Compassion and kindness comes naturally to children. And now is the best time, more than ever, to teach them the wisdom that comes with being vegan. What better way to do that than introducing them to a children’s vegan book, Vivi, the Supervegan. Tina Newman, the author, shares her vegan journey and inspiration with us. You can also find her featured in our June 2021 magazine, access comes with your prime subscription. Get it here: bit.ly/3vHIuEl.
My vegan journey
I became a vegetarian at the age of 11 after visiting an animal sanctuary with my family. After making the connection between the animals I loved so dearly and the food I had been eating, I then spent the next 21 years as a vegetarian, believing that I was no longer contributing to animal's suffering. However, in September 2017 I saw a picture on Facebook of a calf being taken away from its mother. The look in their eyes was utterly heartbreaking. I didn't know what was going on in the picture so I clicked on it and literally felt sick and traumatised when I discovered what happens in the dairy industry. I went on to research, watching youtube videos and documentaries which challenged everything I had previously thought and believed, especially my knowledge and understanding of the dairy and egg industries and I went vegan overnight.
My husband went from full on carni to vegan overnight with me which was a massive shock as he hadn't even considered going vegetarian in the 9 years we had been together. But having him make that connection instantly and go vegan overnight with me was incredible as it meant we were on the same page and having his support made the transition and journey as a family a lot easier. Our children were only 1 and 3 at the time too so they were very young and adapted very easily. They are now 5 and 6 and are absolutely incredible little eaters and amazing advocates for animals too!
Why I wrote my books
Soon after going vegan, I realised that most books aren’t vegan friendly and I didn't like that. Suddenly it all became very apparent that everything we do with our kids - the nursery rhymes we sing, the books we read to them, the programmes they watch, all tend to be geared towards the way humans exploit animals. I strongly felt that there was a real need for a children’s series that deals with the impact that our choices have on animals and our planet. So I wrote my books with the hope that they bring about some balance and help children understand that they can bring about positive changes in the world whilst inspiring others. I also wanted my books to be accessible to non-vegan children as well so I wrote the stories with that in mind.Through my series, children can be introduced to a vegan world in an engaging, fun, and child-friendly manner.
The whole process of writing and self-publishing has all been a completely new experience for me as I had never written a book before! I actually trained in TV and film makeup and qualified as an Animal Nursing Assistant as I was looking to become a Veterinary Nurse (but found it all too traumatic and realised I wasn't cut out for that job!)
Vegans are superheroes!
You can't beat a good superhero - kids (and adults) love them! It was very important to me to empower vegan children and give them books that affirm their lifestyle. I wanted to give them a positive role model. Most children's books aren't vegan-friendly so vegan kids have very few characters in literature to relate to. Vegans are literally saving animals and protecting our planet every day just by following a vegan lifestyle - that makes them superheroes in my eyes and I wanted children to see that. I also wanted to show them how much power we actually have in our choices. Children are the future. Therefore I believe it is so important that we instill the right values in our kids and raise compassionate children who grow up to be compassionate and conscious adults.
My hope
My main bit of advice for life though would be to find your 'tribe.' Being a parent can be hard enough anyway, and even just being vegan can be hard and isolating at times so my advice would definitely be to find like minded people that you can journey through life with. Also, find your passion, your calling. Barbara Sher said "You must go after your wish. As soon as you start to pursue a dream, your life wakes up and everything has meaning." For me, when we first went vegan I felt quite hopeless. I was looking at the state of the world and the reality of what happens to animals and it all felt quite overwhelming. When I first started contemplating writing a vegan children's book I had no idea that 3 years later I would have 2 published books and more things on the way! I could have easily stayed in that place of sadness and hopelessness but I made the decision to channel my feelings, passion, and desire to help into something positive. That is when things woke up for me and my life got more meaning. I really hope that my books help to inspire children all over the world and as a result bring about positive change for animals and our beautiful planet.
Books are available WORLDWIDE directly via our websitewww.vivithesupervegan.co.uk
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If you'd like to be our vegan-preneur of the month, drop us a line atmagazine@leafysouls.com. We would like to share your story and celebrate the ups and downs of veganism with you.