V Kids

Isn't it weird how the traditional fairy tales most of us were brought up on are full of violence, crime and generally horrible stuff?  Parents quite happily read Little Red Riding Hood to their little ones whilst not really stopping to think about the murder of the grandmother!  What about Hansel and Gretel with its child abduction or the bullying in Cinderella?

These stories are so well ingrained into our society that few people question it.  Those that do may well argue that it is all part of slowly introducing our children to the real world and to learn morals.  That's fair enough I suppose but then it is an even funnier world in which we live if parents settle down at bedtime to read The Three Little Pigs to their kids having just served them up a sausage supper.  Animal agriculture is no fairy tale, but should it be represented as such given the subject matter of many traditional stories?  The plain truth is whilst some subject matters are cloaked within children's stories, the abuse of animals is largely ignored (apart from the seemingly accepted abuse of the big bad wolf).

We don't have kids but I do have nieces who are both being brought up vegetarian in Alaska.  They also love books so I am always on the look out for inspiring books to send them that break the normally misrepresented values in society.  I was delighted therefore to hear of a Cornish vegan author who is doing just that.

V Kids are a series of vegan story books and pre-school stories that focus on and aim to open the eyes of children to the relationship between humans and animals.  Although ultimately enjoyable and positive these books are not afraid to tackle the sensitive subject of how animals are used to supply the meat and dairy industry in an honest but considerate way.  It's an important balance to strike when it comes to kids and also, let's face it some adults too.  If you make things too harrowing, however truthful, people of all ages will more than often turn off and go into denial.

The V Kids Animal Sanctuary series is aimed at 8-13 year olds and follows the adventures of Lou Lou and Lawrie as their contact with a  piglet called Buddy leads them to embark on an ambitious plan to set up their very own animal sanctuary.  So far there are five books written in the series with each book seeing the young animal campaigners rescuing a new animal each time; from a stroppy teenage sheep to a chicken with a sense of style.  There is also an accompanying vegan recipe book inspired by the characters in the stories.

For younger readers, and available for pre-order soon, are the pre-school V Kids books.  These are written in humorous rhyme with colourful illustrations to accompany, and are aimed at 18 months to 6 years.  With a slightly less direct approach they still aim to encourage questions about the relationship between humans and animals.

Lisa Hart is the author and founder of V Kids.  Lisa is a former primary school teacher who also studied children's literature at university.  As a vegan herself she was inspired to write the books for her own 9 year old daughter who is a pescatarian.  She wanted to find a gentle way to inspire her daughter to become vegan through her own choice rather than feeling like she should because her mother is.

The books are self published by Lisa and available for pre-ordering currently.  She aims to release one book per month so any pre-orders will be sent out at the end of each month.  For more details on, or to order the V Kids books please do check out the V Kids website.  The website also includes details on pre-school clubs that V Kids are currently busy setting up too.