100 books like Tales from Watership Down

By Richard Adams,

Here are 100 books that Tales from Watership Down fans have personally recommended if you like Tales from Watership Down. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Welcome to the Monkey House

Jeff Fleischer Author Of Animal Husbandry: And Other Fictions

From my list on collections that show what great modern novelists can do with short fiction.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love short-story collections. I’ve read dozens to hundreds of them, starting as a child reading Richard Scarry, and I still make them a regular part of my reading diet. I started trying my own hand at short fiction in 2012 and have since finished more than one hundred stories, including the ones in Animal Husbandry. I’m now working on my first novel after years as a short-story writer, and it gives me additional admiration for how many outstanding novelists are also able to master short fiction. It’s two different skill sets, and the five authors I mentioned here (among many others) excel at both.

Jeff's book list on collections that show what great modern novelists can do with short fiction

Jeff Fleischer Why did Jeff love this book?

Vonnegut has been one of my favorite authors for a long time, and this might be the first collection I read that wasn’t specifically for young readers. Some of the future-set stories like “Harrison Bergeron” and “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow” changed how I saw science fiction.

Welcome to the Monkey House introduced me to Vonnegut and to a love of short-story collections as a form, and it holds up remarkably well.

By Kurt Vonnegut,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Welcome to the Monkey House as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A MASTERFUL COLLECTION OF TWENTY-FIVE SHORT STORIES FROM THE INIMITABLE AUTHOR OF SLAUGHTERHOUSE 5, KURT VONNEGUT

'Vonnegut is George Orwell, Dr Caligari and Flash Gordon compounded into one writer...a zany but moral mad scientist' Time

A diabolical government asserts control by eliminating orgasms. A scientist discovers the secret to unlocking instant happiness, with unexpected consequences. In an America where everyone is equal every which way, a tennage boy plans to overthrow the system.

Welcome to the Monkey House gathers together twenty-five of Kurt Vonnegut's short stories from the 1950s and 1960s. Shot through with Vonnegut's singular humour, wit and bewilderment…


Book cover of Music for Wartime: Stories

Jeff Fleischer Author Of Animal Husbandry: And Other Fictions

From my list on collections that show what great modern novelists can do with short fiction.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love short-story collections. I’ve read dozens to hundreds of them, starting as a child reading Richard Scarry, and I still make them a regular part of my reading diet. I started trying my own hand at short fiction in 2012 and have since finished more than one hundred stories, including the ones in Animal Husbandry. I’m now working on my first novel after years as a short-story writer, and it gives me additional admiration for how many outstanding novelists are also able to master short fiction. It’s two different skill sets, and the five authors I mentioned here (among many others) excel at both.

Jeff's book list on collections that show what great modern novelists can do with short fiction

Jeff Fleischer Why did Jeff love this book?

This is a truly beautiful collection, and I love the way many of the stories place the protagonists in fraught situations that reveal what they will do to survive.

Some of my favorites are “The Worst You Ever Feel” and “The Briefcase” for how they show war’s impact on survivors, and “Painted Ocean, Painted Ship” and “The Miracle Years of Little Fork” for combining the tragic and the absurd in creative ways.

By Rebecca Makkai,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Music for Wartime as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A short-story collection from the acclaimed author of The Great Believers

Named a must-read by the Chicago Tribune, O Magazine, BuzzFeed, The Huffington Post, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, and The L Magazine

Rebecca Makkai's first two novels, The Borrower and The Hundred-Year House, have established her as one of the freshest and most imaginative voices in fiction. Now, the award-winning writer, whose stories have appeared in four consecutive editions of The Best American Short Stories, returns with a highly anticipated collection bearing her signature mix of intelligence, wit, and heart.

