersReproductionSeahorsesWildlife
That Pesky Rat by British children’s author/illustrator Lauren Child is a wonderful story about a brown rat who doesn’t quite fit in with his life circumstances. As he introduces himself and takes us on a tour of his…
Tags: Early ElementaryJennifer GannettLauren ChildPet StoresPreschoolersRatsRodents
I had the pleasure of hosting Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson at a conference some years ago at Farm Sanctuary. He’s as down-to-earth as the animals he depicts in his books on animal sentience. Most recognized for When…
Tags: Animal EmotionAnimalsBest Books for Vegetarian KidsCarolyn M. MullinCatsDairyDogsElephantsIllustrationJeffrey Moussaieff MassonOlder ElementaryShirley Feltsvegan
On the Night You Were Born is a very sweet book, perfect for bedtime. This book shows kids just how special they really are. The book is based around a child’s birth. Kids will learn that on the night they were born,…
Tags: BedtimeEarly ElementaryNancy TillmanPreschoolersRobyn MooreZoos
I’ve been on a quest for vegan-friendly Easter books for two years now, but the pickin’s are awfully, awfully slim. It’s a surprise too, since Easter is about new life, so you’d think there would be a huge number of…
Tags: Baby AnimalsBest Books for Vegetarian KidsDori ChaconasEarly ElementaryEasterHoliday BooksHolidaysLife-AffirmingMargie MooreMothersPreschoolersReverenceveganVegetarian
This delightful story about a precocious child cheers on children’s creativity and imagination. Even with stifling school agendas, lively children can re-animate a class and educational staff. At least in Olive’s…
Tags: CreativityDebbie TilleEarly ElementaryEducationFemale ProtagonistHuyen MacMichaelIllustrationOriginalityPreschoolersRoberta BakerSupportive Parents
Dog lovers will be especially appreciative of Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan Charest’s I Didn’t Do It, a short volume of poems illustrating various facets of life from a dog’s perspective. All of the dogs…
Tags: Companion AnimalsDogsEarly ElementaryEmily MacLachlan CharestIllustrationJennifer GannettKaty SchneiderPatricia MacLachlanPoetryPreschoolers
Down the historical rabbit hole, it can be hard to determine whether or not there is truth to an anecdote, especially when it pertains to the legendary American icon and President Abraham Lincoln. Within the animal…
Tags: Abraham LincolnAnimal WelfareAnimalsCarolyn M. MullinEarly ElementaryEllen JacksonHistoryPresident
I had never heard of Mardy Murie before reading this book, but after reading Jequita Potts McDaniel’s account of this pioneering conservationist, I now have an appreciation for the woman whose work influenced the…
Tags: Andrea ZollmanBiographyCaribousConservationDogsEarly ElementaryEco-Friendly Kids BooksFemale ProtagonistHistoryJequita Potts McDanielMardy MurieNational ParksPreschoolersWildernessWolves
A delightful animal tale for bedtime or anytime. Il Sung Na writes a simply sweet story of a night owl who witnesses a variety of sleeping creatures and their unique ways of snoozing. The playful, artistic…
Tags: AnimalsBedtimeBoard BookEarly ElementaryHumorHuyen MacMichaelIl Sung NaIllustrationOwlsPreschoolersSleep
Wow! I love David Wiesner’s work — Tuesday is a classic around these parts — and so I was delighted to discover the new-to-me title The Three Pigs at the library recently. This book won the 2002 Caldecott Medal, so…
Tags: Animal RescueCaldecott MedalClassic Fairy TalesDavid WiesnerEarly ElementaryFatePigsStorytellingWolves
My toddler loves this book. Its simple repetitiveness keeps her interested to the end, when she often says, “Again.” It starts with the statement “I love animals,” and each page is an expression of love for a…
Tags: AnimalsBaby BookDucksFarmed AnimalsFlora McDonnellGood for ToddlersJennifer Kali