More and more schools are teaching our children misleading, anti-meat curriculums. Albeit mostly well-intentioned, these messages are precarious for impressionable kids. Teaching your children about the nutritional benefits and the place for meat in an ecological cycle can feel difficult, but read on to learn of books and resources that can help.

With the increasing push for plant based meals in schools and the social stigma of meat, teaching children about the nutritional benefits and the place for meat in an ecological cycle can feel difficult. Especially with the push for false moralities concerning taking a life before they can psychologically grasp mortality and complex ecological and economical systems. 

I became a mom in January of 2012 to a little girl in the suburban metro area surrounding Washington, DC. My daughter, now almost eight years old, is well versed in where her food comes from and the role that it plays both nutritionally and ecologically. Working toward this point and continuing to educate her can feel like a challenge most days, with a lack of resources and the constant push back from various propaganda. 

Having taken my child to STEM/STEAM based events geared for school age children, I was shocked by the plant based community’s push to sell their agenda as science. Organizations like PETA often have booths at these events, giving free stickers and books full of pictures of cute fluffy animals and false information regarding nutrition to children. 

I was curious whether there are resources for parents of school aged children focusing on the science of soil, the carbon cycle, meat, or ecological systems that demonstrate the importance of the food chain and the balance that it provides in the natural world, including predator and prey relationships. 

I searched Amazon, my local library, a large used book store that mostly held books before the 1980’s, and local book shops. Although there are plenty of species-specific books, such as books about lions, wolves, and whales, it was almost impossible to find books on meat, livestock, and animal agriculture. And if you enter “meat” under books in the Amazon search bar, you get two categories: Cookbooks and Business & Money. Where are the books about meat for children?

After my initial search, I concluded that resources on these subjects are scarce despite the plethora of vegetarian- and vegan-focused books geared toward children. This inspired me to compile a list of helpful resources for parents who are eager to educate their children about animal agriculture, holistic systems, and how better meat is an important part of our natural world and diet as humans.

While it’s still difficult to find books for children detailing the nutritional benefits of meat, many studies indicate that they learn best from narratives. Providing children with stories that do not vilify meat eating is possibly the first step in arming them against the constant plant based agenda being thrown at them. Below is a list of non-fiction and fiction books that I found useful for educating children about the relationship between predator and prey, natural systems, and enjoying meat.

The amazingly illustrated works by Julia Rothman

The Main Message: This 3 book series takes an indirect journey from nature to farm to food with all things considered. My favorite fact from this series is how ants cultivate aphids like we herd livestock to eat their honeydew, a waste product of aphids.

Book One: Food Anatomy

The Main Message: The book holds a wealth of basic information around the history of food including a worldly view on cultural specific dishes The book is features everything from berries to chapati and prime cuts to kombucha.

Chapter 4, The Meat of the Matter, is comprised of illustrations and information about meat dishes around the world, cuts, and styles detailing how meat products are dressed or eaten. Rothman includes the science around how meat cooks, focusing on the denaturation of proteins using various techniques. It covers everything from charcuterie plates, butchery tools & techniques while also touching on seafood, harvesting, and a whole section on eggs. 

Chapter 5, is all about dairy. Butter, milk, cheese, and ALL the in-betweens. The pages are full of mouth watering information, terminology, and DIY instructions on making your own dairy products. 

Book Two: Farm Anatomy 

The Main Message: This book provides a basic overview of many types and styles of farming and how the system between animal, soil, and food is interconnected.

Rothman’s book goes into soil science, barn styles & tools, seeds and crop rotation, livestock and the products we use generated from them including fiber, dairy, and meat. There are sections showing cuts per animal and DIY curing instructions too. 

I love this book because it touches on a little bit of everything livestock related. There are pages showcasing various breeds used for different products, such as meat versus fiber, Illustrated how to’s on milking cows, and descriptions of the different parts of a beef animal. It touches on lesser talked about livestock as well, like meat rabbits and geese. 

Book Three: Nature Anatomy

The Main Message:  This book focuses on the details of the natural world with beautiful illustrations. It offers an understanding of the food web, focusing on the relationship among predatory species and prey while highlighting the importance of this balance. It helps to underscore the morality of eating meat.

Click here for more.

Sonya’s Chickens by Phoebe Wahl

The Main Message: A lesson about why predatory species should not be vilified as told through the story of a fox killing a beloved chicken.

