Review By JACQUELINE BODNAR

The reality that most vegetarian parents face when it comes to the way cows are treated is that the vast majority of these animals don’t have it good, to put it mildly. Pumped full of growth hormone and antibiotics, and then hooked up to mechanical milking machines, they live a production-line life that leaves a lot to be desired. But you wouldn’t learn that by reading Cow to your children.

This book focuses on dairy cows on a traditional dairy farm, the kind that no longer exists on a large scale today. The book starts out by asking the question, “What is it like to be a dairy cow?” The answers it provides to that question focus only on the fading image of a traditional farm, filled with loving providers and an idyllic setting.

From grazing the days away, to happy farmers who “gently” clean the udders before milking the cows, the entire book paints a picture that life as a dairy cow is serene and enjoyable. Unfortunately, parents who care about animal rights know this to not be true, and will likely want to steer their child clear of this misleading fairytale image.

Geared to ages 4-8, but not recommended.

Kiddo loves The Digging-est Dog by Al Perkins and Eric Gurney, but I’m not so crazy about it.

Told from the dog’s point of view, the story has a somber but promising start: “I was the saddest dog you could ever see,/ Sad because no one wanted me./ The pet shop window was my jail./ The sign behind me said, ‘For Sale.’”

Unfortunately, the remainder of the story has myriad problems from an animal welfare perspective.  First, the boy must purchase the dog’s freedom, essentially supporting the industry that has neglected and abused him.  Second, the dog has to live outside in  a doghouse instead of being welcomed into the family home.  Plus, the book portrays the boy milking a cow — with no mention of what has happened to her calf.

The worst part, however, occurs when the boy teaches the dog to dig and the dog happily digs, digs, digs all over town.  In precisely this moment of bliss, the boy scolds the dog and threatens to send him back to the pet store.  The frightened dog responds by (literally) digging himself into a huge hole.

Thank goodness this story has a happy ending, in which the boy and the neighborhood dogs rescue the dog in the hole.  Still, I have to admit that every time kiddo pulls out this book, I cringe.

Ages 4-8.  For other reviews, visit Goodreads.