Books for Children

BOOKS FOR CHILDREN: REVIEWS BY CARA BURTON AND LINDA DESTEFANO

THE BOY WHO LOVED ALL LIVING THINGS by Sheila Hamanaka. This is a children’s picture book about Albert Schweitzer. There are beautiful illustrations with a first person story about not killing animals.

ROOTS OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR by Viktor Reinhardt. This is a full-color, large paperback with beautiful photos showing the similarities of human and animal behavior. For example, a picture of two muddy wrestlers is next to a photo of two lions wrestling in the same pose. This could be considered a book for both children and adults.

The reviews of the above books are by Cara Burton, Director of the Solvay Public Library. You can borrow the books at the library at 615 Woods Road, Solvay, 468-2441 or through interlibrary loan by going to the public library closes to you.

The book below is reviewed by Linda DeStefano.

THAT’S WHY WE DON’T EAT ANIMALS: A BOOK ABOUT VEGANS, VEGETARIANS AND ALL LIVING THINGS, written and illustrated by Ruby Roth, 2009, North Atlantic Books, P.O. Box 12327, Berkeley, CA 94712, 48 pages, $16.95.

Considered appropriate for ages 4 to 10, this book provides a gentle but honest view of how fish, chickens, cows and other animals suffer when they are used for food. Although I like the text, I find the illustrations rather bizarre and unattractive.

Mercy for Animals did an interview with the author/illustrator, Ruby Roth, in the Spring/Summer, 2010 issue of Compassionate Living. Roth related how she had been an elementary school teacher of art and was surprised at how receptive the children were to the idea of her being a vegan. “…the kids were all curious about my veganism. Little by little, and very matter-of-factly, I shared my reasons and they responded with incredible insight. Many kids wanted to go vegan, but there was no support system in their schools or homes. I looked, but
couldn’t find, a book on the subject that wasn’t based on a talking
animal or vegetable, which I felt they were too smart for. So I
decided to create the book myself.”

I recommend this book for parents and children.

To learn about more resources for children and adults, contact People for Animal Rights, P.O. Box 15358, Syracuse 13215-0358, (315)488-PURR(7877) between 8 a.m. and 11 p.m., LDESTEFANO3@twcny.rr.com, www.peopleforanimalrightsofcny.org