Potty Training Archives - the vegan reading corner

“Potty” by Leslie Patricelli – Vegan Review

Feb 22, 2021

"Potty" by Leslie Patricelli is a cute and funny book about a baby deciding to use the potty on their own for the first time. Read on for the full…

About

I created the vegan reading corner to share reviews of children’s literature through an intersectional vegan, anti-speciesist lens. My goal is to highlight books that promote respect for all, and to point out red flags when books reinforce structures of oppression. 

When I had a child, I knew he would be subjected to a daily barrage of messages reinforcing human supremacy and normalizing the oppression of non-human animals. He would see pigs referred to as bacon, jokes about fish having no memories, birds kept in cages, and more. 

I wanted to counter those messages with ones that reflect a vegan philosophy. One way to do that was in the books I read to him.

But apart from a few explicitly vegan kids books, I found those same damaging messages, sometimes subtle, many times not subtle at all, again and again in other children’s literature. 

Since I had to vet all our books myself, I figured I’d keep track of my reactions in case this knowledge could help other parents and kids.