Graphic New Children's Book Promotes Veganism

A new children's book called Vegan Is Love: Having Heart and Taking Action came out today, and it has some pretty gruesome drawings illustrating animal testing and consumption.  

I'm a meat eater (eating organic/free-range as often as possible) and an animal lover (dog owner for life!). I think many people are both, and we shouldn't ignore where our food comes from. There's definitely room for improvement in our food production standards and ethics. But... as child psychologists point out, that's not necessarily for a child who's already a picky eater to worry about.

Vegan Is Love is targeted to 7-year-old+ audience. Images of cowering, wounded animals should not enter our kids' minds when parents are trying to feed them a reasonable, balanced diet.

I can tell you that after reading Charlotte's Web as a child, I asked my parents if I could become a vegetarian, and they said no. I'm glad they did. I had my very own chicken legs and needed plenty of fat and protein to beef them up during my growing years. I'm not saying children can't thrive on a balanced vegan and vegetarian diet, but spreading a message of violence and guilt to draw our youngest eaters to a meat-free diet seems like a flawed approach.

The author, Ruby Roth, became a vegan in 2003, presumably as an adult. What do you think about veganism and Roth's book? Do you or would you let your child be a vegetarian?

Tags