Benji Bean Sprout Doesn't Eat Meat!

Vegetarian Journal, March-April, 2005 by Charles Stahler

BENJI BEAN SPROUT DOESN'T EAT MEAT! By Sarah Rudy

SK Publishing sent us a copy of their Benji Bean Sprout Doesn't Eat Meat! with story and illustrations by Sarah Rudy. When we read the book aloud, our 6-year-old test subject was a little wiggly but quickly settled down to intensely listen to the story.

The book begins, "The new school year was here and everyone at school thought Benji was weird because he didn't eat meat." At first, this concerned us, as it might put ideas into kids' heads that aren't there. However, the peer pressure Benji feels is often real, and vegetarian families should keep this fact in mind.

Benji went home and told his parents that he wanted to eat meat. His parents took him to an animal sanctuary, where he learned to understand why his family didn't eat animals. Then, his morn made Neat Loaf for the whole class, and most of them enjoyed it. As a result, the kids who had teased him and pushed him up against a wall became his good friends and asked to come over for supper. Oh, if only the world always worked this way.

This is a great book to open up discussions of peer pressure and differences. We highly recommend that your 5- to 8-year-olds read Benji Bean Sprout Doesn't Eat Meat! If you want to promote vegetarianism to this age group, what better way than by giving the girl of children's books?

Benji Bean Sprout Doesn't Eat Meat! (ISBN 097283401-X) retails for $6.95. To learn more, visit <www.sunkingpublishing. com>, or call (916) 488-4150. Also, check out their Natural Kids Fun Activity and Coloring Book--Color Your Organic Veggies.