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Animal Stories

There aren't too many kids who don't like animals, which makes stories about them a great way to communicate truths about human nature to young readers. All kinds of animal stories have been written, and a lot of them are just about animals doing animal-y things, but some of the best aren't really about animals at all.

The Wind in the Willows, for instance—sure, Ratty and Mole have whiskers, and Badger is as grumpy as any badger whose hole does not include a well-stocked library, but they're essentially human characters with human emotions and human ambitions who grow the way humans ought. Even Mr. Toad is no more animal than Oliver Twist or Laura Ingalls.

Okay, you might say, but that's not really an animal story, then. What about Black Beauty? or Bambi? They're written from the perspective of real animals who don't talk (at least, not to people) or wear clothes or eat buttered toast; how can they be about human nature?

In the case of Black Beauty, the horse narrator has a surprisingly firm grasp of human emotion, and understands the behavior of her owners to an extent many homo sapiens would not. As for Bambi, while he acts like a real deer, he's also sentient and able to have relationships with his fellow forest animals that closely resemble those enjoyed by members of the human race.

Another kind of animal story is really about people, and simply uses animals as the hook, or as a foil for the humans in the story. The Black Stallion or Billy and Blaze books, for instance, are more about the boy heroes than the horses, though the bond between animal and rider is also explored. Jim Kjelgaard's dog stories are similar, chronicling the adventures of boys with their beloved dogs.

