100 books like Dog Boy

By Eva Hornung,

Here are 100 books that Dog Boy fans have personally recommended if you like Dog Boy. Shepherd is a community of 11,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Lassie Come-Home

Jennifer Marshall Bleakley Author Of Finding Grace: The Inspiring True Story of Therapy Dogs Bringing Comfort, Hope, and Love to a Hurting World

From my list on making you fall in love with dogs all over again.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a painfully shy child, I found friendship and ultimately my own voice reading about, and spending time with, animals—especially dogs. Dogs didn’t judge, didn’t expect anything from me, and I never had to worry about what to say to them. They gave me the gift of their presence and time to practice communication—gifts that ultimately led me to obtain a master’s degree in counseling and work as a children’s grief counselor. Thankfully I overcame my extreme shyness. And there is no denying the role that dogs—and books about dogs—have played in my life. I hope this list helps you find that same comfort and inspiration.

Jennifer's book list on making you fall in love with dogs all over again

Jennifer Marshall Bleakley Why did Jennifer love this book?

Although it’s technically considered a children’s book, Lassie Come-Home is one of those special stories that crosses generations, cultures, and time periods.

As a child desperate for a dog, I loved imagining I had a dog as devoted as Lassie—and one as willing to traverse all manner of obstacles to come and find me should we ever become separated!

As an adult, I was struck by how much Lassie endured to find her way back to Joe, and how, even when presented with a comfortable life somewhere else, she chose to keep moving forward—back to the boy who held her heart.

By Eric Knight, Marguerite Kirmse (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked Lassie Come-Home as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

Sold in financial desperation to a wealthy duke living in the far north of Scotland, a collie undertakes a 1000-mile journey in order to be reunited with her former master in Yorkshire.


Book cover of The Last Family in England

Tabitha Ormiston-Smith Author Of Bloodsucking Bogans

From my list on featuring realistic dogs.

Why am I passionate about this?

Since I brought home my first rescue thirty years ago, my life has been full of dogs and dog-related activities that I can hardly imagine the person I would've been without them. My own books often feature one or more dogs, not because I particularly decide to write about dogs, but more because I live with dogs, it’s what I know. When I’m browsing for a good read, if a book features a dog, that’s a draw for me, just because dogs are dogs; they are such good creatures, so infinitely lovable, that their presence enhances a book for me just as their presence in my life enhances my every day.

Tabitha's book list on featuring realistic dogs

Tabitha Ormiston-Smith Why did Tabitha love this book?

Unlike so many books where the point of view character is a dog, Haig has really thought his way into the dog. His creation, Prince, is not a counterfeit, a man in a dog suit, as it were, but a real dog. Haig’s empathic projection of how a dog might see things and interpret events is both charming and very believable. Further, Prince is a truly relatable character, without being ‘cute’. His well-meaning, doomed struggle to make sense of things he cannot understand, and to take control of a bad situation and save his family, is the very essence of tragedy; he is prevented by his very nature from achieving what he so desperately desires. 

The ending will break your heart, but it’s a fantastic read that will leave you feeling richer for having read it.

By Matt Haig,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Last Family in England as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

FROM THE NUMBER ONE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR

Meet the Hunter family: Adam, Kate, and their children Hal and Charlotte. And Prince, their Labrador.

Prince is an earnest young dog, striving hard to live up to the tenets of the Labrador Pact (Remain Loyal to Your Human Masters, Serve and Protect Your Family at Any Cost). Other dogs, led by the Springer Spaniels, have revolted. As things in the Hunter family begin to go badly awry - marital breakdown, rowdy teenage parties, attempted suicide - Prince's responsibilities threaten to overwhelm him and he is forced to break the Labrador Pact…


Book cover of Kazan: The Wolf Dog

Tabitha Ormiston-Smith Author Of Bloodsucking Bogans

From my list on featuring realistic dogs.

Why am I passionate about this?

Since I brought home my first rescue thirty years ago, my life has been full of dogs and dog-related activities that I can hardly imagine the person I would've been without them. My own books often feature one or more dogs, not because I particularly decide to write about dogs, but more because I live with dogs, it’s what I know. When I’m browsing for a good read, if a book features a dog, that’s a draw for me, just because dogs are dogs; they are such good creatures, so infinitely lovable, that their presence enhances a book for me just as their presence in my life enhances my every day.

