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wanderingstories's review against another edition
4.0
It's educational but also an important subject that needs to be spread more... and I love that more people are 'waking up' from this illusion.
erine's review against another edition
I really appreciate the idea behind this book, but I found the execution lacking. Roth describes the environmental effects of factory farming and encourages people to give up eating meat. I do feel that Roth presents a biased view of this issue. She heavily anthropomorphizes the animals she talks about, and simplifies many concepts to the point of meaninglessness. After reading this, I am almost left with the impression that all the world’s problems will just disappear if I stop eating meat. It seemed as though she was trying to reach children through a topic she is passionate about, but perhaps she needed someone with a different perspective to help balance her book.
I did enjoy the illustrations, which were vibrantly colored, used large round shapes, and incorporated the text well. The illustrations, while not realistic, did not overly humanize the animals, but instead provided a fun backdrop to a heavy topic.
Although this was a picture book, the content seemed appropriate for older second graders and third graders. I can see young people getting interested in this topic. It actually strikes a personal note with me and made me remember learning about Earth Day in third grade, specifically learning about the rainforest (one of the topics in this book). This book did not focus on vocabulary, and while it provided a list of suggested activities for young people interested in vegans and vegetarians, there were no additional resources included.
I did enjoy the illustrations, which were vibrantly colored, used large round shapes, and incorporated the text well. The illustrations, while not realistic, did not overly humanize the animals, but instead provided a fun backdrop to a heavy topic.
Although this was a picture book, the content seemed appropriate for older second graders and third graders. I can see young people getting interested in this topic. It actually strikes a personal note with me and made me remember learning about Earth Day in third grade, specifically learning about the rainforest (one of the topics in this book). This book did not focus on vocabulary, and while it provided a list of suggested activities for young people interested in vegans and vegetarians, there were no additional resources included.
alicebme's review against another edition
4.0
6. Personal Response: I am a vegan, and I brought this book into my classroom to help educate students on why I made this dietary choice. Most students had never considered how animals were killed for them to eat.[return]7. Connections: This would be useful in a unit on environmental studies, animal rights studies, or a unit on food in America.
sunnyd76's review against another edition
1.0
I checked this out of the library to read to my five year old when I decided to become a vegetarian. Holy cow! I should have read it first. The emotional processing needed to handle the illustrations was overwhelming for him. It didn't just teach him about being responsible about where food comes from and that when you're eating chicken -- you're eating chicken. It showed in cartoon-like drawings the ugly reality of a mass-industrial chicken coop. He wasn't old enough for it, and it took a long, long time to get him not to have nightmares after we read it.
19paws's review against another edition
5.0
If I were rating this based just on how much I liked it, I’d give it four stars. I’m bumping that up to five stars because of how important I think this book is and because I'm grateful to Ruby Roth for writing it.
I had a few misgivings about That’s Why We Don’t Eat Animals because I couldn’t really identify the reading level and figure out if it was appropriate for the intended audience. I think of picture books as being for preschoolers and young school-aged kids and I thought the text here was much too mature for that age group. A friend who is a former fourth grade teacher assured me that older kids read these books, too. My friend didn’t like this book (she hated the illustrations) but thought the reading level was okay. Her pre-teen granddaughter, who lives in a vegetarian family and is well on her way to being vegan, liked the book.
Apparently some reviewers have criticized Roth’s “unsubtle” illustrations portraying animals as cute and friendly in the wild but dirty and terrified on farms. Actually, I think Roth did a masterful job of portraying the “sad” conditions in which factory-farmed animals live, but in a way that was still appropriate for sensitive young children—ie, it didn’t come close to depicting how horrifying and inhumane conditions on today’s farms really are.
I had mixed feelings about the illustrations, especially the animals’ noses. The pigs’ noses look like electrical outlets! Overall, I thought the paintings were unique and interesting, though, and often appealing.
TWWDEA is intended for vegan families, of course. Every activist needs to petition local libraries to buy this book, though, with the hope that it will make its way into the hands and hearts of children in omnivore families, too.
I had a few misgivings about That’s Why We Don’t Eat Animals because I couldn’t really identify the reading level and figure out if it was appropriate for the intended audience. I think of picture books as being for preschoolers and young school-aged kids and I thought the text here was much too mature for that age group. A friend who is a former fourth grade teacher assured me that older kids read these books, too. My friend didn’t like this book (she hated the illustrations) but thought the reading level was okay. Her pre-teen granddaughter, who lives in a vegetarian family and is well on her way to being vegan, liked the book.