A reality show producer manipulates two contestants into falling in love, even…


Book cover of Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions

Jeff Fleischer Author Of Animal Husbandry: And Other Fictions

From my list on collections that show what great modern novelists can do with short fiction.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love short-story collections. I’ve read dozens to hundreds of them, starting as a child reading Richard Scarry, and I still make them a regular part of my reading diet. I started trying my own hand at short fiction in 2012 and have since finished more than one hundred stories, including the ones in Animal Husbandry. I’m now working on my first novel after years as a short-story writer, and it gives me additional admiration for how many outstanding novelists are also able to master short fiction. It’s two different skill sets, and the five authors I mentioned here (among many others) excel at both.

Jeff's book list on collections that show what great modern novelists can do with short fiction

Jeff Fleischer Why did Jeff love this book?

I really enjoy all of Gaiman’s collections, but this one is my favorite. “We Can Get Them for You Wholesale” and “The Price” are two stories I particularly love, one so darkly comic I laughed nonstop the first time I read it and one that gave me a genuine chill.

But it’s a deep collection with lots of great stories spanning genres and emotions, and one I’ve read a few times.

By Neil Gaiman,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Smoke and Mirrors as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

***This short fiction collection includes 'Chivalry', this year's Radio 4 Neil Gaiman Christmas Day special, starring Glenda Jackson and Kit Harington. This is the story of Mrs Whitaker, who finds the Holy Grail in a charity shop.***

Open your mind to one of the brightest, most brilliant writers of our generation...

'Gaiman is god in the universe of story' - Stephen Fry

'There's no one quite like Neil Gaiman' - George R. R. Martin

An elderly widow finds the Holy Grail beneath an old fur coat. A stray cat fights and refights a terrible nightly battle to protect his unwary…


Book cover of Shoeless Joe Jackson Comes to Iowa: Stories

Jeff Fleischer Author Of Animal Husbandry: And Other Fictions

From my list on collections that show what great modern novelists can do with short fiction.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love short-story collections. I’ve read dozens to hundreds of them, starting as a child reading Richard Scarry, and I still make them a regular part of my reading diet. I started trying my own hand at short fiction in 2012 and have since finished more than one hundred stories, including the ones in Animal Husbandry. I’m now working on my first novel after years as a short-story writer, and it gives me additional admiration for how many outstanding novelists are also able to master short fiction. It’s two different skill sets, and the five authors I mentioned here (among many others) excel at both.

Jeff's book list on collections that show what great modern novelists can do with short fiction

Jeff Fleischer Why did Jeff love this book?

Kinsella was a master at blending two of my favorite things—fiction with supernatural elements in a realistic setting, and also baseball.

The title story was expanded into the novel Shoeless Joe, which later became the movie Field of Dreams, and I was fascinated by how the story changed in those three formats. Plus, the collection is packed with cool historical Americana fiction laced with uncanny happenings.

By W. P. Kinsella,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Shoeless Joe Jackson Comes to Iowa as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Ten stories deal with a farmer who loves baseball, a carpenter repairing a broken doll, a clever prostitute, and a wandering salesman


Book cover of Before They Were Authors: Famous Writers As Kids

Michelle Meadows Author Of Jimmy's Rhythm And Blues: The Extraordinary Life Of James Baldwin

From my list on children’s books about famous writers who made history.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am the author of many acclaimed books for children. Connection, compassion, and family are common themes in my work. My books include Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur: One Girl Can Make a Difference, Flying High: The Story of Gymnastics Champion Simone Biles, and Brave Ballerina: The Story of Janet Collins. I also contributed research and writing to Black Ballerinas: My Journey to Our Legacy by Misty Copeland. I studied journalism and literature at Syracuse University. 

Michelle's book list on children’s books about famous writers who made history

Michelle Meadows Why did Michelle love this book?

This clever graphic novel is sure to inspire kids.

It features a wonderful variety of writers, including Sandra Cisneros, Roald Dahl, Gene Luen Yang, and Beatrix Potter. In an easy-to-read format with colorful illustrations, Elizabeth Haidle highlights key moments about each writer’s childhood.

My favorite fun facts: J.K. Rowling wrote a story about a rabbit when she was six, and Dr. Seuss drew animals on his sister’s bedroom walls.

By Elizabeth Haidle,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Before They Were Authors as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 10, 11, 12, and 13.

