1.0HappyCowhttps://www.happycow.net/bloghalfpintpixiehttps://www.happycow.net/blog/author/halfpintpixie/rich600338<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="nDgyHBznQY"><a href="https://www.happycow.net/blog/thinking-out-loud/">Thinking out loud</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://www.happycow.net/blog/thinking-out-loud/embed/#?secret=nDgyHBznQY" width="600" height="338" title="“Thinking out loud” — HappyCow" data-secret="nDgyHBznQY" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script type="text/javascript"> /* <![CDATA[ */ /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document); /* ]]> */ </script> Since entering the wonderful world of babies, I’ve become much more aware of the constant barrage of animal stereotypes. Almost every baby book has the same pictures: happy pigs in their pens, chickens pecking contentedly in the barn, cows munching on green grass while their calves frolic nearby. Other books describe a day in the life of a zookeeper, and we see the sleepy lions, the huge elephants and the bobbing meerkats all happy to be taken care of so well. And there are countless books showing cute puppies, kittens and rabbits all delighted to be pets, kept clean and happy in suburban back gardens. Littlepixie loves books so I am constantly in the bookstore or shopping online, which is great! Now while it is certainly not my intention to shield her from the realities of life, I prefer to buy books which show animals being animals in their natural environments not books which normalise the concept of their captivity. Books about monsters or pirates always go down a treat too of course! As she grows, I’m really grasping the fact that raising a vegan or vegetarian child is about so much more than just the food. As an adult, […]http://halfpintpixie.wordpress.com/files/2008/05/i_dont_eat_your_fingers.jpg?w=140