Outside of a Dog Booklist

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"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."
—Groucho Marx

We are frequently asked to recommend literature to kids, and while there's nothing better than taking the time to know what the individual likes and recommend for their tastes, we've definitely settled on a number of books that are our personal favorites. This list is meant to promote books that will branch kids beyond the latest pop-fiction, and beyond many of the curricular lists you'll find floating around.

The PDF version of Outside of a Dog offers a page of links helping you navigate the overwhelming resources scattered throughout this website. It includes recommended read-alouds for preschoolers and kindergartners and contains 50+ titles for grades 1-8, offering you summer reading aplenty for years on end. It doesn't promote a liberal agenda, cater to the lowest common denominator, or present books designed to make anyone look smart. We haven't limited ourselves to classics or "must-read" titles. There are plenty of those, but just as many are personal favorites that have kindled our own love of reading. These are books that will open the wide doors of reading to kids turned off by more than standard fare. Throughout the list, author names are links, often taking you to short biographies, links to more information, and a list of what we have.

It's also intended to challenge older readers, with two lists for high school students and two for adults:

150+ great literature and fiction titles
150+ non-fiction titles, containing history, biographies, basic philosophy, and titles that focus on spiritual matters and practical Christian living. We want to encourage you to be culture-changers for Christ

The printed version is a little different. It doesn't include the links, of course, nor does it have the preschool/kindergarten reading lists or the adult lists. It does include an "advanced" high school list, which is what was adapted into the adult lists. Also, in the digital version, the grade level lists have been tweaked, with some new favorites added, and some reading level suggestions adjusted.

This category on our site offers all of our recommended books in one place. We are working on adding an Exodus rating to every single one. Browse the list, or filter by grade with the sidebar.

Whether you're six or sixteen (or sixty!), whether you're a dog person or not, some new best friends are waiting!

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Outside of a Dog Booklist

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9th-12th Outside of a Dog - Fiction

9th-12th Outside of a Dog - Nonfiction

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Animal Stories: Fantasy,

Hardcover

	Babar and Father Christmas by Jean De Brunhoff 1^st edition from Random House Books for Young Readers for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $18.99
	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)
	Babar and Zephir by Jean de Brunhoff from Random House Books for Young Readers for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Babar the King by Jean de Brunhoff from Random House for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $15.95
	Bonjour, Babar! The Six Unabridged Classics by the Creator of Babar by Jean De Brunhoff, introduction by Kevin Henkes from Random House Animal Fantasy for Kindergarten-4th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Complete Tales of Uncle Remus by Joel Chandler Harris from Houghton Mifflin Animal Fantasy for 7th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
	Complete Tales of Uncle Remus by Joel Chandler Harris, retold by Julius Lester, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney from Dial Press Animal Fantasy for 7th-Adult in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19) $50.00
	Cricket in Times Square by George Selden, illustrated by Garth Williams from Farrar, Straus and Giroux Animal Fantasy for 3rd-6th grade 1961 Newbery Honor Book in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Digging-est Dog by Al Perkins from Random House for Kindergarten-3rd Grade in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB) $9.99
	Frog and Toad Are Friends An I Can Read Book Level 2 by Arnold Lobel from HarperCollins Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade 1971 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $11.89 (1 in stock)
	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) $19.99
	If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff from HarperCollins Animal Fantasy for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff from HarperCollins Animal Fantasy for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $17.99
	My Father's Dragon My Father's Dragon Trilogy #1 by Ruth Stiles Gannett, illustrated by Ruth Chrisman Gannett and Helena Perez Garcia from Bushel & Peck Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade 1949 Newbery Honor Book in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	My Father's Dragon My Father's Dragon Trilogy #1 by Ruth Stiles Gannett from Dover Publications Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade 1949 Newbery Honor Book in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Piglet Named Mercy Mercy Watson #0 by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Chris Van Dusen from Candlewick Press for Preschool-2nd grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Sable Quean Redwall #21 by Brian Jacques from Philomel Books for 4th-9th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	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)
	Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig from Simon and Schuster Animal Fantasy for Kindergarten-3rd grade 1970 Caldecott Medal winner in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens from Harcourt Children's Books for Preschool-2nd grade 1996 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $17.99
	Travels of Babar by Jean de Brunhoff from Random House Books for Young Readers for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
	Triss by Brian Jacques from Philomel Books for 4th-9th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Voyages of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting from Dover Publications for 3rd-7th grade 1923 Newbery Medal winner in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $14.95
	Watership Down by Richard Adams Reissue from Atheneum for 10th-Adult 1972 Carnegie Medal in Scribner Illustrated Classics (Location: FIC-SCRIB) $29.99
	Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, illustrated by Tasha Tudor from Collins Humorous Animal Fantasy for 4th-8th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	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) $24.95
	Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, abridged and illustrated by John Worsley from Lemon Tree Press Humorous Animal Fantasy for 4th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Wind in the Willows Junior Deluxe Editions by Kenneth Grahame, illustrated by Tasha Tudor Humorous Animal Fantasy for 4th-8th grade in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
	Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, illustrated by Helen Ward from Borders Press Humorous Animal Fantasy for 4th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, illustrated by John Burningham from Viking Kestrel Books Humorous Animal Fantasy for 4th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, illustrated by Nancy Barnhart from Barnes & Noble Humorous Animal Fantasy for 4th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, illustrated by James Lynch from The Folio Society Humorous Animal Fantasy for 4th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $25.00 (1 in stock)
	Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, illustrated by Charles van Sandwyck from The Folio Society Humorous Animal Fantasy for 4th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, illustrated by Joanne Moss from Breslich & Foss Humorous Animal Fantasy for 4th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, illustrated by Michael Foreman from Harcourt Humorous Animal Fantasy for 4th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
	Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, illustrated by Helen Ward from Templar Books Humorous Animal Fantasy for 4th-8th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)

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