Here are 100 books that Boot & Shoe fans have personally recommended if you like
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As a little kid, I wanted nothing more than to be best friends with every dog I met. Our family dog was a Yorkie and she was my little buddy for 17 years. A Family for Louie came about because of my love of dogs, food, and family. Naturally, my first picture book would be about all of these things! Dogs are such wonderful creatures, brimming with love, loyalty, and so much personality. I hope this round-up of books featuring our furry four-legged friends brings a little joy and laughter to your storytime.
I absolutely love this story and the painterly illustrations in this book. It’s about a family that befriends a stray dog in the park and names him Willy. After thinking about Willy all week, they decide to go back to find him. It’s a heartwarming story with little moments of humor and joy, one that I come back to again and again.
“This picture book has all the earmarks of a classic. Simont gets it all right.” —The Horn Book (starred review)
Caldecott Medalist Marc Simont's heartwarming tale of a stray dog is told with tender simplicity and grace.
When a little dog appears at a family picnic, the girl and boy play with him all afternoon, and they name him Willy. At day's end they say good-bye. But the dog has won their hearts and stays on their minds.
The following Saturday the family returns to the picnic grounds to look for Willy, but they are not alone—the dog catcher is…
I am a librarian and a picture book author/illustrator – it’s a perfect combination as I get to spend lots of time around books. I’m also a huge animal lover, with a special fondness for dogs. I can’t resist a picture book about dogs, and it’s no surprise that my first picture book was based on a true story about one very brave little dog. It is not easy to recommend only 5 books, but these are certainly my top favorites both in text and art. Happy reading!
Ed lives with the Ellis family. Ed is a good dog – a very good dog. But in Ed’s family, everyone is excellent. Could that be why he is not allowed to eat at the table? Or use the indoor bathroom? Maybe Ed needs to be excellent too. He will try to be excellent, but what will happen if he cannot do it? There’s so much to love about this earnest and sweet dog and his adoring family.
Dog lovers will adore this imperfect yet endearing mutt and his quest for excellence!
***Winner of an Ezra Jack Keats New Author Honor Award!***
Everyone in the Ellis family is excellent--except Ed.
Ed wonders if this is why he isn’t allowed to eat at the table or sit on the couch with the other children. So he’s determined to find his own thing to be excellent at--only to be (inadvertently) outdone by a family member every time.
Now Ed is really nervous--what if he’s not excellent enough to belong in this family?
I am a librarian and a picture book author/illustrator – it’s a perfect combination as I get to spend lots of time around books. I’m also a huge animal lover, with a special fondness for dogs. I can’t resist a picture book about dogs, and it’s no surprise that my first picture book was based on a true story about one very brave little dog. It is not easy to recommend only 5 books, but these are certainly my top favorites both in text and art. Happy reading!
When bedtime arrives, where is Fred? A big, fluffy dog, he’s busying himself with everything else, except getting ready for bed. He runs through flower beds and mud, needs a bath, plays hide-and-seek, and finally ask for one more story. Mirroring behavior of any toddler avoiding bedtime, Fred finally gets ready for a good night sleep. Drawn loosely in ink and watercolor, Fred will run away with your heart as well.
It's time for bed. But will Fred go to bed? You bet he won't! From hiding up trees, and splashing in muddy puddles, to hiding in the kitchen sink and disappearing behind bookshelves, Fred will do ANYTHING to avoid bedtime. He would even prefer to have a bath. But what's this? All that running around couldn't possibly have made Fred sleepy . . . could it?
A delightful bedtime book, destined to become a classic.
I am a librarian and a picture book author/illustrator – it’s a perfect combination as I get to spend lots of time around books. I’m also a huge animal lover, with a special fondness for dogs. I can’t resist a picture book about dogs, and it’s no surprise that my first picture book was based on a true story about one very brave little dog. It is not easy to recommend only 5 books, but these are certainly my top favorites both in text and art. Happy reading!
Meet Daisy, a bouncy puppy with a favorite red ball. One day, while playing in the park, a bigger dog bites on it and –puff! Her ball completely deflates. Daisy is crushed! She returns home and buries herself on the sofa, totally downcast. Told in wordless panels, Daisy’s feelings are deeply felt and understood. The illustrations are amazingly expressive and perfectly capture the character’s emotional journey from playfulness to sadness. On a return visit to the park, can Daisy find a way to joy again?
