Over the years, I’ve reviewed dozens of books and have been asked to review dozens more than I was able to. More often than not, the main characters of these books are animals who have a message to spread or an adventure to share with young readers.
It’s no secret that kids love animal books, even kids who might not necessarily love animals in real life. So, every child’s personal library needs to have some animal-themed books in the mix.
Below are the animal-themed books I’ve reviewed over the years, as well as a few featuring plants, that I recommend to young readers from infants to school-aged children. These books focus on a variety of topics with a ton of important messages told in fun and interesting ways. The links to the full reviews will open in a new tab.
Noah Zark by Susan Polk Van Dusen
About the book
Animals of all kinds flock to eight-year-old Noah’s house to play every day, but the house is too small for so many large animals. So, Noah’s parents build a large, wooden boat in the backyard where Noah and his animal friends can hang out.
Why it’s great
It’s an original take on a classic story that explores friendship, compromise, and change. The book tells its story in fun rhymes, and it has a great energy and presents the animals as well-meaning partiers who just want to spend time with their human friend.
You can read my full review and interview with Van Dusen here!
Sophia and Sinclair Get Lost by Colleen Olle
About the book
Sophia the rabbit and Sinclair the turtle take a walk to look for other animals to play with them. During their walk, they come across an old hay maze leftover from Halloween, and they find themselves lost inside of it. Instead of working together, they argue and decide to split up and find their own way out. Soon, though, they learn that was a horrible mistake, and they team up again to get themselves out.
Why it’s great
This is a colorful book with great illustrations and distinct characters that kids can relate to. It also has a great message about teamwork and sticking together in times of crisis.
You can read my full review and interview with Olle here!
Coco The Mooing Horse by Leila Summers
About the book
Coco is a horse who loves to moo, despite protests from his barn mates. The mooing eventually turns into singing, and he decides to enter a local talent show. The other animals tease him, but Coco remains undeterred and intent on proving himself a great singer.
Why it’s great
The unique thing about this book was that it was crafted using words formed from the letters in the phrase “common cold.” Despite these restrictions, Summers was able to craft an adorable and inspirational barnyard story with very uniquely drawn characters which emphasize their personalities.
You can read my full review and interview with Summers here!
Dickie The Dinosaur and his best pal Dot by James D. Robinson
About the book
Dickie, Dot, and their fellow dinosaurs find themselves stranded on a hill after a volcano erupts in their green, water-filled valley. Together, they use their individual strengths and skillsets to get everyone to safety.
Why it’s great
Blending kids’ love of dinosaurs with an action-packed tale of friendship and teamwork is a great combination that leads to entertaining and educating young readers. Robinson also did the illustrations for the book, making it closely resemble the images that he had in his head and putting them to paper for his audience to enjoy his vision as intended.
You can read my full review and interview with Robinson here!
Catastrophe in the City by Stephan and Arlo Baer
About the book
After being banished to a bedroom during a family party, a cat named Catastrophe follows some music out an open window. There, he gets into more mischief as he bounces from one part of the city to another, unknowingly living up to his name wherever he goes.
Why it’s great
Written by a father/son team, this book is funny, energetic, and relatable to young kids who often don’t understand how we can unknowingly cause catastrophes just by being ourselves and unaware of our surroundings. The reader is in on Catastrophe’s adventure, though, and it helps to show them how to be more self-aware, yet still know how to have fun.
You and read my full review and interview with Stephen Baer here!
A Friend for Christmas by Mike Martin
About the book
While gathering food for his family during the winter, Robbie the rabbit learns about Christmas from a local squirrel. Soon after, he befriends a cat, and he and his family decide to spend Christmas with their new friend.
Why it’s great
It’s a Christmas book that’s not about the commercialism of the holiday but about the bare bones message of friendship and family togetherness. It’s a great reminder to kids about what really makes a friendship and how not to judge individuals by their outward appearance.
You can read my full review and interview with Martin here!
The Puppy Adventures of Porter and Midge: Out and About by Jennie Chen and Giselle Nevada
About the book
C.J. and Lora are owners of two puppies, Porter and Midge, and the two ask their summer camp counselor if their dogs can ride on a float with them in the upcoming parade. However, they must first train their dogs, and they’re given tips on how to do it.
Why it’s great
Though it’s written from a human’s point of view, this book is about caring for animals and training them to interact with different people and animals in different situations. It’s a book full of very helpful facts that are worked into a fun, fictional story that keep readers both engaged and informed about pet care.
You can read my full review and interview with the authors here!
