The best books told from the point of view of animals

This book is a children’s classic that I came to recently while researching my next book, which is told from the point of view (POV) of animals. Both the humans and animals endure incredibly harsh conditions—and in some cases horrible brutality—but I love it for its message. No matter what our background might be, whether we appear to have an easy start in life or not, we all encounter tough times. And the main character in The Call of the Wild, a dog called Buck, is lord of all in the beginning, but without warning, his life is plunged into extreme difficulty. The resilience that he develops through his journey shows us that real character is formed by the choices we make when it looks like we have no choice. 

Technically, Beetle Boy is not told from an animal’s POV (or even a beetle’s POV for that matter), but an important part of the main human character’s journey is that he learns how to understand what the beetles are saying. Young people have a special ability to communicate with animals, and because you are reading this, it is highly likely you are one of those. So, please enjoy this super fun, heartwarming tale, and be encouraged that if you think you understand animals—you probably do. Conversely, if you think I am ridiculous, then I suggest you learn how to listen to animals and minibeasts as soon as possible. You don’t want to become one of those adults Roald Dhal calls “stodgy” now do you?

As I look at this book where it sits on the kitchen table across from me, I can feel my nose and eyes prickling with tears. It is so sad. But I am convinced that reading sad books, especially when they are so brilliantly written, can be helpful for processing those feelings. I love the character of Fiver who has a special sense of what’s coming. My mum had a dog called Sheba who always knew when mum was on her way home and would suddenly jump out of her bed and wait by the front door. Five minutes later, who should show up? My siblings and I were always very thankful to Sheba on the occasions we were up to something naughty.

I am so happy to recommend this series of books; they are all brilliant, but it’s definitely a good idea to start at the beginning with Best Friends Forever. Perhaps you could read Watership Down to get all the sad feelings out and then replace them with wonderfully happy ones. The characters are utterly charming, and I personally admire the way the author handles the POV of humans and animals. If your school has not had an author’s visit from Claire Barker yet, keep bothering your teacher until they give in. 

Tarka the Otter was first published in 1927 which means it looks very different to modern children’s books—mostly in the absence of dialogue. Some would say that you won’t be able to read it because ‘children today have no concentration span.’ But you are still reading this aren’t you, so I say give it a go. I have lived in Kenya for over a decade now and I love the way that this book reminds me of the landscape of my first home: “Twilight over meadow and water, the eve-star shining above the hill, and Old Nog the heron crying kra-a-ark! as his slow dark wings carried him down the estuary.”