This New York Times Bestseller and New York Times Best Illustrated Book relates a story about love and loss as only Chris Rashcka can tell it. Any child who has ever had a beloved toy break will relate to Daisy's anguish when her favorite ball is destroyed by a bigger dog. In the tradition of his nearly wordless picture book Yo! Yes?, Caldecott Medalist Chris Raschka explores in pictures the joy and sadness that having a special toy can bring. Raschka's signature swirling, impressionistic illustrations and his affectionate story will particularly appeal to…
I expect that the folks at Shepherd.com approached me as a picture book author, since I’m the author of eleven picture books, including the four books of the Vampirina Ballerina series, which were adapted into the Disney Junior hit series Vampirina. But my thoughts and ideas about friendship and community really stem from once having been a child myself and from being a parent of four children, each of whom approached the roller coaster ride of childhood friendship in their unique ways. I was always happy to help them find answers in a book, even when those answers involved more, and deeper, questions.
Little Brown is not the type of book on friendship I originally intended to include. The main character is sad and friendless, and that doesn’t really change by the end of the book. But it raises deeply moving questions about the nature of relationships and connection. For older picture book age children beginning to confront bullying and misunderstanding in school settings, it may lead to thought-provoking and important questions.
“An open-ended story that creates a great starting point for meaningful discussion with young children about bullying and inclusion.” —School Library Journal (starred review)
A grumpy and lonely little dog at the animal shelter decides to take matters into his own paws in this though-provoking and sublime picture book from the award-winning author and illustrator of The Boss Baby!
Little Brown is one cranky canine because no one ever plays with him at the animal shelter. Or maybe no one ever plays with him because he is cranky. Either way, Little Brown decides today is the day to take action,…
I’m Australian and there’s a big place in my heart for Australian-set stories. I read mostly for escapism, but there’s a deeper connection with tales from my own backyard. I’ve also always loved speculative fiction – everything from epic and paranormal fantasy to space opera and dystopian thrillers – and I’m excited when my favourite genres and setting come together. My day job is in local government. I’ve seen how government decisions can impact the trajectory of a society, and I’m particularly drawn to stories that explore that theme. I’m the author of five speculative fiction novels with Australian settings: the four novels in The Rephaim series (supernatural fantasy) and The Undercurrent (slightly futuristic/pre-apocalyptic).
It’s a dystopian YA novel where the Australian landscape is beautifully rendered in all its glory and danger. It’s also a tightly written and intense page turner, when even quiet moments are infused with a sense of menace.
It has echoes of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, although this book is unmistakably Australian - right down to speculation around where our nation’s attitude to asylum seeks may lead us. It’s not as bleak as The Road (a book I admire), but Mark reminds us how easily our veneer of society could slip away in the wake of a catastrophic, world-changing event.
I did worry for Finn’s dog as much as for Finn himself. (I’m still scarred by The Knife of Never Letting Go. This has parallels to that nail-biting novel, too.)
Since a deadly virus and the violence that followed wiped out his parents and most of his community, Finn has lived alone on the rugged coast with only his dog Rowdy for company.
He has stayed alive for two winters—hunting and fishing and trading food, and keeping out of sight of the Wilders, an armed and dangerous gang that controls the north, led by a ruthless man named Ramage.
But Finn’s isolation is shattered when a girl runs onto the beach. Rose is a Siley—an asylum seeker—and she has escaped from Ramage, who had enslaved her and her younger sister,…
My journey as a writer began in correlation with my career as a family doctor. After reading Dr. Jacques Ferron’s, books, I knew I wanted to be an author as well as a doctor. While pursuing my medical career, I wrote medical articles and books. My husband and I have also been featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul of Quebecers with the story Witness of the Last Breath. This is the story of the last night of my daughter-in-law dying of lung cancer. Before she died, I promised Marie-Noëlle that I would pursue my writing career to change the world one young reader at a time. And I did.
Martha Speaks is the famous speaking dog. I recommend this chapter book as it relates to my book.
In this story, two children exchange their lives with that of their dog for a day. I like this original scenario because it can teach great lessons on being happy with who you are and what you have. At the end of the book, the author gathered new words in a glossary.