Orange Kitty and the Mouse Parade by E.M. Gales
About the book
While Orange Kitty is asleep in the house, the mice inside the walls decide to throw a parade, showing off their counting skills as each group emerges into the hallway in celebration.
Why it’s great
This is a fun rhyming book that teaches counting skills in a very organic way. Full of energetic illustrations, it feels like a classic classroom picture book that your teacher would read to you at story time.
You can read my full review and interview with Gales here!
Don’t Bring Rupert to the Beach by Christer Hagglund
About the book
While asleep on a floating iceberg, Rupert the polar bear inadvertently ends up on a tropical island. There, he meets a jaguar named Dot who helps Rupert get home.
Why it’s great
Full of short sentences and cool and colorful illustrations, this is an innocent tale of two unlikely friends and about how to cope with homesickness as well as being homesick for the friends you make while visiting someplace new.
You can read my full review and interview with Hagglund here!
Gugulu The Little Bear Dares by Srividhya Lakshmanan
About the book
Gugulu is a sloth bear who disobeys his parents one day and decides to head to school through the jungle by himself. Along the way he meets a variety of animals, some helpful and some harmful, and luckily, he’s able to reunite with his family at the end of his adventure.
Why it’s great
Full of animals from the mountains of India, this book gives western readers a unique variety of animals to learn about. It also has a great morality tale about listening to your parents for your own safety.
You can read my full review and interview with Lakshmanan here!
Gabby Love Letters by Chris Elle Dove
About the book
Gabby the dog helps young readers learn the letters of the alphabet by featuring one letter on each page and Gabby interacting with objects that start with their letter. At the end, they’ll have explored the letters A through Z with Gabby.
Why it’s great
A creative take on an alphabet book, Dove uses her main character, who was previously introduced in another book, to draw readers into learning the letters of the alphabet. I like how the book displays both the upper and lowercase versions of the letter so that kids know how to identify each letter in both of its forms and how creatively she was able to put Gabby in situations that relate to each letter.
You can read my full review and interview with Dove here!
Jig Gets Lost by Julia Kneeland
About the book
While taking a walk in the city one day, Jig the corgi wanders off and has trouble finding his family. As he searches for them, he experiences the sights, smells, and sounds of the city.
Why it’s great
Each of the books about missing pets on this list is unique in its own way. This one is unique in how the city becomes its own character in the story. This idea, paired with the fun illustrations, make this a cute yet tame adventure story.
You can read my full review and interview with Kneeland here!
Gertie Saves the Day by Karen Patricia Nespoli
About the book
A young groundhog enters a school competition to become the famous groundhog who gets to predict the arrival of the upcoming spring. However, she faces ridicule from her more athletic classmates who discourage her efforts.
Why it’s great
It’s a fun holiday book that doubles as a morality tale about trying your best and ignoring those who try to bring you down in the process. Gertie is an especially great hero for young girls who don’t always get as many opportunities to take center stage in life.
You can read my full review and interview with Nespoli here!
Do They All Sleep? by Srividhya Lakshmanan
About the book
When a little boy asks his father why he needs to sleep at bedtime, his father goes about explaining that animals of all types sleep. It then highlights the sleeping habits of several exotic animals, including where they sleep and when.
Why it’s great
It’s a great bedtime book that also feeds information to its curious readers while at the same time is gentle enough to lull them to sleep. And the colorful photos and interesting collection of animals make it a unique picture book for animal lovers who want to learn about more unique species.
You can read my full review and interview with Lakshmanan here!
Norman Space Bat by Jake Evanoff
About the book
While playing sonar tag one day, Norman the bat ends up in outer space before eventually landing on a futuristic Earth. There, he meets a group of friendly creatures who form a plan to get Norman home.
Why it’s great
The perfect sci-fi story for early readers, this book contains short chapters with simple but challenging vocabulary that helps to tell an adventurous story. I love the grounded character of Norman who is thrust into an extraordinary situation, forming the type of escapism that creates lifelong readers.
You can read my full review and interview with Evanoff here!
Good Luck Chestnut and Other Lucky Colors of the World by Linda Gruenberg
About the book
This book is essentially a single poem that pairs children of different backgrounds and ethnicities with a different type of horses. Each child interacts with each horse in a different way, though they are all ways that children play, act, and react to their surroundings throughout the world.
Why it’s great
This is a book that uses horses to teach about diversity and introduces readers to the idea of finding similarities in different versions of a species. It’s also beautifully illustrated by the author.
Read my full review and interview with Gruenberg here!
