That's Why We Don’t Eat Animals: A Book about Vegans, Vegetarians, and All Living Things. Written & Illustrated by Ruby Roth

That’s Why We Don’t Eat Animals takes a candid, compassionate look at the plight of animals on factory farms, using gorgeous artwork and lively text to introduce vegetarianism and veganism to early readers.

An endearing cast of animals is shown both in their natural state—rooting around, bonding, nuzzling, cuddling, grooming one another, and charming each other with their family instincts and rituals—and in the sad conditions of the factory farm. The book also addresses the effect eating animals has on our environment, rainforests, and endangered species. At the end, a section entitled “What Else Can We Do?” suggests ways children can learn more about the vegetarian and vegan lifestyles.

The boldest step yet in children’s literature, this heartfelt, informative book offers a key resource to inspire parents and children to talk about a timely, increasingly important subject. The book is currently going into its second printing and being translated into multiple languages.

Ruby Roth is an artist and author living in Los Angeles. A vegan since 2003, Roth was teaching art in an after-school program when the children’s interest in healthy foods and veganism first inspired her to write That’s Why We Don’t Eat Animals. She has studied the emotional lives of animals, nutrition, and the health and environmental benefits of veganism and raw foods for seven years.

Roth has lived in Los Angeles, Kauai, and the Bay Area. This is her first children’s book.