Apparently some reviewers have criticized Roth’s “unsubtle” illustrations portraying animals as cute and friendly in the wild but dirty and terrified on farms. Actually, I think Roth did a masterful job of portraying the “sad” conditions in which factory-farmed animals live, but in a way that was still appropriate for sensitive young children—ie, it didn’t come close to depicting how horrifying and inhumane conditions on today’s farms really are.
I had mixed feelings about the illustrations, especially the animals’ noses. The pigs’ noses look like electrical outlets! Overall, I thought the paintings were unique and interesting, though, and often appealing.
TWWDEA is intended for vegan families, of course. Every activist needs to petition local libraries to buy this book, though, with the hope that it will make its way into the hands and hearts of children in omnivore families, too.
worldlibraries's review against another edition
5.0
Reading this book immediately made me see the connection between factory farming and plantation life in slavery. Someone else, a farmer or plantation owner, controls other beings' bodies for profit. Whether human being or animal, the animal does not get to decide if he or she lives with and near their family. The plantation owner or farmer does. Both humans and animals do not get to exercise their basic instincts but must conform to the expected and acceptable behavior patterns expected by the farmer or plantation owner. Human and animal basic needs such as hygiene, are not considered important enough to be tended to and are ignored. Basic instinctual movements like running for humans, or flying, rooting, and pecking for animals are not allowed. The food selected for human and animal bodies is not what is best for them. In the case of cows, they are fed corn to fatten them up. This gives them gas, because their bodies are not designed to handle corn. Turkeys are fattened up until they fall over. The farmer or rancher prioritizes his profits over the common good by using up water resources and monetary subsidies. Fisherman, don't follow rules or are careless with their nets, killing ocean animals needlessly.
This book really hit home to me and made the case that factory farming is akin to slavery. I see why vegans and vegetarians are so passionate about their beliefs. This is a moral choice.
This book really hit home to me and made the case that factory farming is akin to slavery. I see why vegans and vegetarians are so passionate about their beliefs. This is a moral choice.
bardicbramley's review against another edition
3.0
I’m always interested in books such as these for children.
I am a Vegetarian myself. I try my best to eat a Vegan diet as often as possible (I’m not great at asking other people to accommodate me and it’s still not a very common requirement), and I’ve met many children who either understand, or are curious about why.
This book is very clearly written by someone who is passionate about convincing others that Veganism (and Vegetarianism) is the right direction to go. I also think this, but my point is that you can easily tell. It is more of an answer to “why are you vegan?” rather than a story that allows children entirely free-thought.
It handles the heavy truth of our farming system and environmental impact well, with a clear message for children on morals and thinking about how your actions effect others. But I think it might be too heavy handed for say a Omni parent to deem appropriate, which I would need to consider as a teacher.
I am a Vegetarian myself. I try my best to eat a Vegan diet as often as possible (I’m not great at asking other people to accommodate me and it’s still not a very common requirement), and I’ve met many children who either understand, or are curious about why.
This book is very clearly written by someone who is passionate about convincing others that Veganism (and Vegetarianism) is the right direction to go. I also think this, but my point is that you can easily tell. It is more of an answer to “why are you vegan?” rather than a story that allows children entirely free-thought.
It handles the heavy truth of our farming system and environmental impact well, with a clear message for children on morals and thinking about how your actions effect others. But I think it might be too heavy handed for say a Omni parent to deem appropriate, which I would need to consider as a teacher.
munchin's review against another edition
5.0
Not even a vegetarian and I thought this was an unusually wise and exceptional children's book
allyreads8521's review against another edition
1.0
This one wasn't nearly as bad as her other book, which made me want to actually throw a book away. I still don't agree with how things are presented in such a "if you do this, you're a bad person" way (at least, that's how I feel it's presented) and the pictures are a little on the gaggy side. I'll stick to my turkey and ham sandwiches.
glassesgirl79's review against another edition
3.0
This is a great book for adults and children alike to learn about vegatarians, vegans and animal welfare. By contrasting animals in their natural habitats with animals held in factory farms, Ruby Roth's words and illustrations helps reaffirm the message that we are all earthlings and we are all sharing this planet together.I really liked that the book ends with giving the reader ideas for learning more about vegtarianism and veganism.