This year, at my daughter’s request, we began raising meat rabbits. From birth to cull to our dinner table, she has been involved in every part. A fox came one night and we lost three rabbits. This book was the most beautiful resource to not only explain why the fox took our kits but to also validate her feelings as well as expand thoughts and ideals around the morality of the food chain.

In the story, Sonya’s family keeps chickens to feed their family. In the night, a fox comes and takes Sonya’s favorite chicken, one that she has helped raise and care for since it was a tiny chick. She is crushed by the loss but her father says, “What might seem unfair to you might make sense to a fox.” He tells her how the fox was possibly feeding itself or a den full of kits. He relates that fox’s need to feed itself and family to our own need to feed ourselves and our families.

This book brings a sweet understanding to the predator prey relationship that we, as omnivores are part of. And while raising your own meat may not be for everyone, I love how this book shows the complex relationship a farmer has with it’s livestock. We are there when they are born, we care for them everyday, and we are there for them in many ways when we cull.

Click here for more.

I Love Going To The Butcher by Lee Seelig

The Main Message: This simple toddler geared story focuses on the love of eating all the delicious meat cuts.

This picture book is geared toward the little ones. The story follows a child and his mother on their trip to the meat market. The little one in this story talks about all the cuts and foods he’s so very excited to eat.

It’s an adorably illustrated book full of excitement to eat all the delicious things written by a third generation meat business owner. The author brings all of the excitement into eating everything like sausages, bacon, steak and chicken. The best way to get a toddler to do anything is to get them excited and involved.

Click here for more.

Everybody’s Somebody’s Lunch by Cherie Mason

The Main Message: Everything that eats, is eaten.

This story follows the emotional journey of a little girl who loves a pet to local predators. As she observes the natural predator prey relationship of all of the creatures within her backyard while reflecting on the loss of her cat, she finds peace and understanding within the natural ecological cycle. 

This story not only goes into wild predator/prey relationships, it also touches on the importance of population regulation, humans place within this cycle, and the morality around it. The little girl in the story consults the people she trusts most in her life with the complex thoughts and feelings she’s experiencing including a parent, grandparent, teacher, and her peers. 

I love this story because it does not invalidate the feelings she is having, but brings understanding to what happened, why it happened, and how the predator that took her cat was not evil, but only trying to live. It solidifies the fact that we can feel sad about a loss while honoring and feeling grateful for the gift of continued life it provides.

There is also a teacher's guide to accompany this book with fantastic ideas on projects and thought provoking questions to help children navigate the developmental milestone of understanding both larger systems and mortality.

Click here for more and check out the teacher’s guide, too!

Noteworthy Young Adult Books on Nature, Survival, and Meat

For Older children who are able to read chapter books, I would highly recommend books focused on survivalism. My daughter has learned so much from these stories and we are constantly surprised when she brings up a fact from one of the books. We were recently having dinner and talking about making cheese at home and she piped in with, “Well, we’d need a cow’s stomach for rennet.” When we asked where she’d learned this, she replied, “Little House on the Prairie.”

My Side of the Mountain Series by Jean Craighead George

Over the course of five books tells the story of two children leaving their lives in NYC to live primitively in the wild, including hunting and cooking wild game. Click here for the series.

Little House on The Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

This five-book series tells the real life story of Laura Ingalls Wilder as part of a family of American Pioneers and their constant move west in the search for a more prosperous home. These stories hold a wealth of knowledge on traditional and historical American diets including livestock and hunting wild game. Click here for the series.

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell

The story of a young girl being left behind to survive on an island alone. She learns to survive the harsh weather conditions, to fight off and befriend one of the wild dogs on the island, and to fish and smoke meats for meals. Click here for more.

Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George

The harrowing tale of young Miyax, an Eskimo girl who runs away and survives in the harsh conditions of the north by surviving on the fresh kills of a pack of wolves she follows and eventually joins. I love this story because it gives the reader so much to consider and open ideas and questions about the importance of predators. Click here for more.

Support the case for better meat

The forthcoming documentary and book project Sacred Cow is working to spread this message for better farming practices that can offer us nutritious, carbon-positive, and ethical meat. Part of the project is to develop educational curriculums to be used in schools and universities worldwide.

To learn more about Sacred Cow and to support the case for better meat click here.

Janet Hamilton, founder of Farrier Leather, strives to be a changing force in the fashion industry — requiring higher standards for the materials chosen for her products to support the earth, the human lives, and the animal lives affected by production. As availability improves, she continues to improve to maintain the utmost standards. Learn more @farrier_leatheror www.farrierleather.com.