Readers can also follow the step-by-step experiment at the end to become a dog for the day. Do not hesitate to read this book with your children and make them speak about their understanding of the story.
Hypothesis: "Its easier being a dog than being a human." This seems pretty safe to say, but the notion is put to the test in this funny, action-packed, full-color chapter book based on the PBS showMartha Speaks. When Carolina is turned into a dog, she finds out how irresistible mud, meat, and squirrels can be and ends up at the shelter! Then T.D. volunteers to live as a dog for a day. Is it as easy at it looks? By the end, readers will not only have had a good laugh, theyll know the difference between empathy and sympathy, manners…
I am the author of eleven books for middle-grade readers, including three books from a dog’s point of view. These books have won five state book awards between them, and have been published in other languages. I’ve been writing for young readers for over 20 years. I also live with four furry friends of my own: Cookie (a cockapoo), Myrtle (a pug), Nala (a calico cat), and Daisy (a sweet mutt cat). I miss my big-hearted goldendoodle Lucky every day. And, like my dogs, I can be bribed with cheese.
Every kid I’ve met loves these books. EVERY kid. And I don’t know that I’ve ever laughed so hard at a book as I do at the Dog Man books—yes, me—a full-grown adult.
Dog Man has the head of a dog, the body of an adult, and a heart for fighting crime. Will he be able to resist the call of the wild to answer the call of duty? These graphic novels are colorful and wild, simple and complex all at once.
If you want to know how kids today see the world, read these books. Dav Pilkey is a genius at knowing what will keep kids turning pages.
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This book is for kids age
6,
7,
8, and
9.
What is this book about?
Howl with laughter with the FIRST book in the hilarious full-colour illustrated series, Dog Man, from the creator of Captain Underpants! George and Harold (the co-stars of the enormously popular Captain Underpants series) are in big trouble again!
George and Harold have created a new breed of justice -- one that is part dog, part man, and ALL HERO!
With the head of a dog and the body of a human, this heroic hound digs into deception, claws after crooks, rolls over robbers, and scampers after squirrels.
Will he be able to resist the call of the wild to answer…
I love dachshunds! My dachshund Harry has appeared in several of my books including Dozens of Dachshunds; May I Pet Your Dog?; Oodles of Poodles and Doodles (yep, he's in that one, too); and the Ready, Set, Dogs! chapter book series written with Magic School Bus author Joanna Cole. I'm a former early childhood teacher and children's book editor and I've written over 100 books for children.
This is a gentle, joyful story about perseverance and growing up.
A young boy named Peter wishes he could whistle. When he sees that another boy can whistle to get his dog to run to him, he wants to do the same with his dachshund Willie. Peter tries and tries to learn. He tries so hard his cheeks get tired. He doesn't give up and triumphs in the end.
Several other books by Ezra Jack Keats feature Peter and Willie together and they're a pair worth knowing.
Since it was first published in 1964, Whistle for Willie has delighted millions of young readers with its nearly wordless text and its striking collage artwork depicting the story of Peter, who longs to whistle for his dog. The New York Times wrote: "Mr. Keats' illustrations boldly, colorfully capture the child, his city world, and the shimmering heat of a summer's day."
I am a big fan of two things… one is graphic novels and the other is funny stuff! When those two things come together I am in my zone. I read lots of graphic novels when I was a kid and I've never really stopped. They are a great part of anyone’s reading diet. Now I write funny graphic novels for kids with my writing partner Jol. We’ve written 20 books to date including The Underdogs series, but there’s more to come!
This one has a human in it but also a dog – the world’s cutest and sweetest dog Pawcasso.
So it’s not as side-splitting as my other recommendation but after all that laughing you’ll need to settle down with this heart-warming tale or should I say tail!
This is a story all about friendship and belonging and it will make you feel terrific!
Remy Lai, the award-winning creator of Pie in the Sky makes her middle-grade graphic novel debut, Pawcasso, about the unexpected friendship between the loneliest girl in class and the coolest canine in town.
A Booklist Editors' Choice Winner for 2021, Amazon Best Book of the Month, New York Public Library Best Book of the Year, and Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year
"It's tail-wagging entertaining!" ―Kelly Yang, New York Times bestselling author of Front Desk
Every Saturday, Pawcasso trots into town with a basket, a shopping list, and cash in paw to buy groceries for his family. One…
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