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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101 Jumping Exercises for Horse & Rider
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Afraid to Ride
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Biggest Bear
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Biggest Bear
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Realistic Animal Stories for Preschool-1st grade
1953 Caldecott Medal winner
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Black Beauty
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Black Beauty
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Black Beauty
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Black Beauty
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Black Beauty
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Black Gold
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Black Stallion Adventures - Boxed Set
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Realistic Animal Stories for 5th-6th grade
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Black Stallion Revolts
Black Stallion #9
by Walter Farley
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Realistic Animal Fiction for 5th-6th grade
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Black Stallion's Filly
Black Stallion #8
by Walter Farley
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Realistic Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade
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Black Stallion's Ghost
Black Stallion #18
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Blaze Finds the Trail
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A World Famous Horse Story Library selection
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Book of the Dragon
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Boy and His Bear
by Harriet Graham
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Bravest Dog Ever
Step Into Reading Level 3
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Animal Stories for 1st-3rd grade
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Brighty of the Grand Canyon
by Marguerite Henry; illustrated by Wesley Dennis
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by Jude Isabella; illustrated by Kim Smith
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Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
by Bill Martin Jr., Eric Carle
Second Edition, 25th Anniversary Edition
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Bruce
by Albert Payson Terhune
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Buff: A Collie
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by Don Patton, illustrated by Paul Clowes
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Cat Who Went to Heaven
by Elizabeth Coatsworth
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Eastern Fairy Tale for 3rd-6th grade
1931 Newbery Medal winner
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Cat Who Went to Heaven
by Elizabeth Coatsworth
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Eastern Fairy Tale for 3rd-6th grade
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Cat Who Went to Heaven
by Elizabeth Coatsworth
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Usborne Beginners
by Anna Milbourne
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Cats from Away
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Champion Dog Prince Tom
Weekly Reader Children's Book Club
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Charlotte's Web
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Charlotte's Web
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1953 Newbery Honor Book
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Chestnut
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Chief Takes Over
by Helen Rushmore, Illustrated by Charles Geer
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Children of Odin
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Chinese Mythology: The Four Dragons
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Chinese Siamese Cat
by Amy Tan, illustrated by Gretchen Schields
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Christmas Day Kitten
by James Herriot
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Chucaro
by Francis Kalnay
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by Thomas C. Hinkle
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Come On, Seabiscuit!
by Ralph Moody
from University of Nebraska
Biography for 5th-9th grade
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Complete Horse Care Manual
from DK Publishing
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Conditioning to Win
for Adult
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Cowboys with Penny the Mustang Pony
by Barbara Knight, Illustrated by Dale "Wink" Burgess
from Mustang Books
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Coyote
by Stephen R. Swinburne
from Boyds Mill Press
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Cricket in Times Square
by George Selden
from Square Fish Publishing
Animal Fantasy for 3rd-6th grade
1961 Newbery Honor Book
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Critter and Other Dogs
by Albert Payson Terhune
from Grosset & Dunlap
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CS: Call of the Wild
Classic Starts
by Jack London
Abridged from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 2nd-4th grade
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Day No Pigs Would Die
by Robert Newton Peck
1994 Printing from Random House
Realistic Stories for 6th-9th grade
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Day No Pigs Would Die
by Robert Newton Peck
1994 Printing from Dell Publishing
Realistic Stories for 6th-9th grade
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December Dog
by Jan M. Robinson; illustrated by Joan Sandin
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Dick Whittington and His Cat
by Margaret Hodges, illustrated by Melisande Potter
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1951 Caldecott Honor Book
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Digging Up Dinosaurs
by Aliki
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Dinosaur Activity Book
by Earl & Bonita Snellenberger
2015 Printing from Master Books
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Dinosaurs
Usborne Beginners
by Stephanie Turnbull
from Usborne
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Dinosaurs for Kids
by Ken Ham
from Master Books
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$13.59 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Dinosaurs for Little Kids
by Ken Ham, Illustrated by Bill Looney
from Master Books
for Preschool-1st grade
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$11.19 $7.50 (1 in stock)
Dinosaurs of Eden
by Ken Ham
from Master Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Dinosaurs & Fossils (Location: SCI-DINO)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Dinosaurs of Eden
by Ken Ham
2nd edition from Master Books
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Dinosaurs! A Drawing Book
by Michael Emberley
from Little, Brown & Company
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in Drawing for Beginners (Location: ELE-ARTDRAW)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Dinotopia: The World Beneath
by James Gurney
2012nd edition from Calla Editions
for 3rd-6th grade
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$10.00 (1 in stock)
DK Eyewitness: Horse
by Julie Clutton-Brock
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
in Horses & Ponies (Location: SCI-MAMHOR)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
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)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
DK Eyewitness: Viking
DK Eyewitness Series
by Susan M. Margeson
from DK Publishing
History Reference for 4th-8th grade
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DK findout!: The Living World - boxed set
from DK Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$45.00 (1 in stock)
Doctor De Soto Goes to Africa
by William Steig
Reprint from HarperCollins
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
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Dog for Davie's Hill
by Clare Bice
from Macmillan
for 3rd-5th grade
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Dog's Life
by Ann M. Martin
from Scholastic Inc.
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in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Dogs
Usborne Beginners
by Emma Helbrough
from Usborne
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Dragon Drawing Book
by Ralph Masiello
from Charlesbridge
for 3rd-8th grade
in Drawing for Beginners (Location: ELE-ARTDRAW)
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Dragon, Hound of Honor
by Julie Andrews Edwards and Emma Walton Hamilton
1st edition from HarperCollins
for 4th-8th grade
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$10.00 (1 in stock)
Dragons and Dragon Lore
2007th edition from Forgotten Books
for 7th-Adult
in Dragons & Mythical Beasts (Location: FIC-DRAG)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Drawing Horses (that look real!)
by Don Mayne
from Williamson Publishing Company
for 3rd-6th grade
in Drawing for Beginners (Location: ELE-ARTDRAW)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Dry Bones and Other Fossils
by Gary & Mary Parker
2nd edition from Master Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Dinosaurs & Fossils (Location: SCI-DINO)
$11.19 $6.50 (3 in stock)
Dry Bones and Other Fossils
by Gary Parker
7th edition from Master Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Dinosaurs & Fossils (Location: SCI-DINO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Duff: The Story of a Bear
by William Marshall Rush, illustrated by Gardell Dano Christensen
from David McKay Company
for 4th-6th grade
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$25.00 (1 in stock)
Earth for Sam
by W. Maxwell Reed, revised by Paul F. Brandwein
Revised edition from Harcourt, Brace & Company
for 6th-12th grade
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Elephant and Piggie Complete Collection - Boxed Set
by Mo Willems
from Disney-Hyperion
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$95.00 (1 in stock)
Elephant's Child
by Rudyard Kipling
2nd Printing from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for 2nd-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Elephant's Dilemma
A Bonnie Book
by Dee Thomas, illustrated by Kippy
from John Martin's House, Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Elephants
Usborne Beginners
by James MacLaine
from Usborne
for 1st-2nd grade
in Usborne Beginners (Location: SCI-USBREA)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Elmer and the Dragon
My Father's Dragon Trilogy #2
by Ruth Stiles Gannett
from Random House
Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Elmer and the Dragon
My Father's Dragon Trilogy #2
by Ruth Stiles Gannett
from Random House
Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Encyclopedia of the Horse
by Elwyn Hartley Edwards, ed.
from Crescent Books
for 7th-12th grade
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
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