B.C. author and former educator Ellen Schwartz has produced this handy resource for kids who decide to go vegetarian on their own initiative. Unlike those whose parents adopt the same eating style, vegetarian children with omnivorous parents may have to spend a lot of time justifying their diet. This book offers answers to the common questions and challenges that a new vegetarian might face, covering health and ethical motivations, nutritional justifications, and historical precedents.

I’m a Vegetarian is a reference guide to the whys and hows of vegetarian eating rather than a cookbook. However, a chapter at the back of the book offers 20 simple recipes well suited to beginning cooks. (The peanut butter balls, for instance, are virtually foolproof and surprisingly good.) Those keen to do more cooking would do well to pair this book with The Jumbo Vegetarian Cookbook (published by Kids Can Press and reviewed in Q&Q’s February issue).

Farida Zaman’s cartoon illustrations and page borders keep the layout interesting and nicely accommodate the author’s sidebars containing jokes, quotes, and bits of veggie trivia. It’s a challenge to present vegetarianism without sounding too superior, sanctimonious, or otherwise obnoxious. For the most part, the author, who advises tact, sets the right tone, though some of the quotations from young vegetarians don’t offer a balanced view.