In a world where violence and gore no longer elicit shock, it’s little wonder that some children are growing up thinking that it’s OK to abuse others, whether animal or human. But it’s not OK – and it’s the responsibility of parents, teachers and influential adults to help children learn and understand the concepts of compassion, empathy and humanity, starting as young as possible.
Stories are powerful tools in our humane education toolkit – reading to and/or with a child not only encourages literacy but helps to stimulate their natural curiosity, and introduces concepts of humane living in age-appropriate context.
The Institute of Humane Education has a new Children’s Literature section on their website, where they list some fantastic book suggestions for children of all ages. Options include fiction and non-fiction, picture books and chapter books – why not start by checking out the books listed under the “animal protection” category? There are some great Thanksgiving titles, or you could help a kid learn about adopting a dog, or why it’s not a good thing for cats to keep having kittens.
Come to think of it, some of these books might be useful for adults too!
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