Tabitha's book list on featuring realistic dogs

Tabitha Ormiston-Smith Why did Tabitha love this book?

This is an old book, in the tradition made so popular by Jack London. There were a number of these ‘proud, free dog of the North’ type of books published, and they are all great reads, yet this one is in my opinion the finest of them. It never descends into mawkish sentiment, but tells Kazan’s story from his own viewpoint; there is little of the human world, and we get a glimpse of just how alien a wild animal is, how different from our own, more domestic companions. 

A tremendously exciting read, with not a dull page in it.

By James Oliver Curwood,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Kazan as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This carefully crafted ebook: "Kazan, the Wolf Dog" is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents.
Excerpt:
"Kazan lay mute and motionless, his gray nose between his forepaws, his eyes half closed. A rock could have appeared scarcely less lifeless than he; not a muscle twitched; not a hair moved; not an eyelid quivered. Yet every drop of the wild blood in his splendid body was racing in a ferment of excitement that Kazan had never before experienced; every nerve and fiber of his wonderful muscles was tense as steel wire..."
James Oliver Curwood was…


Book cover of His Dog

Tabitha Ormiston-Smith Author Of Bloodsucking Bogans

From my list on featuring realistic dogs.

Why am I passionate about this?

Since I brought home my first rescue thirty years ago, my life has been full of dogs and dog-related activities that I can hardly imagine the person I would've been without them. My own books often feature one or more dogs, not because I particularly decide to write about dogs, but more because I live with dogs, it’s what I know. When I’m browsing for a good read, if a book features a dog, that’s a draw for me, just because dogs are dogs; they are such good creatures, so infinitely lovable, that their presence enhances a book for me just as their presence in my life enhances my every day.

Tabitha's book list on featuring realistic dogs

Tabitha Ormiston-Smith Why did Tabitha love this book?

I’m a sucker for a book where a struggling person turns his life around, and His Dog is a wonderful example. A bitter, failed man, run to seed and given up to drink and bad ways, takes in a stray dog, and we see the gradual transformation of his life in response to the dog’s pure goodwill. It’s a charming book, and as it goes on, and terrible risks are encountered and overcome, it is in emotional terms one of the most exciting books I’ve read. Originally published in 1922, the book deals with subjects that don’t change over time, so it remains as relevant today as when it was first written. A beautiful and heart-warming book.

By Albert Payson Terhune,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked His Dog as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.


Book cover of Trouper

Cheryl Lawton Malone Author Of Dario and the Whale

From my list on children’s books about kindness and friendship.

Why am I passionate about this?

Fairy tales were my first love but I didn’t discover the true magic of children’s picture books until I left my 25-year career as an attorney to enter an MFA program. Wow, was I amazed. Picture books—books in which pictures tell an integral part of the story—not only create an instant connection between reader and little listener but stay with us into adulthood as memories. With this insight, I dove into the genre to discover what distinguishes picture books that are read and reread from those that fade. The answer turns out to be—tales that engender awe and wonder, yarns with heart, and narratives about friendship and kindness. Those are the stories that stay with us forever.

Cheryl's book list on children’s books about kindness and friendship

Cheryl Lawton Malone Why did Cheryl love this book?

Author Meg Kearney and Caldecott Honor Book artist E.B. Lewis join together to create the enchanting story of a three-legged street mutt who longs to find his forever home. After his canine mob is napped by animal control, Trouper watches each of his pals get adopted. Alone in his crate, he wonders if anyone will ever want him. Of course—with perfect pacing—the right boy comes along at the right time and oh my goodness, do we cheer. In a charming approachTrouper is told from the dog’s POV. This book oozes with heart and humor and is a sure re-read for anyone who loves an underdog.

By Meg Kearney, E.B. Lewis (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Trouper as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A moving story of a three-legged stray dog who finds a loving boy to call his own--illustrated by Caldecott Honor Book artist E.B. Lewis. Based on a true story.

