Favorite Animals

It would be easy to make a catalog of all the pets we've had over the years, but that's not the kind of "favorite animals" we're talking about. Favorite animals are those animals that have most thoroughly captured the imagination and love of humans. Okay, so maybe love is the wrong word to describe the dragon-craze or our enduring fascination with dinosaurs, but it surely applies to horses, dogs and cats.

The philosopher Plato had an idea that subsequent thinkers called "idealism." They didn't mean that Mr. Plato was an idealist in the way we'd call Rosa Parks or Gandhi idealists: the term idealism referred to the concept that for everything in the world (trees, chairs, noses), there was an ideal form or version of that thing in the spiritual realm.

According to Plato's theory, the azalea bush in your front yard is simply a physical representation of the perfect Azalea Bush floating who-knows-where in the infinite void. While we don't want to start any kind of philosophical war here, that's kind of the idea we're going for in this category. The animals you'll encounter in these stories, coloring books, and reference volumes embody "horseness," "catness," and "dragon-ness."

After all, the image Fred Gipson paints of Old Yeller is just a bit too good to be true. Sure, many of us have had a favorite dog who could do no wrong in our forgiving eyes, but Old Yeller is like every awesome dog who ever lived rolled into one mangy mutt. Which is the whole point—by creating a slightly unrealistic portrait of an old doggy, Gipson is able to celebrate doghood itself.

In a culture that generally looks only at the way things sometimes appear to be, however, it's easy to value animals too highly. Sure, they deserve our attention and care as representatives of creation, but no more. The Creator who made them is the only One deserving all our praise, glory and love; the animals He's made are simply avenues through which to show our worship and gratitude.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.