What is this book about?

What makes a writer? What inspires them? Where do their stories come from? Striking illustrations and a popular graphic novel format bring to life this anthology of literary legends and their childhoods. Featuring beloved authors such as Maya Angelou, C.S. Lewis, Gene Luen Yang and J.K. Rowling, these stories capture the childhood triumphs, failures, and inspirations that predated their careers.

Children ages ten and up will see themselves in these humanised portraits and wonder if they, too, might have it in them to write. A celebration of creativity, this collective graphic biography is sprinkled throughout with writing wisdom and inspiring…


Book cover of Alice's Adventures In Wonderland

Gary Bernard Author Of The Moth and the Sun

From my list on picture books that promote creativity and critical thinking.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always found the art of storytelling to be important. It’s taken me to places I’ve dreamed of as well as places others have created. Drawing has always been my passion, and the desire to entertain audiences of all ages has matured with time. When I realized I could make my own stories and illustrate them, it was clear that it was something I wanted to do. I always appreciated books that spoke up to me rather than down or too simply. The books on this list do just that.

Gary's book list on picture books that promote creativity and critical thinking

Gary Bernard Why did Gary love this book?

The story itself evokes memories of dreams and nightmares, but Arthur Rackham’s drawings made me want to draw and tell stories through images.

I knew the curious story of Alice before seeing Rackham’s illustrations and loved the predicaments, characters and how random everything was. His drawings completed the story, and I saw the pair as a perfect match; they were rich and on point with how my imagination wanted them to be.

By Lewis Carroll, Arthur Rackham (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Alice's Adventures In Wonderland as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"

Arthur Rackham’s illustrations paint Alice’s fantasy world in dark, ethereal tones in this enchanting edition of Lewis Carroll’s beloved children’s story.

Tumbling down a rabbit hole, young Alice finds herself in an incredibly strange fantasy land full of curious characters. Lewis Carroll’s 1865 children’s book is one of the most well-known stories of all time. This edition of the beloved tale is accompanied by haunting illustrations from one of the greatest artists of the Golden Age of Illustration, Arthur Rackham. His portrayal of Wonderland is as disturbing as it is enchanting. A dark world painted in hues of brown,…


Book cover of Bedtime for Rosie Rabbit

Gillian Rogerson Author Of You Can't Eat a Princess!

From my list on children's picture books to read aloud.

Why am I passionate about this?

Since an early age, I loved getting lost in a good story and knew I wanted to be a writer one day. As an adult, I tried writing in many genres but it was when I had my children that I knew I wanted to write children’s bedtime stories. I loved that special time at the end of a busy day when I could snuggle down with my children and get lost in a story with them. I now write children's bedtime stories for a podcast called Koko Sleep. The stories are written in a soothing way and are designed to help the listeners drift easily to sleep.

Gillian's book list on children's picture books to read aloud

Gillian Rogerson Why did Gillian love this book?

My eldest daughter is called Rosie and she absolutely adored this book. It has lift-the-flaps inside which children always love. It's a simple story about a rabbit getting ready for bedtime, and it gently encourages children to have a bedtime routine. I read it every night and it wasn't long before my daughter knew the words and she started reading it to me. It is such a treasured book and I still have it in my family box of memories.

By Patrick Yee, Lucy Coats,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Bedtime for Rosie Rabbit as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

In this lift-the-flap book young readers can help Rosie Rabbit take off her dress, wash her face, brush her teeth and get ready for bed. '


Book cover of Bunnybear

Benson Shum Author Of First Night of Howlergarten

From my list on inclusion and being true to yourself.

Why am I passionate about this?

Growing up, I was always the outcast. I wasn't the smartest in class. I wasn't the strongest in sports. I was always the shy kid in the back, trying not to make a noise. But when I made a connection with someone or they made the effort to say hi. I treasured our friendship. I love writing and sharing stories where we are talking about inclusion and building empathy toward each other. I hope you will enjoy these books on the list.

Benson's book list on inclusion and being true to yourself

Benson Shum Why did Benson love this book?

