Customer Reviews

The Vegetarian Factfinder

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This book, to its credit, is a very positive introduction to vegetarianism for *children* of all ages. It does what a children's nonfiction book should do - dazzles the reader with provocative photographs - and informs in a kind and gentle way. A photograph of a calf in a crate, destined for veal, was a courageous choice, nicely juxtaposed with photographs of cows roaming the streets in India, where they are revered.

My children gravitated to the information regarding the cruel treatment of animals sent to slaughterhouses. They snored a bit through the "Food for Thought - Vegetarian Philosophy" section but snapped to attention at the picture of Dick Gregory on his historic march to Memphis in 1966.

We all agreed that the section entitled "How Do Vegetarians Stay Healthy?" was a bit too glib. My daughter, who has done a *lot* of research on this topic, was chagrined by sentences like, "The easiest way to get calcium is by drinking milk or eating milk products like yogurt or cheese." She observed that it probably is the "easiest" way to get calcium, but pointed out the plight of dairy cattle in the United States and wished that soy products were touted as an strong alternative, rather than as an afterthought. In this section, we also wished that some funky, fast vegetarian or vegan recipes had been included to illustrate the points the author was making.

In sum, it's an earnest, visually pleasing introduction for the neophyte (be it child or parent or both) who wants an overview of the topic. Career vegetarians and vegan parents will find it slightly lacking, but folks who want an overview will be pleasantly surprised.