Finding Home
FINDING HOME by Estelí Meza is a warm and comforting picture book about losing one’s home that doesn’t shy away from the sadness, but also reminds the reader how sometimes small joys and smiles can keep us going in…
Topic: Friendship
29 Vegbooks reviews tagged Friendship.
What’s The Matter, Marlo?
WHAT’S THE MATTER, MARLO? by Andrew Arnold addresses how children can tackle difficult emotions and recognize the strength between friends. The narrator and her best friend Marlo do everything together, including…
Tags: Andrew Arnoldchildren's bookEarly ElementaryFriendshipGriefpreschoolWhat's The Matter Marlo?
Little Robot
When I received a publisher’s review copy of Ben Hatke’s hardcover graphic novel Little Robot, it was first on the list to read that night at bedtime with my almost 5- and 7-year-olds. The artwork is beautiful, much…
Tags: Ben HatkeFriendshipGood for ToddlersGraphic NovelsHoma WoodrumRobots
Jane and the Dragon
There once was a lady in waiting Let’s call her Jane. That girl wasn’t ordinary- No way for me a lady stuck in waiting I’d rather battle fire-breathing dragons I knew I could prove that a girl could be a Knight…
Tags: CourageEarly ElementaryFeminismFriendshipJennifer KaliLoyaltyPreschoolersPrincessTelevision
Mind of My Own
A friend with 2-1/2-year and six-month old daughters told me to check out singer/songwriter Frances England’s CDsfrom the library and I’m so glad I did. The first CD to come up on reserve was her 2010 album “Mind of…
Tags: BicyclesCookiesEggsFrances EnglandFriendshipHoma WoodrumMusicMusic for BabiesNature
A House in the Woods
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
Delhi Safari (2012)
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
Tugg and Teeny
After falling in love with J. Patrick Lewis’ Swan Song, I was certain I would like his early reader Tugg and Teeny, published last year. It’s a sweet, short book of 1,100 words that focuses on the friendship between…
Tags: ActivitiesArtChristopher DeniseEarly ElementaryEarly ReadersFemale ProtagonistFriendshipGorillasHomeschoolingInterspecies FriendshipJ. Patrick LewisMonkeysMusicPaintingPoetry
Teeny Tiny Ernest
In Teeny Tiny Ernest, Ernest spends a lot of time navel gazing and fretting about the fact that he is the smallest animal in his cadre of barnyard friends. When he tries silly tricks to make himself appear taller,…
Tags: Carol A. CamburnDonkeysEarly ElementaryFarmed AnimalsFriendshipInterspecies FriendshipJennifer GannettLaura T. BarnesPreschoolersSelf-Acceptance
A Starlit Snowfall
I received this book as a review copy. It is the story of two friends making plans as winter approaches. Bear has a nice warm cave and invites Rabbit to stay with him until spring arrives. Rabbit says no at first,…
Tags: BearsEarly ElementaryFriendshipIllustrationInterspecies FriendshipJennifer KaliJerry PinkneyNancy WillardPreschoolersRabbitsSeasonsSnowWinter
The Mountain that Loved a Bird
When a bird named Joy alights for a rest on a bare, lonely mountain in the middle of nowhere, their conversation sets in motion a series of events that will forever change the mountain. Alice McLerran’s The Mountain…
Tags: Alice McLerranBirdsEarly ElementaryEric CarleFriendshipIllustrationJennifer GannettWildlife
Stellaluna
In the evenings when we sit outside, we see bats swooping through the air. My daughter happily points out that they are “Stellalunas!” Granted, Stellaluna is about a fruit bat and we don’t have them here in Southern…
Tags: BatsEarly ElementaryFriendshipHalloweenHoma WoodrumIllustrationInterspecies FriendshipJanell CannonPreschoolers
You Will Be My Friend
What a great new book! In You Will Be My Friend,young Lucy the bear sets out in the world to find a friend. She is so excited she can barely contain herself. However, her excitement soon turns to disappointment…
Tags: BearsEarly ElementaryFemale ProtagonistFlamingosFriendshipHumorInterspecies FriendshipPeter BrownPreschoolersRobyn Moore
Houndsley and Catina
On vacation recently, I stopped into an independent bookshop that exclusively catered to children’s books and let them know I was looking for charming chapter books. Moments later I had a number of books to choose…
Tags: Books for Vegetarian KidsCatsChapter BooksCompanion AnimalsDepiction of Vegetarian Food in BooksDogsEarly ElementaryFriendshipHoma WoodrumJames HoweMarie-Louise GayPreschoolersVegetarian Characters
Twist and Ernest
I recently received a copy of Twist and Ernest to review. I was immediately captivated by the illustrations and thoroughly enjoyed the story of the little donkey who is very earnest indeed. Ernest is a small, lonely…
Tags: Carol A. CamburnDonkeysEarly ElementaryFriendshipHorsesIllustrationsInterspecies FriendshipJennifer GannettLaura T. BarnesPreschoolers
Friends: True Stories of Extraordinary Animal Friendships
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
What about Daisy?
