How am I going to explain to my son that we don’t eat animals? I tell him ALL THE TIME “Animals are our friends and we don’t eat our friends” but making the connection that the pepperoni on your pizza was also once a 3 year old who wanted his mama is hard enough for adults to get let alone a child! I am a firm believer in planting the organic kale seed early but what am I gonna do, show him “Meet your Meat”? Hells no! Letting him peep a PETA “Vegan Starter Kit” was probably pushing it enough already! (disclaimer: it’s a great little booklet but does have a few disturbing images.)
Luckily, Ruby Roth has done the job for me. Her beautiful children’s book, “That’s Why We Don’t Eat Animals” takes a complex subject and breaks it down to its simplest explanation. Roth, who does her own SPECTACULAR illustrations, depicts similar images of farms that we grew up seeing: happy animals without a care in the world, living out their lives peacefully.
But we all know that’s a crock of shizzie and is not what today’s typical farm looks likes. Roth juxtaposes these misleading images with a gentle, beautifully illustrated look at reality: cramped cages, filthy stalls, sorrow and confusion. Yes, the subject matter is dark but Roth does a spectacular job of childproofing it to get the point across: Happy milk doesn’t come from happy cows.
Make sure to check out her website. She has adorable merchandise and also just came out with “Vegan is Love“, which I have not yet delved into but you best believe it will be on Zekey’s shelf soon enough!
Looking for some awesome adult equivalents? Peep these suckas from my personal list of faves:
- Eating Animals– Jonathan Safran Foer
- Skinny Bitch– Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin
- Veganist– Kathy Freston
- The PETA Practical Guide to Animal Rights– Ingrid Newkirk
- Farm Sanctuary: Changing Hearts and Minds about Animals and Food-Gene Bauer
What are your favorite vegan-esque books, adult or otherwise?
