All my life, some of my best friends have been animals, especially dogs and horses. As a sensitive kid who wore her emotions on her sleeve and who was constantly worried about pleasing parents, teachers, and friends, my animal friends felt like a source of unconditional love where I could let my guard down, just be myself, and not worry about being judged. The books I recommended all include extraordinary animal friendships. Four of the five are narrated or partially narrated by the animals themselves and are what inspired me to try my hand at writing a book for kids told from a dog’s point of view.
This book might just be my all-time favorite children’s book. I fell in love with Ivan, the silverback gorilla living as an exhibit in a shopping mall, on page one. I connected with the universal themes of friendship and learning to take risks for those we love.
The English teacher in me loved the sparse, poetic language. Ivan’s story is a timeless tale for readers of all ages. It’s a hopeful story of beauty and sadness, and I plan to return to it again and again.
Inspired by a true story, this is the beautifully written tale of how a mighty gorilla wins his freedom. A winning blend of humour and poignancy that will appeal to fans of Michael Morpurgo.
This #1 New York Times bestselling and Newbery Award-winning novel is coming to the big screen this summer, with a star-studded cast including Sam Rockwell, Angelina Jolie, Danny DeVito, Helen Mirren, Bryan Cranston, and more!
Ivan is an easy-going gorilla who has spent his life performing for the crowds at the Exit 8 shopping mall. He rarely misses…
I like beautiful writing and storytelling, and Wish by Barbara O’Connor is a perfect example of how beautifully written a children’s book can be.
The story takes place in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, one of my favorite places in the world, and includes a skinny, stray dog named Wishbone and a neighbor boy named Howard who change the main character’s life forever. Many of my best friends have been dogs, and Wishbone is one of my all-time favorite fictional friends.
2
authors picked
Wish
as one of their favorite books, and they share
why you should read it.
This book is for kids age
9,
10,
11, and
12.
What is this book about?
Eleven-year-old Charlie Reese has been making the same silent wish since fourth grade, hoping that some day it j will come true. When her irresponsible parents send her to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina to live with family members she doesn't know, she needs that wish to come true more than ever. A stray dog, a great friend, and the love of a big-hearted aunt and uncle just might make it happen.
In the bigoted milieu of 1945, six days after the official end of World War II, Bess Myerson, the daughter of poor Russian immigrants living in the Bronx, remarkably rises to become Miss America, the first —and to date only— Jewish woman to do so. At stake is a $5,000…
I loved this book because I love dogs. Of all the dog books I’ve read in my life—and there have been too many to count—this one most authentically expresses the unconditional way in which dogs love their humans.
Some authors are better than others at animal narration. W. Bruce Cameron is a pitch-perfect dog at its best. I cried and cried and cried. Yes, some of the tears were the result of great sadness, but just as many were tears of hope, joy, and beauty.
This is the remarkable story of one endearing dog's search for his purpose over the course of several lives. More than just another charming dog story, "A Dog's Purpose" touches on the universal quest for an answer to life's most basic question: Why are we here? Surprised to find himself reborn as a rambunctious golden-haired puppy after a tragically short life as a stray mutt, Bailey's search for his new life's meaning leads him into the loving arms of 8-year-old Ethan. During their countless adventures Bailey joyously discovers how to be a good dog. But this life as a beloved…
I love this book because of Enzo, the canine narrator. In fact, he may be my favorite narrator of all time. He is one of those narrators I would love to be friends with or who I would love to have as a professor or a spiritual guide.
The first time I tried reading it I put it down because I ugly-cried in the first chapter when Enzo recounted the story of how he planned to simplify his beloved human’s life. Thankfully, a trusted friend convinced me to give it another try because it’s now one of my all-time favorite books. Coming from an English teacher of twenty plus years, who reads a lot of good books, I think that's pretty high praise.
Yes, I cried a lot in this one, too, but I also laughed and did not want to leave Enzo or the humans he loved so dearly at the end of the story.
Soon to be a major motion picture, this heart-warming and inspirational tale follows Enzo, a loyal family dog, tells the story of his human family, how they nearly fell apart, and what he did to bring them back together.
Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: he thinks and feels in nearly human ways. He has educated himself by watching extensive television, and by listening very closely to the words of his master, Denny Swift, an up-and-coming race car driver. Through Denny, Enzo realizes that racing is a metaphor: that by applying the techniques a driver would apply on…
The Curiosity Cycle is a book for parents and educators who want to teach their children to be active explorers of the world. Learning through curiosity leads to adaptive thinking because your child is continually trying to improve his or her understanding of the world, and new facts and ideas…
I loved this one because I’m a sucker for a beautiful animal friendship story and pretty writing. Pax has both and then some. Plus, it’s told from alternating points of views between that of Peter, an adolescent boy coming of age during war time, and his beloved fox, Pax, who Peter rescued as a kit.
Like the other books on this list, Pax is packed with emotion and will probably require a tissue or two. But it’s well worth the read because of that, and because of the roller coaster of other emotions, readers will feel as well.
4
authors picked
Pax
as one of their favorite books, and they share
why you should read it.
This book is for kids age
9,
10,
11, and
12.
What is this book about?
The moving story of the extraordinary friendship between a boy and his fox and their epic journey to be reunited. Beautifully illustrated by multi-award winner, Jon Klassen. Now available in Paperback!
Pax was only a kit when his family was killed and he was rescued by 'his boy', Peter. Now the country is at war and when his father enlists, Peter has no choice but to move in with his grandfather. Far worse than leaving home is the fact that he has to leave Pax behind. But before Peter spends even one night under his grandfather's roof he sneaks out…
This is the story of an explosive detection dog who has spent her life keeping people safe. One day, she misses a dangerous scent at the airport, and there is an explosion that hurts the person she cares for most. Now, Stella is unable to work because of her anxiety.
She wants to be good and find a forever home, but her fear keeps causing trouble. Eventually, she meets a girl named Cloe, whose body surges with interesting chemical smells before she falls down and gets sick. Stella realizes she could save Cloe and prove her worth as a new kind of working dog, but first, she must do the impossible—overcome her anxiety and figure out how to communicate to humans what’s happening inside Cloe’s body.
When Miranda’s fiancé, Russ, is being vetted for his dream job in the U.S. attorney’s office, the couple joke that Miranda’s parents’ history as antiwar activists in the Sixties might jeopardize Russ’s security clearance. In fact, the real threat emerges when Russ’s future employer discovers that Miranda was arrested for…
Citizen Scientist begins with this extraordinary statement by the Keeper of Entomology at the London Museum of Natural History, “Study any obscure insect for a week and you will then know more than anyone else on the planet.”
As the author chases the obscure Western red-bellied tiger beetle across New…