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150 Items found Print
Active Filters: 6th grade (Ages 11-12), Trade Paperback
101 Dalmatians
by Dodie Smith
Reissue from Puffin Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$7.99
Album of Horses
by Marguerite Henry
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Realistic Animal Stories for 3rd-7th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$16.99
Album of Horses
by Marguerite Henry
from Scholastic Inc.
Realistic Animal Stories for 3rd-7th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Almost All-White Rabbity Cat
by Meindert DeJong; illustrated by Herman B. Vestal
from Inheritance Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$11.95
Along Came a Dog
by Meindert DeJong & Maurice Sendak
from Inheritance Publications
Realistic Animal Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1959 Newbery Honor Book
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
Along Came a Dog RPG
by Meindert DeJong & Maurice Sendak
from HarperCollins
Realistic Animal Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1959 Newbery Honor Book
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
Ancient, Strange, and Lovely
Dragon Chronicles #4
by Susan Fletcher
Reprint from Atheneum
for 3rd-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$12.99
Animal Family
by Randall Jarrell
Reprint from HarperTrophy
for 3rd-6th grade
1966 Newbery Honor Book
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
Archer's Cup
by S. D. Smith
from Story Warren Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$12.95
Because of Winn-Dixie
by Kate DiCamillo
from Candlewick Press
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
2001 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Because of Winn-Dixie
by Kate DiCamillo
from Scholastic Inc.
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
2001 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Because of Winn-Dixie
by Kate DiCamillo
Updated from Candlewick Press
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
2001 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
Beowulf the Warrior
by Ian Serraillier
from Bethlehem Books
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$11.95
Black Gold
by Marguerite Henry
from Rand McNally
for 4th-7th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Black Stallion Adventures - Boxed Set
by Walter Farley
from Yearling
Realistic Animal Stories for 5th-6th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Blind Colt
by Glen Rounds
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
Born to Trot
by Marguerite Henry; illustrated by Wesley Dennis
Reprint from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 4th-8th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$7.99
Brighty of the Grand Canyon
from Rand McNally
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Bulu: African Wonder Dog
by Dick Houston
from Yearling
for 5th-7th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
Captain's Dog
by Roland Smith
from Harcourt
for 4th-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.99
Cat Who Went to Heaven
by Elizabeth Coatsworth
PF from Collier Books
for 4th-6th grade
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Champion of the Titan Games
Dragonwatch #4
by Brandon Mull
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 3rd-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.99
Children of Odin
by Padraic Colum
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Norse Mythology for 3rd-8th grade
$10.99
Chucaro
by Francis Kalnay
from Walker and Company
Realistic Fiction for 4th-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Clockwork Twin
by Walter R. Brooks
from Overlook Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Come On, Seabiscuit!
by Ralph Moody
from University of Nebraska
Biography for 5th-9th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$14.95 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Danger in the Desert
by Roger Cohen
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 5th-9th grade
in 20th Century Exploration (Location: HISW-20EXP)
Dinosaur Bone War
by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
from Random House
for 4th-7th grade
in Dinosaurs & Fossils (Location: SCI-DINO)
Dinosaurs on the Move
by Cathy Diez-Luckie
1st edition from Figures in Motion
for 3rd-6th grade
in Dinosaurs & Fossils (Location: SCI-DINO)
Dirk's Dog, Bello
by Meindert De Jong
from Paideia Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
DK Eyewitness: Horse
DK Eyewitness Series
by Juliet Clutton-Brock
from DK Publishing
Science Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Horses & Ponies (Location: SCI-MAMHOR)
$9.99
Dogsong
by Gary Paulsen
from Simon and Schuster
for 5th-8th grade
1986 Newbery Honor Book
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$7.19
Dragon's Milk (The Dragon Chronicles)
Dragon Chronicles #1
by Susan Fletcher
Reprint from Atheneum
for 3rd-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$12.99
Dragonwatch
Dragonwatch #1
by Brandon Mull
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 3rd-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.99
Draw 50 Cats
by Lee Ames
from Watson-Guptill Publications
for 3rd-8th grade
in Draw 50 (Location: ELE-ARTD50)
$9.99
Draw 50 Dinosaurs
by Lee J. Ames
from Watson-Guptill Publications
for 3rd-8th grade
in Draw 50 (Location: ELE-ARTD50)
$9.99
Draw 50 Dogs
by Lee Ames
from Broadway Books
for 3rd-8th grade
in Draw 50 (Location: ELE-ARTD50)
$9.99
Draw 50 Horses
by Lee Ames
from Broadway Books
for 3rd-8th grade
in Draw 50 (Location: ELE-ARTD50)
$9.99
Elephant in the Garden
by Michael Morpurgo
from Feiwel & Friends
for 5th-8th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.99
Ember Falls
Green Ember #2
by S. D. Smith
from Story Warren Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$14.95
Ember Rising
Green Ember #3
by S. D. Smith
from Story Warren Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$15.95
Ember's End
Green Ember #4
by S. D. Smith
from Story Warren Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$15.95
Eye of Zoltar OSI
Chronicles of Kazam Book 3
by Jasper Fforde
from HMH Books for Young Readers
for 5th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Flight of the Dragon Kyn
Dragon Chronicles #2
by Susan Fletcher
Reprint from Atheneum
for 3rd-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$12.99
Freddy and Mr. Camphor
by Walter R. Brooks
from Overlook Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Freddy and Mr. Camphor
by Walter R. Brooks
from Puffin Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Freddy and Simon the Dictator
by Walter R. Brooks
Reissue from Overlook Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Freddy and the Baseball Team from Mars
by Walter R. Brooks
from Overlook Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Freddy and the Dragon
by Walter R. Brooks
Reprint from Overlook Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Freddy and the Flying Saucer Plans