Trouper ran with a mob of mutts who tripped over trash cans and pawed the cold streets for bones. They howled and cried and wished for a home. Until one day, the dogs are captured from off the streets and put in cages in a shelter as they wait to be adopted. Trouper watches sadly as, one by one, each of his dog friends are chosen. He's the only one left…


Book cover of The Call of the Wild & White Fang

Sam Angus Author Of Soldier Dog

From my list on the bond between a dog and his human.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was asked in my final year at university, to choose between my degree and my dog. I’d kept a little Yorkshire terrier hidden in my Cambridge rooms for two years before he was discovered and he’d been lovely company as I plugged away at my reading there. I'm pretty confident that I'm the only student who has ever kept a dog at Trinity College. Because of the impact Lassie made on me as a child, I’ve always longed for a collie and now have space for one. He’s called Cedric and is as human and sentient as I. The first book I wrote was about a dog with the loyalty of all the dogs in the world, and with the love of all the dogs in the world.

Sam's book list on the bond between a dog and his human

Sam Angus Why did Sam love this book?

One story is about a dog and the other is about a wolf, so they’re companion books and mirrors to each other. Both are deeply atmospheric, transporting you to the isolated, raw, cruel wastes of the frozen north, to the world of famine, brutality, and the survival of the fittest. Both stories examine primal instincts: How much dog there is in wolf, how much wolf there is in dog, and how the balance of the primal canine instinct can be tipped by trust in man. Read each one in a day and you’ll never forget them.

By Jack London,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Call of the Wild & White Fang as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

Extraordinary both for the vividness of their descriptions and the success with which they imagine life from a non-human perspective, these two classics of children's literature are two of the greatest and most popular animal stories ever written.

Part of the Macmillan Collector's Library, a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket-sized classics with gold-foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This beautiful Macmillan Collector's Library edition of The Call of the Wild & White Fang features an afterword by Sam Gilpin.

The Call of the Wild tells the story of…


Book cover of Courtney

Sally Muir Author Of Rescue Dogs

From my list on dog heroes.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love dogs and I love books, so the combination is always beguiling to me. I have recently published my third book of dog art Rescue Dogs, I asked people to send me photos of their rescues, and as I now realise, all rescues come with a story, so they came with an extraordinary collection of stories about where they came from, how they were found, character sketches and descriptions of their idiosyncrasies. I realised that some of my favourite books have dogs heroes, there are 5 here but there could have been many many more.

Sally's book list on dog heroes

Sally Muir Why did Sally love this book?

This is a children’s picture book, by the brilliant writer and illustrator John Burningham.

It’s the story of a mongrel Courtney, who is brought home by two children to their snobbish parents, who don’t like him because he’s a mutt.

Courtney is brilliant, can cook, play the violin, juggle, is the perfect dog, and they’re still not satisfied.

It’s sad and sweet and has the most beautiful, deceptively simple drawings that break your heart.

By John Burningham,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Courtney as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

When the children bring Courtney home he's just a loveable scruffy old dog. But the-mongrel-that-nobody-wants has the most amazing talents. He can cook! He can juggle! He can even play the violin! Then one day Courtney the wonder dog packs up his trunk and leaves home - but the children find out his helping paw is not far away...


Book cover of Dream Dog

Judy Lea Author Of Please Don't Go in the Dryer!

From my list on laugh out loud children’s books about pets.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a semi-retired music teacher and grandmother of two. When my kids were little, we would devour books like they were delicious candy, reading our favourites over and over again. I still love reading out loud, using various inflections, accents, and voices for the different characters. I’ve read hundreds of children’s books and the ones I enjoy most have a great message, are fun to read out loud, and also make me laugh. And they must have beautiful, colourful illustrations! My first book is a spoken word piece from my WCMA-nominated CD, Too Much Work To Do. It’s been asking me to dream it into a book for years! 

Judy's book list on laugh out loud children’s books about pets

Judy Lea Why did Judy love this book?

Harry really wants a dog! Alas, his dad’s nose is sensitive from working in a pepper factory; dogs make him sneeze! He gets Harry a chameleon and it’s ok; it changes colours, but doesn’t move much and is hard to see. So…Harry decides to dream a dog! The two have the best time together until one day… 

I really relate to this story because dogs make me sneeze too! I love Harry’s great imagination and the father’s sympathy for his son, going along with the existence of Waffle, the dream dog. The illustrations are whimsical, beautiful, and hilarious. I think you will be delighted with this book, maybe as much as me! 

PS. The author is a ten-time Emmy Award winner and former head writer for Sesame Street!