As with any genre, animal stories should be read primarily to be enjoyed. It is only then that the deep wisdom found in the best of them can speak to us as readers, can open up our minds and hearts to see more than just furry or scaly creatures do things they may or may not do in the real world. Besides, who's to say there isn't a talking monkey or cat somewhere in the real world? As far as books are part of the real world, there are plenty such animals, and plenty of opportunities to meet and be changed by them.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and 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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48 Items found Print
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Active Filters: 4th grade (Ages 9-10), Hardcover, New Books & Materials
Aesop's Fables
by Aesop, illustrated by Arthur Rackham
from Macmillan
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
$12.74
Album of Horses
by Marguerite Henry
from Aladdin Books
Realistic Animal Stories for 3rd-7th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$21.24
Armstrong
by Torben Kuhlmann, Translated by David Henry Wilson
from NorthSouth
for 2nd-6th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.66
Bambi
by Felix Salten, illustrated by Steve Johnson & Lou Fancher
from Charles Scribner's Sons
Animal Stories: Fantasy for 4th-6th grade
in Scribner Illustrated Classics (Location: FIC-SCRIB)
$25.49
Bear Called Paddington
by Michael Bond
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for 2nd-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$13.59
Big Red
by Jim Kjelgaard
from Holiday House
Realistic Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$15.29
Burgess Animal Book for Children
by Thornton W. Burgess
from Living Book Press
for 2nd-6th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$24.64
Burgess Bird Book for Children
by Thornton W. Burgess
from Living Book Press
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$24.64
Burgess Flower Book for Children
by Thornton W. Burgess
from Living Book Press
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$24.64
Charlotte's Web
by E. B. White
from HarperCollins
for 2nd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$14.44
Classic Treasury of Aesop's Fables
by Aesop, illustrated by Don Daily
from Running Press
for 2nd-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$11.04 $4.00 (1 in stock)
D'Aulaires' Book of Animals
by Edgar Parin d'Aulaire, Ingri d'Aulaire
from New York Review of Books
for Preschool-4th grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$21.21
Edison
by Torben Kuhlmann, Translated by David Henry Wilson
from NorthSouth
for 2nd-6th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.66
Eyes and the Impossible
by Dave Eggers, illustrated by Shawn Harris
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
2024 Newbery Medalist
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$16.99
Finders Keepers
by Will and Nicholas
Reissue from Houghton Mifflin
for Kindergarten-4th grade
1952 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.95
House at Pooh Corner
by A. A. Milne
from Dutton Children's Books
Animal Fantasy for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$16.99
Into the Jungle
by Katherine Rundell, Illustrated by Kristjana S. Williams
from Walker Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$21.24
James Herriot's Treasury for Children
by James Herriot, illustrated by Ruth Brown & Peter Barrett
Unabridged from Macmillan
Realistic Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$22.95
Kenny & the Book of Beasts
by Tony DiTerlizzi
First Edition from Simon and Schuster
for 1st-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$15.29
Kenny & the Dragon
by Tony DiTerlizzi
First Edition from Simon and Schuster
for 1st-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$15.29
King of the Wind
by Marguerite Henry; illustrated by Wesley Dennis
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Realistic Animal Stories for 3rd-7th grade
1949 Newbery Medal winner
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$21.24
Lindbergh
by Torben Kuhlmann, Translated by David Henry Wilson
from NorthSouth
for 2nd-6th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.96
Louise, The Adventures of a Chicken
by Kate DiCamillo
from HarperCollins
for 3rd-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.69
Mercy Watson is Missing!
Tales from Deckawoo Drive Book 7
by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Chris Van Dusen
from Candlewick Press
for 1st-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$14.44
Mouse and His Child
by Russell Hoban, illustrated by David Small
from Arthur A. Levine Books
for 4th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$16.99
New Shoes
from First Second
for Preschool-4th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$16.99 $8.00 (1 in stock)
Orris and Timble: Lost and Found
by Kate DiCamillo; illustrated by Carmen Mok
from Candlewick Press
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$14.44
Orris and Timble: The Beginning
by Kate DiCamillo; illustrated by Carmen Mok
from Candlewick Press
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$14.44
Paddington At Large OSI
by Michael Bond
from HarperCollins
for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Paddington Helps Out
by Michael Bond
Revised from HarperCollins
for 2nd-5th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.49
Paddington Here and Now
Paddington Bear #12
by Michael Bond
from HarperCollins
for 3rd-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.49
Paddington Marches On
by Michael Bond
from HarperCollins
for 2nd-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.49
Paddington Races Ahead OSI
by Michael Bond
from HarperCollins
for 3rd-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.49
Paddington Takes the Test
by Michael Bond
from HarperCollins
for 3rd-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.49
Paddington Treasury
by Michael Bond, illustrated by R. W. Alley
1st edition from HarperCollins
for 2nd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$23.79
Paddington's Finest Hour
by Michael Bond
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for 2nd-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.49
Poppy and Rye
Poppy Stories #3
by Avi
1st edition from HarperCollins
Animal Stories: Fantasy for 3rd-5th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.49
Rikki-Tikki-Tavi
by Rudyard Kipling
from William Morrow & Company
Realistic Animal Stories for 2nd-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.99
Story of Doctor Dolittle
by Hugh Lofting
from J.B. Lippincott Co.
for 3rd-4th grade
in Seawolf Illustrated Classics (Location: FIC-SW)
$7.61
Trumpet of the Swan
by E. B. White
from HarperCollins
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$19.54
Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest
by Aubrey Hartman
from Little, Brown & Company
for 3rd-9th grade
2026 Newbery Honor Book
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$15.29
Velveteen Rabbit
by Margery Williams, illustrated by Michael Green
from Running Press
Personification for 1st-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$11.04
White Stallion of Lipizza
by Marguerite Henry
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 2nd-5th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$16.99
Wind in the Willows
by Kenneth Grahame, illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard
75th Anniversary Edition from Atheneum
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$18.69
Wind in the Willows
by Kenneth Grahame, illustrated by Robert Ingpen
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Humorous Animal Fantasy for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$21.24
Winnie's Great War
by Lindsay Mattick and Josh Greenhut, Illustrated by Sophie Blackall
from Little, Brown & Company
for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$14.44
Winnie-the-Pooh
by A. A. Milne. illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard
from Dutton Children's Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$16.99
Word of Mouse
by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein, Illustrated by Joe Sutphin
from Little, Brown & Company
for 3rd-6th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$11.89
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