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
The Way I Love You
Artist Ann James charmingly captures the sweet interactions between a pig-tailed toddler and her canine best friend in David Bedford’s The Way I Love You. The honesty of the young protagonist warms a reader’s heart…
Tags: AnimalsAnn JamesCarolyn M. MullinCompanion AnimalsDavid BedfordDogsEarly ElementaryFriendshipIllustrationLovePreschoolers
The Sandwich Swap
In the aptly titled story The Sandwich Swap, Lily and Salma are best friends who share everything, including a love of sandwiches. Salma’s sandwich of choice is hummus in a pita, while Lily prefers peanut butter and…
Tags: Depiction of Vegetarian Food in BooksEarly ElementaryFemale ProtagonistFriendshipJennifer GannettKelly DiPucchioQueen Rania of Jordan Al AbdullahToleranceTricia Tusa
The Cabbage Soup Solution
Review By HUYEN MACMICHAEL This is such a beautiful and peaceful tale that it was a joy to read. I absolutely adore the soft and colorful watercolors, the well-rounded characters with such expressive faces and…
Tags: Bccb Blue Ribbon Picture Book AwardsCabbagesCatsCompanion AnimalsEarly ElementaryErika OllerFriendshipGardenGardeningHumorHuyen MacMichaelIllustrationPreschoolersVegetables
I’ll Always Be Your Friend
As the name suggests, I’ll Always Be Your Friend is a story about loyalty and trust—but it’s also a story about independence. At the beginning of the story, mother fox and her little fox are playing games together in…
Tags: Early ElementaryFoxesFriendshipGood for ToddlersKim LewisLoveMothersPreschoolersRobyn MooreSam McBratneyTrustUnconditional Love
Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
The words that come to mind to describe “Where the Wild Things Are” are not ones I often use to describe things geared to kids. They’re words like melancholy, dark, and eerie. Reading Maurice Sendak’s book Where the…
Tags: Coming of AgeDreamyFamilyFamily FilmsFriendshipMax RecordsMonstersOlder ElementarySpike JonzeSurreal
Best Friends: The True Story of Owen and Mzee
Best Friends: The True Story of Owen and Mzee allows emerging readers to discover the touching real-life tale of an unlikely companionship. (You may have seen the duo on CNN or NBC.) While there is a sad side to this…
Tags: AfricaCarol SchwartzEarly ElementaryEarly ReadersFriendshipHippopotamusInterspecies FriendshipRoberta EdwardsTortoisesZoo
Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue (2010)
As I’ve previously alluded, I am not a huge fan of the Disney princess franchise. Not only am I concerned that we’re inculcating young girls with stories about privilege and a certain brand of feminine beauty – not…
Tags: Animated MoviesButterfliesDisneyEarly ElementaryFairiesFamilyFemale ProtagonistFriendshipPreschoolers