By Lou Berger, David J. Catrow (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Dream Dog as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Written by a ten-time Emmy Award winner and former head writer for Sesame Street, here's a story that will resonate with every dog-loving child out there. Harry wants wants wants a dog, and, instead of getting one, his parents try to placate him with a pet that's decidedly less interesting—a lizard. So Harry takes matters into his own hands and places his X-35 Infra-Rocket Imagination Helmet on his head, and soon something—with paws! a tail! a wet nose!—pops into the world. Sure, nobody else can see the dog named Waffle, but that doesn't matter to Harry. But what happens when…


Book cover of 101 Dog Tricks, Kids Edition: Fun and Easy Activities, Games, and Crafts

Dr. Ian Dunbar Author Of Before and After Getting Your Puppy

From my list on for teaching dog tricks.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a veterinarian, behaviorist, author, and dog trainer. I researched dog interactions for 10 years at UC Berkeley and in the early 80s, put theory to practice with SIRIUS® Puppy Training, introducing off-leash, puppy socialization and training classes, food lures and rewards, fun and games, and science-based, dog-friendly dog training to the doggy world. I spread the word by founding the Association of Professional Dog Trainers. Cueing your dog to act friendly and playful helps it feel friendly and playful. Also, presenting a less threatening picture to other dogs and their owners, softens their feelings, attitudes, preconceptions, and demeanor, thereby making sidewalks, trails, and parks a happier and safer place for you and your dog.

Ian's book list on for teaching dog tricks

Dr. Ian Dunbar Why did Ian love this book?

Yup, another book by Kyra—completely different but equally as enjoyable and with many more wonderful photographs (starring Jadie the Weim). I’m sure that all the children have read and mastered everything in 101 Dog Tricks and wanted something more. Well, they got it. I wanted to make this the first choice on my list, but didn’t, because not everyone has children and I didn’t want them to feel left out. Nonetheless, I implore you all to be a child for a day and enjoy the book, and your dog.

The Kids Edition is a marvelous collection of 101 games, activities, brain games, and magic tricks, for children to teach and engage with their dogs. What makes the Kids Edition truly special, most tricks involve projects, showing children how to make stuff, such as doggy doorbells, fleece leashes, personalized dog bowls, teeter-totters, and artworks. Messenger Dog is my all-time favorite and…

By Kyra Sundance,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked 101 Dog Tricks, Kids Edition as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Having your children train the family dog through trick teaching is an ideal way to build a safe and respectful relationship early on, build a bond between your dog and the kids, build confidence, and make it fun for everyone! 101 Dog Tricks, Kids Edition will teach you everything you need to know to involve your children in training the family dog. This book presents full color photos of kids working with dogs for each trick, along with training steps, to make it easy to follow along. The step-by-step approach, difficulty rating, and prerequisites will allow you and your child…


Book cover of Here Comes Valentine Cat

Brandi Dougherty Author Of The Littlest Valentine

From my list on spreading love on Valentine’s Day.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a New York Times Bestselling author of more than twenty children’s picture books and chapter books as well as a mom to two young kids. Nothing fills me with more joy than reading to children and witnessing how a story can open up their hearts and minds. And Valentine’s Day is a holiday that brings me extra joy because it’s all about spreading love and friendship. I love Valentine’s Day so much that I’ve written two picture books about it!

Brandi's book list on spreading love on Valentine’s Day

Brandi Dougherty Why did Brandi love this book?

This is a great story about keeping your heart open and not making snap judgments. Cat does not like Valentine’s Day and has no interest in celebrating it. He especially does not want to celebrate with his new neighbor, Dog. After all, Dog has been throwing things over the fence at Cat! How rude. But just went Cat decides to tell Dog exactly what he thinks, Cat gets an unexpected surprise—and maybe even a new friend too! This is such a funny and sweet story full of humor and heart.  

By Deborah Underwood, Claudia Rueda (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Here Comes Valentine Cat as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Cat does NOT like Valentine's Day. It's much too mushy, and no way is he making a valentine for anyone- especially not his new neighbour, Dog. Dog refuses to respect the fence: he keeps tossing over old bones and a hitting Cat in the head! But just as Cat's about to send Dog an angry "valentine" telling him exactly what he can do with his bones, Dog throws a ball over the fence. What is Dog playing at? Cat is in for a hilarious - and heartwarming - surprise in this story about being perhaps too quick to judge.


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