It's such a sweet story about being yourself.

Bunnybear looks like a bear on the outside but feels like a bunny on the inside. But soon he questions if his feelings are valid. Then he meets another and finds out that he isn't the only one that feels this way and forms a wonderful friendship with Grizzlybun. The illustrations are adorable!

By Andrea J. Loney, Carmen Saldaña (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Bunnybear as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

2018 Storytelling World Resource Award Winner - Stories for Young Listeners
2018 Rainbow Book List

Bunnybear is more than a bear.

Although Bunnybear was born a bear, he feels more like a bunny. He prefers bouncing in the thicket to tramping in the forest, and in his heart he's fluffy and tiny, like a rabbit, instead of burly and loud, like a bear. The other bears don’t understand him, and neither do the bunnies. Will Bunnybear ever find a friend who likes him just the way he is?


Book cover of The Tale of Peter Rabbit

Why am I passionate about this?

Lots of us rely occasionally on technology to help us entertain a young child, but the connection we form when looking at a book together cannot be beaten. I have found, both personally and professionally, that great books are born when a kind of magical mix-up is created in a child’s imagination between the words you read and the pictures they see. It feels so wonderful when this happens that they want to revisit the book again and again. I have written many books for young children over more than 20 years, and I am always striving to help cast that magical spell.

Fiona's book list on families and growing up–the funny bits, the comforting bits. . .and the scary bits

Fiona Munro Why did Fiona love this book?

You may have seen the movie, but, for me, there is absolutely nothing to compare to Beatrix Potter’s classic original tale. This story about a family of rabbits has been on my bookshelf since my mother introduced Peter Rabbit to me as a young child. Her copy has been read to my children, who I hope will pass it on again. 

Even though this book was written well over a century ago, I think it really stands the test of time. Mrs. Rabbit is a busy single mom with three good-as-gold daughters and a naughty son called Peter. I find the intricate illustrations unrivaled–open the book to be transported straight into an English country garden. 

By Beatrix Potter,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Tale of Peter Rabbit as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 3, 4, 5, and 6.

What is this book about?

"Now run along, and don't get into mischief," Mrs. Rabbit tells her bunnies. But frisky Peter runs straight to Mr.. McGregor's tasty garden and sneaks under the gate! This beloved classic is once again available in an 8x8 format, now with beautifully remastered artwork.


Book cover of The Green Ember

S.G. Boudreaux Author Of Earth

From my list on clean-reading fantasy with religious undertones.

Why am I passionate about this?

I've always loved fiction, fantasy, and adventure stories. Growing up in the Star Wars generation, I was seven when A New Hope was released at the theaters. Living in the hollows of West Virginia there weren’t libraries close by, and movies were a great, though seldom, treat. Suggestive material and cursing was not something that we saw in books or movies growing up in a more simple period of time. I still thoroughly enjoy many well-written, clean, books or shows. As an active member of the body of Christ, I now serve with my writing, and hope that kids of all ages can enjoy epic fantasy and adventure books from a clean and wholesome perspective.

S.G.'s book list on clean-reading fantasy with religious undertones

S.G. Boudreaux Why did S.G. love this book?

The Green Ember is a beautifully descriptive book for children. SD Smith’s ability to weave a picture in your mind is wonderful. I have this on audiobook and loved listening to the story. As a kid at heart, I don’t mind storytelling from the animal’s perspective. 😉 A good story is a good story, no matter who it is written for, and these books are described as “new stories with an old soul.”

By S.D. Smith, Zach Franzen (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Heather and Picket are extraordinary rabbits with ordinary lives until calamitous events overtake them, spilling them into a cauldron of misadventures. They discover that their own story is bound up in the tumult threatening to overwhelm the wider world.

Kings fall and kingdoms totter. Tyrants ascend and terrors threaten. Betrayal beckons, and loyalty is a broken road with peril around every bend.

Where will Heather and Picket land? How will they make their stand?


Book cover of Welcome to the Monkey House
Book cover of Music for Wartime: Stories
Book cover of Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions

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