The best early readers with funny animal friendships

The Little Bear series is my all-time favorite of the early reader genre; Minarik’s wisdom about childhood worries and pleasures shines on every page, and Sendak’s rich, delicate drawings gorgeously render an entire world. In this gentle tale of friendship, Little Bear meets a human girl, Emily, who is lost in the woods. He helps her find her family, and soon they are fast friends, playing games, helping Duck baby-sit, and even attending a party at Owl’s house. When Emily’s doll Lucy breaks her arm, only Little Bear knows what to do. But when the summer ends, will Little Bear ever see Emily again?  

Rylant is the true maestro of early readers, with her trademark blend of kid-friendly adventure, childhood truth, and humor. It’s hard to pick a favorite from her many offerings, but the Poppleton books—about an independent-minded pig with lots of plans—stand out for their appealing silliness and the bright, energetic pictures by Teague.  In this book, Poppleton embarks on a spring-cleaning project to clear out his overcrowded house but ends up finding a host of new treasures at the home of his llama friend, Cherry Sue. He has other schemes for enjoying the springtime—maybe he’ll go for a bike ride or camp out under the stars—but with Poppleton, you never know how these adventures will end up.

Mole and Mouse take their art supplies into the woods to make a book about birds, but they can never get close enough to their subjects to draw them. Since birds are not afraid of other birds, they decide to create feathered costumes for themselves and then build a nest to lure some winged company into drawing range. These stories about a warm, eccentric friendship between a mole and mouse, with charming pictures reminiscent of E.H. Shepard’s art in the Winne the Pooh books, are full of small surprises, just right for new readers.  

Boris is a mischievous, comical warthog, always up for adventure. In this first book of the series, Boris persuades his parents to take their old bus, which doubles as their home, out for a ride. He longs to explore faraway jungles and is sorely disappointed when the bus stops at a local park. But it turns out the park holds unexpected thrills – not to mention scares! — and Boris ends up with a new friend. These short chapter books are perfect for new readers: six or seven chapters with a single, suspenseful storyline, in an engaging graphic format that employs dialogue and thought balloons sparingly and effectively.

A boisterous dog named King is the narrator of this charming mystery series. He and his owner Kayla solve various puzzles: a missing ring, stolen treats, or in this case, a lost dog separated from his family. The books have an appealingly dog-like perspective, focused on smells, sounds, and food, with little sense of human concepts like time (e.g., King remarks that “nine or three days go by”). The straightforward mysteries have just the right complexity and drama for beginning readers.