As some of you may know, I’m a vegetarian.
I choose not to eat meat for a number of reasons but one of the main ones is obviously that I don’t want to eat animals.
Now hold that thought.
90% of the stories I read with Baby are about animals. Having animals as characters serves an important function- it appeals to children’s sense of ridiculousness and often allows for authors to make their messages gender-neutral.
But a lot of these stories are also on farms. Farms with cows, lambs and chickens where everyone is chillin out, with a moo moo here and a moo moo there.
That is, until they go to the slaughterhouse. But the stories don’t mention that part.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not looking to educate Baby on the cruel ways animals can be treated – I don’t need to give her nightmares. I’m just worried about the sheer number of books that are written about farm animals.
Herbivorous has recommended a book called ‘Edwina the Emu’, a story about an Emu who tries to work as a waitress and is horrified to find people ordering her eggs to eat.
I’m looking now for more books with with a similar attitude. In my mind, animals living on farms to be consumed at a later date is not OK. So of course, I don’t want to be giving Baby the message that it is by reading her book after book about the happy little animals chillin at the farm.
As always, please send recommendations my way. But I also want to hear from you about this… let me know what you think!
First let me begin by saying that this post of yours is ridiculous.
Basically you are saying that you would like to impress upon this child your own views on vegetarianism?
While I will happily admit that I am a big fan of mean, red and white, this does not mean that I consider animals only good for food. A little common sense should be applied to this situation, animals have many wonderful uses in our lives without the need to view them merely as meat.
Children love animals, very commonly ones who live on farms, because they are amusing, colourful and make great noises, don’t ruin this by linking slaughter to that at such an early stage of life. Leave it alone for a few years, sometimes ignorance really is bliss.
That’s a really interesting post!
In a way, I agree with the comment above – kids do love animals, as furry and friendly creatures, and I don’t necessarily think we should alter that image for kids, at least not until they’re mature enough to understand the concept of animals being killed for food.
But that leads to another issue: perhaps becoming a vegetarian is linked to our experiences with such stories as children? If you’d been read countless tales of cute animals, some degree of emotional attachment would develop inevitably. And when, at a later stage, we’ve learnt that these animals we know and love are being killed for us to eat, the choice to become vegetarian suddenly seems quite logical.
Definitely food for thought – if you’ll excuse the pun!
I think this old McDonald wholesome family farm aesthetic that childrens books push is cute, but when it comes to teaching kids about where their food comes from its not a good source. The animals that we eat grow up in factory farms where they would be lucky to go outside their whole lives, let alone be square dancing around the barnyard arm in arm with an overalled farmer named Kenneth.
I dont think kids should have to learn about where there food comes from at a young age, its something that most adults in our society still aren’t aware of!
And yes, you make a good point. The sheer amount of children’s stories featuring farm animals is interesting, as it is normalising the fact that humans, well, farm animals to kill them and eat them, when this is a process that seems wildly unnatural to a lot of people. Namely vegetarians.
I agree with anonymous, it does sound like you are trying to impress your views upon children. I say, let children make up their own mind once they are older and have the ability to think about both sides. Interesting post though, I’m generally a fan of your writing.
i admit, if i was edwina the emu, id be pretty shocked if people were eating my eggs, but it doesnt sound like you’re trying to impress your views onto this baby.
kids would understand that eggs come from birds at a young age, i know i visited a farm when i was young and learned that eggs come from a chicken pen. and its not like you’re going to read the story of how the cow goes to the slaughterhouse to become meat, like the simpsons vid (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bps-xbo8wnA).
at a young age, it is important to teach children about all these farm animals, as it can aid in teaching them other things, such as colours, sizes, and they make funny noises.
but, if you’re worried about giving this baby the wrong idea about farm animals just chillin, what other stories would you read? do you read stories about happy families? coz they dont always exist in a perfect world, but i dont know any stories which tell the story of fighting parents.
just a thought i guess