Saving Emily

Your child will gain realistic information while enjoying a story. Then to further your understanding of today's factory farms, read FARM SANCTUARY by Gene Bauer.

When Chris, a city boy moves into the country with his divorced mother he is certain that he will never fit in; that is until he meets a girl named Gina with a real love for animals. At first he doesn't understand her, but changes his mind when he is introduced to the Rescue Ranch. Emily the beef cow is forced to endure the cruel realities of branding, the cattle auction, confinement in a feedlot, and a frightening ride in a cattle truck. Unlike the other cattle, she wishes for a life where she is in charge of her own destiny. While cats and dogs receive compassion, sadly it is not extended to farm animals such as cows, pigs, sheep, goats, and chickens who live through the cruel industry by force. The problem with most industries is that they are too ignorant or caring about money to think about the feelings of these so-called "food animals" or how they should be handled humanely; as I have read throughout this book. If someone ever laughs or criticizes me or my friends for caring about farm animals like cats and dogs, I'll only say "sorry you feel that way." This book is highly recommended for those with a love for all animals and an important lesson about dealing with the pressures of fitting in or trying to pull through in a cold, cruel, heartless world. That's what Emily did; but I won't say how. Read on to find out.

It's probably fair to say that there isn't another book quite like Saving Emily. While it takes its cues from Black Beauty, Watership Down, The Animals of Farthing Wood and other books that seek to portray the lives of animals in an honest, forthright way, Saving Emily is unique for its humble subject and hero. Emily is a beef cow, a Hereford heifer growing up on the range in rural USA. Unlike the animals on Old McDonald's farm or the grinning anthropomorphized hamburgers portrayed by McDonald's, Emily lives it like it is. She's tagged, beaten, branded, hauled in cramped, filthy cattle trucks, sold at auction like a steak on the hoof, and sent to a feedlot for fattening. Author Nicholas Read doesn't pull any punches where the truth is concerned. But nor does he belabour them.That's the gift of the book; it's not dogmatic. Yes, it contains a clear vegetarian message, but it's delivered with subtlety, not a sledgehammer. No one, regardless of his or her opinion on the ethics of eating meat, could ever question its validity as a straightforward children's story, filled with interesting characters - both human and animal - and situations. That's due not just to Emily's story, but also to Chris's, the book's human hero. Chris is a city boy wrenched from the urban life he knows by his divorced mother when she marries the doctor in a small country town. At first, he is bereft and lost, a virtual fish out of water with no friends and no idea of how to fit into such strange new surroundings. Then he meets Gina, a free-spirited young girl with strong ideas about everything, including animals. Chris likes her immediately, but wishes, for her own good and his, that she weren't so different. The other kids in their country school make fun of her for her outspokenness, and while Chris admires her courage, he can't help feeling sorry for her. Why, he wonders, can't she just be like everyone else? Life would be so much less trouble that way. It would have been easy - and probably was tempting - for Read to demonize the book's villains. Except even that isn't fair, since the only villain is cruelty. And cruelty to animals is not, as often defined by defensive farmers, a subject that pits "city" people against "country" people. The ranchers are treated fairly. The people fighting to save Emily are far from perfect. Everyone has his or her flaws and colours, and everyone's motivations are given a fair shake. That's what makes the book so readable and so non-judgmental. Saving Emily is a gripping adventure story, a sympathetic tale about peer pressure versus individuality, and a heart-tugging plea for compassion for every kind of living creature, whether they have four legs or two. In doing that, it creates a niche in vegetarian literature, and fills it brilliantly.

Many children are kind to dogs and cats. Unfortunately, this compassionate attitude isn’t always extended to wild animals or those that much of society callously regards as "food animals." Many usually caring and thoughtful children (and some adults) don’t think (or don’t want to think) about where their burger or bacon & eggs come from. Some people mistakenly think, or are wrongly led to believe, that animals raised for society’s unhealthy and cruel diet live carefree, enjoyable lives free from any hardships until they are quickly and humanely killed for food. Saving Emily is a wonderful novel for children aged 9 and up. In telling the stories of Emily, the heifer, 12-year-old Chris, and his friend Gina,Nicholas Read not only provides an interesting and enjoyable story, he also effectively informs the reader of the cruel existence that cows and bulls must endure until they are killed. While Saving Emily is an interesting story and provides valuable insight into the business of growing and killing animals for food, it also deals with the important and common issues of dealing with—and overcoming, difficult childhood experiences. Chris must leave his friends and school in the city. His parents are divorced and his mother has married someone who lives in a small town. Gina is different from the other children in her school. She is a vegetarian and she helps out at the Rescue Ranch where dogs, horses and cows who have been saved are cared for. Her love for—and attitude toward, animals doesn’t sit well with the other students in the ranching community. Finally, Saving Emily conveys the vital message that the efforts of a few can result in positive changes, making an often hostile and cruel world a little kinder. Children who like animals will enjoy this book. Children who aren’t as caring toward animals should read it! –Reviewed by Glenn Perrett

Saving Emily is an engaging story about a girl, a boy and a cow named Emily. When Chris moves to the country he feels lonely and different - until he meets Gina. Chris thinks Gina is a little crazy because she cares so much about animals - but after meeting Emily and finding out her destination is the slaughterhouse, he begins to understand how strongly people can relate to animals!I'd recommend this as a must-read for all children, since they seem to be born with an inherent love for all animals.