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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110 Items found Print
Active Filters: 1st grade (Ages 6-7), Used Books & Materials
3D Sapshots: Puppies (with 3D glasses)
from Fog City Press
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Dog Books (Location: SCI-MAMDOG)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Ahoy There, Little Polar Bear
by Hans de Beer
Fir from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Akiak
by Robert J. Blake
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Amazing Bone
by William Steig
from HarperCollins
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Angelina's Birthday
by Katharine Holabird; illustrated by Helen Craig
First Edition from Pleasant Company Publications, Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Babar and His Children
by Jean De Brunhoff
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.99 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Backyard Bear
by Jim Murphy, illustrated by Jeffrey Greene
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Barkley
An Early I Can Read Book
by Syd Hoff
from Harper & Row
for Preschool-1st grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Bear Cub
All Aboard Reading - Station Stop 2
by Pam Pollack and Meg Belviso, illustrated by Neecy Twinem
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 1st-2nd grade
in Early Readers (Location: EAR-MISC)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Bear Party
by William Pene du Bois
from Seafarer Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Benjamin's Treasure
by Garth Williams
from HarperCollins
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Benjy and the Barking Bird
by Margaret Bloy Graham
from Harper & Row
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Beware! Museum Bears
by Jacqueline Karas, Illustrated by Malcolm Ashman
First Ed 1st Printing from Bridgewater Books
for Nursery-1st grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Big Dog... Little Dog
Bright and Early Board Books
by P.D. Eastman
from Random House
for Preschool-1st grade
in Board Books (Location: PIC-BOARD)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Biggest Bear
by Lynd Ward
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Biggest Bear
by Lynd Ward
from Houghton Mifflin
Realistic Animal Stories for Preschool-1st grade
1953 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Blaze Finds the Trail
by C. W. Anderson
from Macmillan
for 1st-3rd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Bushels of Bears
by Sue Hegarty, illustrated by Alice Shaw
from Zon International
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Cats
Usborne Beginners
by Anna Milbourne
from Usborne
for 1st-2nd grade
in Usborne Beginners (Location: SCI-USBREA)
$2.70 (1 in stock)
Cats from Away
by Peter Parnall
from Macmillan
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Chinese Mythology: The Four Dragons
from PowerKids Press
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Chinese Siamese Cat
by Amy Tan, illustrated by Gretchen Schields
from Macmillan
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Cowboys with Penny the Mustang Pony
by Barbara Knight, Illustrated by Dale "Wink" Burgess
from Mustang Books
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Detective Dinosaur
by James Skofield
from Barnes & Noble
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Dick Whittington and His Cat
by Margaret Hodges, illustrated by Melisande Potter
from Holiday House
for Preschool-2nd grade
1951 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.50 (2 in stock)
Digging Up Dinosaurs
by Aliki
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Dinosaurs & Fossils (Location: SCI-DINO)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Dinosaur Activity Book
by Earl & Bonita Snellenberger
2015 Printing from Master Books
for Preschool-1st grade
in Dinosaurs & Fossils (Location: SCI-DINO)
$7.99 $5.50 (1 in stock)
Dinosaur Days
Step Into Reading 3
by Joyce Milton, Franco Tempesta
Revised from Random House Books for Young Readers
for 1st-3rd grade
in Step into Reading (Location: EAR-STEP)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Dinosaurs
Usborne Beginners
by Stephanie Turnbull
from Usborne
for 1st-2nd grade
in Usborne Beginners (Location: SCI-USBREA)
$2.70 (1 in stock)
Doctor De Soto Goes to Africa
by William Steig
Reprint from HarperCollins
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.99 $4.89 (1 in stock)
Dogs
Usborne Beginners
by Emma Helbrough
from Usborne
for 1st-2nd grade
in Usborne Beginners (Location: SCI-USBREA)
$2.70 (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 Dilemma
A Bonnie Book
by Dee Thomas, illustrated by Kippy
from John Martin's House, Inc.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Elephants
Usborne Beginners
by James MacLaine
from Usborne
for 1st-2nd grade
in Usborne Beginners (Location: SCI-USBREA)
$3.15 (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)
Eyes on Nature: Cats
Eyes on Nature
by Janr P. Resnick
from KidsBooks, Inc.
for 1st-6th grade
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Field Full of Horses
by Peter Hansard
from Candlewick Press
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Foundling
by Carol Carrick, illustrated by Donald Carrick
from Seabury Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Good Neighbors
by Diane Redfield Massie
from American Education Publications
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$11.00 (2 in stock)
Great Big Elephant & the Very Small Elephant
by Barbara Seuling
from Crown Publishers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Great Rescue Operation
by Jean Van Leeuwen, illustrated by Margot Apple
from Puffin Books
for 1st-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Harry and the Lady Next Door
An I Can Read Book Level 1
by Gene Zion
from HarperCollins
Realistic Animal Stories for Preschool-1st grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Harry the Dirty Dog
by Gene Zion, illustrated by Margaret Bloy Graham
from Harper & Row
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Horton Hatches the Egg
by Dr. Seuss
from Random House
read-aloud poetry picture book for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.99 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Horton Hears a Who!
by Dr. Seuss
from Random House
Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
How Do You Say It Today, Jesse Bear?
by Nancy White Carlstrom, Illustrated by Bruce Degen
from Macmillan
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
How Fletcher Was Hatched
by Wende and Harry Devlin
from Parents Magazine Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$15.00 (3 in stock)
I'll Always Love You
by Hans Wilhelm
from Scholastic Inc.