Vegetable Chatter by Mommy Moo Moo
About the book
This picture book showcases the different vegetables that grow in a garden. It gives them different personalities that adds a sense of playfulness to the story.
Why it’s great
It’s a short and colorful picture book for toddlers with short attention spans. It also introduces them to healthy food in a fun way and helps them to learn the recognize everyday objects that might end up on their plates at mealtimes.
Gabby Makes a Friend by Chris Elle Dove
About the book
Gabby the Golden Retriever befriends a little caterpillar named Katie while playing in her yard one day. The two form a close bond that is threatened when Katie can’t be found after a rainy day, and Gabby desperately searches for her friend who has undergone an amazing transformation.
Why it’s great
It’s a gentle story about two unlikely friends with a surprise ending that tells its story mainly using dialogue, giving them distinct personalities. It also contains soft, yet playful illustrations that draw the reader into this cozy little world.
Read my full review and interview with Dove here!
Loblolly, Loblolly, You’re So Tall by Mommy Moo Moo
About the book
This board book is about loblolly pine trees and how they compare to other objects in nature and change throughout the seasons.
Why it’s great!
It’s a perfect board book for infants. There’s no actual story, but it exudes a peaceful tone and includes long spreads of illustrations to showcase its unique subject perfectly.
The Adventure of Thomas the Turtle by Stuart Samuel
About the book
Young Thomas finds himself swept away from his family when he ignores his mother’s instructions not to venture to a spot in the pond where his father previously vanished. What follows is a little adventure that the young turtle has to navigate through an unknown world that brings him full circle back to his family.
Why it’s great!
This book comes across like a Beatrix Potter book with its gentle, yet somewhat dark adventure involving a helpless animal. It teaches a valuable lesson about listening to your parents and learning from your mistakes.
You can read my full review here!
Unicorn Jazz by Lisa Caprelli
About the book
Jazz is the new young unicorn at the zoo. She loves to sing, but she’s too shy to do it in public and feels like too much of an outsider to make new friends. So, she runs away. While on the run, she meets a crow named Woof who befriends her and encourages her to be herself, which is what she finds was exactly what she needed to do in order to make new friends.
Why it’s great!
This book is a colorful story with a great message and an energetic premise. The author’s website also includes teaching materials and merchandise that can be used in classrooms, including a song written especially for the book that readers can sing along to.
You can read my full review here!
When Leaf Let Go by Angie Marie Carlson
About the book
A young leaf is happily attached to an oak tree when a fierce wind blows and threatens to blow her away. Afraid of what’s beyond the tree, she holds on for dear life until she can’t anymore, and she’s bound for new adventures ahead.
Why it’s great!
This story is about facing the unknown and accepting change. It’s also beautifully illustrated and subtly shows the life cycle of a tree through the passing seasons.
You can read my full review here!
What’s So Special About A Tree? By Susan Polk Van Dusen
About the book
This book pairs various tree paintings with observations about the trees in the illustrations and how they come in many shapes, sizes, and settings.
Why it’s great!
An ode to trees, it’s a kid-friendly philosophical book that any nature lover will enjoy. The author wrote this book based on her late father’s paintings that are featured in the book, making it an unintentional yet heartwarming collaboration.
You can read my full review here!
Wind, Ocean, Grass by Karen A. Wyle
About the book
One day, the ocean describes the grass to the ocean. This makes the grass start to feel inferior to the ocean, but then the wind assures it that it needs them both.
Why it’s great!
This story explores the purpose that all living things have, big or small, and how important we all are and the symphony of life we become when we all do what we were meant to do.
You can read my full review here!
Charlie and the Tire Swing by Diann Floyd Boehm
About the book
During a visit to his grandparents’ house, Charlie learns the origin of the oak tree that grows outside of their house in which his grandfather planted an acorn and took care of it until it grew into a large tree. Charlie’s grandpa then hangs a tire swing from it for Charlie to play on at his grandparents’ house.
Why it’s great!
This story about caring for living things and watching it flourish over the years is the perfect book for kids who love to know how living things grow and just how extraordinary nature can be.
You can read my full review here!
What’s My Instrument? by Johnny Oddsocks
About the book
Marilyn The Mongoose holds auditions to start a band despite the fact that she has no musical experience whatsoever. The animals who audition each bring a different instrument to play, and at the end, the band puts on a show.
Why it’s great!
This book is a creative way to introduce children to the look and sounds of musical instruments with the help of some friendly animals.
You can read my full review here!
Which of these books would you be most interested to read or would most likely catch the attention of a picture book reader in your life? Leave your answer in the comments below!
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