Every review published by Vegbooks from 2009 through 2021.
Angela Farris Watkins recounts her childhood memories of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in the forthcoming book, My Uncle Martin’s Big Heart. Her recollections are warm and personal, and give children an opportunity…
Tags: ActivismAngela Farris WatkinsCivil RightsEarly ElementaryEric VelasquezMartin Luther KingPreschoolersSocial Justice
In Unlovable, Alfred is a dog that is different – so much so that he is repeatedly told by the other animals in the house that he is unlovable. Even the other dogs don’t really care to play with him. Because of this,…
Tags: Companion AnimalsDan YaccarinoDogsEarly ElementaryJacqueline BodnarPreschoolersSelf EsteemSelf-Acceptance
I probably should’ve bitten my tongue in an earlier post, because here I find myself reviewing yet another publication in the “Let’s Read and Find out Science” series. At the “Sea & Me” Gallery in the children’s…
Tags: Carolyn M. MullinEarly ElementaryEco-Friendly Kids BooksEnvironmentMelvin BergerOil SpillPaul MirochaPollution
With Hug Time, Patrick McDonnell, longtime cartoonist and creator of “Mutts” (as well as the artist behind New Jersey’s animal friendly license plate), has crafted another winner. The sweet rhyming cadence and nicely…
Tags: Climate ChangeJennifer GannettKittensMonkeysPatrick McDonnellPolar BearsPreschoolersWildlife
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
The storyline and imagery may seem to border on the chimerical, but what takes place in Amy’s Light is a summertime occasion that adults can recollect with the same childlike wonder, joy and fascination as the main…
Tags: Carolyn M. MullinEarly ElementaryFemale ProtagonistFirefliesLightning BugsNatural LivingNaturePreschoolersRespect for NatureRobert Nutt
The reality that most vegetarian parents face when it comes to the way cows are treated is that the vast majority of these animals don’t have it good, to put it mildly. Pumped full of growth hormone and antibiotics,…
Tags: Books to AvoidCowsDairyDairy IndustryEarly Elementaryfactory farmingFarmed AnimalsFarmingJacqueline BodnarMalachy DoylePreschoolers
I Heard It From Alice Zucchini: Poems About the Garden spans the course of all four seasons. The poems are narrated by various garden denizens at different places and times in their growing grounds, and the book…
Tags: Early ElementaryGardenGardeningJennifer GannettJuanita HavillNatural LivingPreschoolers
My daughter and I completely related to adorable Llama Llama and his experiences on his first day of school. The author, Anna Dewdney, manages to describe the minute details and emotions of preparing and going to…
Tags: ActivitiesAnna DewdneyBraveryFirst Day of SchoolHuyen MacMichaelLlamasPreschoolers
What’s probably most impressive about this publication is the way in which it was manufactured- as green as can feasibly be. Shunning a dust jacket, using vegetable ink, and printing on paper derived from…
Tags: Carolyn M. MullinDavid de RothschildEco-Friendly Kids BooksEnvironmentGreen PublishingNonfictionOlder Elementary
Since spiders are probably one of the most feared creatures around, it stands to reason that a book providing a view of things from their side would make interesting reading. And this book does not disappoint! Diary…
Tags: Doreen CroninEarly ElementaryHumorJacqueline BodnarLiving in Harmony with NaturePreschoolersSpiders
In The Ugly Vegetables, author and illustrator Grace Lin‘s narrator is excited about planting a garden with her mother, but her joy quickly turns to concern as she notices all of the things that her mom is doing…
Tags: Chinese VegetablesCookingFemale ProtagonistGardenGardeningGrace LinJennifer GannettPreschoolersVegetables
Author and illustrator Eric Carle has an extensive body of work that is well known to those with children or even those who have set foot in the children’s section of any American bookstore or library. A brief…
Tags: ConsumerismDucksEco-Friendly Kids BooksEnvironmentEric CarleGlobalizationGood for ToddlersHuman RightsJennifer GannettPreschoolers
Being a big fan of getting kids interested in cooking, I was excited to come across a vegetarian cookbook that is aimed at teens. Munchie Madness: Vegetarian Meals for Teens is a cookbook that goes right to the heart…
Tags: Bobbie HinmanCookbooks for KidsCookingDorothy R. BatesJacqueline BodnarOlder ElementaryRobert OserveganVegetarian CookbooksVegetarian Cooking
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
Animal Poems features thoughtful poems about a variety of animals and insects. The late Valerie Worth’s poems unfold from a welcome awareness of the creatures’ perspective. These are not silly childish rhymes but…
Tags: AnimalsElephantsHummingbirdsInsectsJennifer GannettPoetrySteve JenkinsValerie WorthWhales
The love of all things princess has driven saner parents than me crazy, so when my daughter started talking about Belle, Cinderella, and the rest of the Disney clan (despite having never seen the movies), I knew I…
Tags: 1980s Childrens LiteratureAnimal CareBabette ColeDragonsEarly ElementaryFemale ProtagonistFeminismIndependencePreschoolersPrincess
I wouldn’t normally review a series-based publication, like those of the “Let’s-Read-And-Find-Out Science” compilation (although many of their titles are quite interesting), but this particular one is dietary…
Tags: Carolyn M. MullinDairyEarly ElementaryMarine MammalsPreschoolersveganVegan Childrens Booksvegan kidsVegan ParentingWhales
Kiddo has a couple books that will bring me to tears, and Mutt Dog!by Stephen Michael King is one of them. The book’s sensitive approach to homelessness, human and canine, and its happy ending get me every time. Mutt…
Tags: AdoptionDogsEarly ElementaryHomelessnessKIND Children's Honor BooksPreschoolersSocial Justice
Kathryn Lasky and David Catrow’s award-winning book She’s Wearing a Dead Bird on Her Head!tells the true story of the founding of the Audubon Society. I, for one, had no idea that the venerable bird organization had…
Tags: 1990s BooksActivismAudubonBirdsDavid CatrowFemale ProtagonistKathryn LaskyLegislationNew York Times Best Illustrated Children's BookPolitical ProcessSuffrage
When mean, crusty farmers become fed up with Mr. Fox’s pilfering of their poultry, they decide to eradicate Mr. Fox and his family. They declare a full-on war against Mr. Fox and declare their intentions to stop at…
Tags: ChickensFarmingFoxesJennifer GannettOlder ElementaryRabbitsRoald Dahl
Jane Thayer and Lisa McCue’s picture book The Puppy Who Wanted a Boyis a tribute to the love between dogs and their boys. All Petey, the puppy-protagonist of the book, wants for Christmas is a boy — but his mother…
Tags: ChristmasCompanion AnimalsDogsEarly ElementaryHoliday BooksJane ThayerLisa McCuePreschoolers
Cutie patootie high schooler, Emma Jackson, penned this photo essay as a way to generate awareness of and funding for homeless dogs. Essentially a journal of her experiences looking for and finding her pup, Dixie, at…
Tags: AdoptionAnimal SheltersCarolyn M. MullinCompanion AnimalsDogsEarly Elementary
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