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
I'm Not Moving, Mama!
by Nancy White Carlstrom, Illustrated by Thor Wickstrom
from Macmillan
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Infamous Ratsos: Project Fluffy
by Kara LaReau, Illustrated by Matt Myers
from Candlewick Press
for 1st-4th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
It's Not Easy Being a Bunny
by Marilyn Sadler
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
It's Not Easy Being a Bunny
by Marilyn Sadler, illustrated by Roger Bollen
from Random House
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Kitten Tale
by Eric Rohmann
from Dragonfly Books
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Lassie and the Deer Mystery
A Whitman Big Tell-a-Tale #2442
by Jean Fiedler, illustrated by Larry Harris
from Whitman Publishing Company
for 1st-3rd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Little Polar Bear
by Hans de Beer
from NorthSouth
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Little Polar Bear, Take Me Home!
by Hans de Beer
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Littles
by John Peterson
from Scholastic Inc.
Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$4.99 $3.00 (4 in stock)
Living Fossils
by Caroline Arnold, illustrated by Andrew Plant
from Charlesbridge
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Dinosaurs & Fossils (Location: SCI-DINO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Look at a Kitten
by Dare Wright
from Random House
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$24.00 (1 in stock)
Look to the North
by Jean Craighead George, illustrated by Lucia Washburn
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Dog Books (Location: SCI-MAMDOG)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Muggins' Big Balloon
by Marjorie Barrows, illustrated by Anne Sellers Leaf
from Rand McNally
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Mush!
from Millbrook Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Dog Books (Location: SCI-MAMDOG)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Mystery of the Gate Sign
by Margaret Friskey, Illustrated by Katherine Evans
from Children's Press
for Nursery-1st grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
No Roses for Harry!
by Gene Zion
from Harper & Row
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Noodle
by Munro Leaf, illustrated by Ludwig Bemelmans
from Arthur A. Levine Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Nubber Bear
by William Lipkind, illustrated by Roger Duvoisin
from Harcourt, Brace & World
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$28.00 (1 in stock)
Olivia
by Ian Falconer
from Atheneum
Animal Fantasy for Preschool-1st grade
2001 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Olivia - Board Book
by Ian Falconer
from Atheneum
Animal Fantasy for Preschool-1st grade
2001 Caldecott Honor Book
in Board Books (Location: PIC-BOARD)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Olivia Forms a Band
by Ian Falconer
from Atheneum
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Olivia Saves the Circus
by Ian Falconer
from Simon and Schuster
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Board Books (Location: PIC-BOARD)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Our Puppy's Vacation
by Ruth Brown
from Dutton Children's Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Part-Time Dog
by Jane Thayer, illustrated by Seymour Fleishman
from William Morrow & Company
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Patrick's Dinosaurs
by Carol Carrick, illustrated by Donald Carrick
from Clarion Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Pegasus
by Marianna Mayer & K. Y. Craft
1st ed from Morrow Eagle
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Pet Dragon
by Christoph Niemann
First Edition first Printing from Greenwillow Books
for 1st-3rd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Peter Churchmouse
by Margot Austin
1958 Printing from E.P. Dutton & Co.
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Ponies
National Geographic Kids Level 1
by Laura Marsh
from National Geographic
for 1st-3rd grade
in Early Readers (Location: EAR-MISC)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Ponies and Horses
DK Eyewitness Readers Level 1
by Fiona Lock
from DK Publishing
for 1st-3rd grade
in DK Readers (Location: EAR-DK)
$3.00 (2 in stock)
Puppy Who Wanted a Boy
by Jane Thayer, Illustrated by Lisa McCue
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Raising Dragons
by Jerdine Nolen, illustrated by Elise Primavera
from Harcourt
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$4.50 (3 in stock)
Rare Treasure
by Don Brown
from Houghton Mifflin
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$16.00 (1 in stock)
Reluctant Dragon
by Kenneth Grahame
1st edition
for 1st-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Rescue with Penny the Mustang Pony
by Barbara Knight, Illustrated by Dale "Wink" Burgess
2nd printing, 2006 from Mustang Books
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Sam, Bangs & Moonshine
by Evaline Ness
from Henry Holt and Company
Allegorical and Moral Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1967 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Sam, Bangs & Moonshine
by Evaline Ness
from Holt, Rinehart and Winston
Allegorical and Moral Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1967 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Sam, Bangs & Moonshine
by Evaline Ness
from Trumpet Club
Allegorical and Moral Stories for Kindergarten-3rd grade
1967 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$1.50 (1 in stock)
Sea Serpents Around Us
by Lois and Louis Darling
Stated First Edition from Little, Brown & Company
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$86.00 (1 in stock)
Sir Bertie & the Wyvern
by Nicholas Wilde
from Carolrhoda Books, Inc.
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Small One
by Zhenya Gay
from Viking Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Storm with Penny the Mustang Pony
by Barbara Knight, Illustrated by Dale "Wink" Burgess
from Mustang Books
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Story of Babar the Little Elephant
by Jean De Brunhoff
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Story of Dick Whittington and His Cat
by Muriel Levy, illustrated by Evelyn Bowman
Ninth Edition from Wills & Hepworth
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Sweetest Fig
by Chris Van Allsburg
from Houghton Mifflin
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Temple Cat
by Andrew Clements
from HMH Books for Young Readers
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Tenth Good Thing About Barney
by Judith Viorst
1st edition from Atheneum
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Three Little Kittens
by Paul Galdone
from Clarion Books
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for Nursery-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Tippy Lemmey
by Patricia McKissack
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 1st-5th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$5.99 $3.00 (1 in stock)
Tony
by Ed Galing, illustrated by Erin E. Stead
from Roaring Brook Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!
by Jon Scieszka & Lane Smith
from Viking Press
Twisted Fairy Tale for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Two Hundred Rabbits
by Lonzo Anderson and Adrienne Adams
from Viking Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
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