by Walter R. Brooks
Reprint from Overlook Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Freddy and the Men from Mars
by Walter R. Brooks
Reprint from Overlook Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Freddy and the Perilous Adventure
by Walter R. Brooks
Reprint from Overlook Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Freddy and the Popinjay
by Walter R. Brooks
from Overlook Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Freddy and the Space Ship
by Walter R. Brooks
Reprint from Overlook Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Freddy Goes Camping
by Walter R. Brooks
Reprint from Overlook Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Freddy Goes to Florida
by Walter R. Brooks
Reprint from Overlook Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$11.99
Freddy Goes to the North Pole
by Walter R. Brooks
from Overlook Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Freddy Plays Football
by Walter R. Brooks
Reprint from Overlook Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Freddy Rides Again
by Walter R. Brooks
Reprint from Overlook Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Freddy the Cowboy
by Walter R. Brooks
from Overlook Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Freddy the Detective
by Walter R. Brooks, illustrated by Kurt Wiese
from Overlook Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Freddy the Magician
by Walter R. Brooks
Reprint from Overlook Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Freddy the Pilot
by Walter R. Brooks
Reprint from Overlook Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Gaudenzia, Pride of the Palio
by Marguerite Henry; illustrated by Lynd Ward
Reissue from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 3rd-6th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$8.99
Gloomy Gus
by Walt Morey
from Blue Heron Publishing
for 4th-8th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Gold Rush Dogs
by Claire Rudolf Murphy, Jane G. Haigh
from Alaska Northwest Books
for 4th-9th grade
in Gilded Age (1865-1918) (Location: HISA-19GI)
$5.50 (1 in stock)
Green Ember
by S. D. Smith
from Story Warren Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$14.95
Henry and the Chalk Dragon
by Jennifter Trafton
from Rabbit Room Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
Hero
by Walt Morey
from Scholastic Press
for 4th-7th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
Hero
by Walt Morey
from Puffin Books
for 4th-7th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Hero and the Crown
by Robin McKinley
Reissue from Puffin Books
for 5th-9th grade
1985 Newbery Medal Winner
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Hero and the Crown
by Robin McKinley
from ACE Publishing
for 5th-9th grade
1985 Newbery Medal Winner
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
History of the Horse Through Literature - Guide
by Hilary Berg
3rd edition from Beautiful Feet Books
for 2nd-8th grade
in Beautiful Feet Books (Location: HISCUR-BFB)
$16.95
History's Mysteries! Animals
by George Toufexis
from Dover Publications
for 4th-7th grade
in Animal Life Coloring Books (Location: COL-ANI)
$3.00
Hobbit
by J. R. R. Tolkien
from Houghton Mifflin
Fantasy for 5th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$13.99
Hobbit
by J. R. R. Tolkien
from Houghton Mifflin
Fantasy for 5th-9th grade
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$17.99
Horse Crazy!
by Jessie Haas
1st edition from Storey Publishing
for 3rd-8th grade
in Horses & Ponies (Location: SCI-MAMHOR)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Horses in Battle - Coloring Book
by John Green
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Horse Coloring Books (Location: COL-HOR)
$3.99
How and Why Wonder Book of Horses
by Margaret Cabell Self, illustrated by Walter Ferguson
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-6th grade
in How and Why Wonder Books (Location: VIN-H&W)
How and Why Wonder Book of Horses
by Margaret Cabell Self, illustrated by Walter Ferguson
1974 printing from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-6th grade
in How and Why Wonder Books (Location: VIN-H&W)
I Rode a Horse of Milk White Jade
by Diane Wilson
from Sourcebooks
for 4th-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$10.99
Incredible Journey
by Sheila Burnford
from Yearling
for 4th-6th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$7.99
Kavik the Wolf Dog
by Walt Morey
from Penguin Putnam
for 3rd-6th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$6.99
Land of Narnia
by Brian Sibley
from HarperTrophy
for 3rd-8th grade
in Exploring Narnia (Location: LIR-NAR)
Lassie Come-Home
by Eric Knight
from Square Fish Publishing
for 4th-6th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$7.99
Last Dragonslayer
Chronicles of Kazam Book 1
by Jasper Fforde
from HMH Books for Young Readers
for 5th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.99
Last Dragonslayer Set
by Jasper Fforde
from Houghton Mifflin
for 5th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Letters to Seabiscuit
by Compiled by Barbara Howard
from Seven Locks Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Little White Horse
by Elizabeth Goudge
from Yearling
for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Master of the Phantom Isle
Dragonwatch #3
by Brandon Mull
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 3rd-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.99
Mik-Shrok
Adventures of an Arctic Missionary Book 1
by Gloria Repp
from Bob Jones University Press
Missionary Stories for 4th-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.99
Misty's Twilight
by Marguerite Henry; illustrated by Karen Hause Grandpre
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 3rd-6th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$7.99
Mouse of Amherst
by Elizabeth Spires, Illustrated by Claire A. Nivola
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$3.00 (2 in stock)
Mr. and Mrs. Bunny - Detectives Extraordinaire!
by Mrs. Bunny, translated from the Rabbit by Polly Horvath, illustrated by Sophie Blackall
from Yearling
for 2nd-6th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$10.99
My Friend Flicka
by Mary O'Hara
from HarperCollins
Realistic Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$16.99
Old Sam, Dakota Trotter
by Don Alonzo Taylor, Illustrated by Lorence Bjorklund
from Bethlehem Books
Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$14.95
Paddington At Large
by Michael Bond
from HarperCollins
for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Paddington At Large
by Michael Bond
from Dell Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Paddington on Screen
by Michael Bond
from Young Lions
for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Pigs Might Fly
by Dick King-Smith
from Puffin Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.99
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