Our Children and Other Animals

This examination of cultural representations of nonhuman animals is a much-needed critical contribution to the sociology of childhood. Situating practices and representations in the context of capitalist marketing, Cole and Stewart address the great moral tragedy in which children are socialized into relations of domination. This important and provocative text is certain to stimulate exciting classroom discussion.

John Sorenson, Brock University, Canada

Providing a sociological approach to the issue of how children are taught to think about and experience animals, the authors illuminate the re-production of oppressive attitudes through children's culture. Ultimately, this is a hopeful book, not only because it demonstrates the importance of sociology in understanding human-animal relations, but also because recognizing how exploitation is normalized offers possibilities for exposing its illogicality and refusing its harms.

Carol J. Adams, author of The Sexual Politics of Meat

If you love sociology and the study of veganism, too, this academic book is a fascinating look at how we come to relate to animals and what we need to address in order to change the status quo. It'll exercise your mind and help you discuss veganism even more intelligently with others, too. Especially kids.

Ruby Roth, author of V is for Vegan

An important book. It provides insightful analyses of how nonhuman animals are portrayed to children, and I hope it will inspire more work in the same vein.

William Craine, CUNY, USA

This examination of cultural representations of nonhuman animals is a much-needed critical contribution to the sociology of childhood. Situating practices and representations in the context of capitalist marketing, Cole and Stewart address the great moral tragedy in which children are socialized into relations of domination. This important and provocative text is certain to stimulate exciting classroom discussion.

John Sorenson, Brock University, Canada

Providing a sociological approach to the issue of how children are taught to think about and experience animals, the authors illuminate the re-production of oppressive attitudes through children's culture. Ultimately, this is a hopeful book, not only because it demonstrates the importance of sociology in understanding human-animal relations, but also because recognizing how exploitation is normalized offers possibilities for exposing its illogicality and refusing its harms.

Carol J. Adams, author of The Sexual Politics of Meat

If you love sociology and the study of veganism, too, this academic book is a fascinating look at how we come to relate to animals and what we need to address in order to change the status quo. It'll exercise your mind and help you discuss veganism even more intelligently with others, too. Especially kids.

Ruby Roth, author of V is for Vegan

An important book. It provides insightful analyses of how nonhuman animals are portrayed to children, and I hope it will inspire more work in the same vein.

William Craine, CUNY, USA

Our Children and Other Animals by Matthew Cole and Kate Stewart is a timely and well-written book about the sociological importance of nonhuman animals in children’s lives. The motivation behind Our Children and Other Animals is to understand what Cole and Stewart call “the paradox of juxtaposition of death and delight.” The paradox is it is considered normal to juxtapose “‘characters’ as images and toys alongside the mangled body parts of other animals”... Our Children and Other Animals is a highly recommendable book because it is so descriptively and normatively rich, along with the fact that it offers an original and fresh approach to a rather neglected topic.

Luís Cordeiro Rodrigues, University of Fort Hare