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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1st Grade Outside of a Dog Booklist

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3rd Grade Outside of a Dog Booklist

4th Grade Outside of a Dog Booklist

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8th Grade Outside of a Dog Booklist

9th-12th Outside of a Dog - Fiction

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41 Items found Print

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1st grade (Ages 6-7),

Used Books & Materials

	Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst from Atheneum for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Andrew Henry's Meadow by Doris Burn from Philomel Books for Kindergarten-3rd grade Exodus Books 5-Star Rating in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $18.99 $10.50 (1 in stock)
	Angelo by David Macaulay 1^st edition from Houghton Mifflin for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Anna Hibiscus Anna Hibiscus #01 by Atinuke Reprint from Candlewick Press for 1st-5th grade in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA) $7.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Babar and His Children OSI by Jean De Brunhoff from Random House Books for Young Readers for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Babar and Zephir / Tale of Squirrel Nutkin by Jean de Brunhoff (Babar) and Beatrix Potter (Squirrel Nutkin) from Random House Books for Young Readers for Preschool-2nd grade in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Barber Who Wanted to Pray by R. C. Sproul from Crossway Books for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $17.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Bargain for Frances An I Can Read Book Level 2 by Russell & Lillian Hoban from HarperCollins Animal Fantasy for Kindergarten-2nd grade in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR) $5.99 $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Biggest Bear by Lynd Ward from Sandpiper Books Realistic Animal Stories for Preschool-1st grade 1953 Caldecott Medal winner in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $11.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Boy Who Drew Birds A Story of John James Audubon by Jacqueline Davies from Houghton Mifflin for 1st-3rd grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $17.99 $11.50 (1 in stock)
	Boy Who Held Back the Sea by Thomas Locker from Puffin Books for 1st-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.99 $4.50 (2 in stock)
	Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by Tasha Tudor from Simon and Schuster Poetry for 1st-5th grade in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL) $15.99 $11.60 (1 in stock)
	Dragons of Blueland My Father's Dragon Trilogy #3 by Ruth Stiles Gannett, illustrated by Ruth Chrisman Gannett from Random House Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $7.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Elmer and the Dragon My Father's Dragon Trilogy #2 by Ruth Stiles Gannett from Yearling Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Elmer and the Dragon My Father's Dragon Trilogy #2 by Ruth Stiles Gannett, illustrated by Ruth Chrisman Gannett from Random House Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Fables by Arnold Lobel from HarperCollins Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for Preschool-3rd grade 1981 Caldecott Medal winner in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $9.99 $5.00 (2 in stock)
	Fables by Arnold Lobel from HarperCollins Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for Preschool-3rd grade 1981 Caldecott Medal winner in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Frog and Toad All Year An I Can Read Book Level 2 by Arnold Lobel from HarperCollins Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR) $5.99 $3.50 (1 in stock)
	Frog and Toad Are Friends An I Can Read Book Level 2 (Reading with Help) by Arnold Lobel from HarperCollins Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade 1971 Caldecott Honor Book in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR) $5.99 $3.00 (1 in stock)
	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) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Frog and Toad Together An I Can Read Book Level 2 by Arnold Lobel from HarperCollins Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade 1973 Newbery Honor Book in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR) $5.99 $3.00 (1 in stock)
	Gardener by Sarah Stewart & David Small from Sunburst Book Realistic fiction for Kindergarten-4th grade 1998 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $9.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss from Random House Fantasy for Kindergarten-2nd grade in Beginner Books (Location: EAR-BB) $9.99 $5.00 (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) $18.99 $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Jumanji With free audio book download read by Robin Williams by Chris Van Allsburg, Robin Williams (Narrator) 30th Anniversary Edition from Houghton Mifflin Animal Stories: Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade 1982 Caldecott Medal winner in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $19.99 $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Lon Po Po A Red-Riding Hood Story from China by Ed Young from PaperStar Books Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-4th grade 1990 Caldecott Medal winner in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $6.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Mercy Watson Fights Crime Mercy Watson #3 by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Chris Van Dusen from Candlewick Press for 1st-4th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $6.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Mercy Watson to the Rescue Mercy Watson #1 by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Chris Van Dusen 1 Reprint from Candlewick Press for 1st-3rd grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $6.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
	Mirette on the High Wire by Emily Arnold McCully from G.P. Putnam's Sons Realistic Fiction for Kindergarten-2nd grade 1993 Caldecott Medal winner in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney from Puffin Books Realistic Stories for Kindergarten-4th grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $8.99 $5.00 (2 in stock)
	Nate the Great Nate the Great #1 by Marjorie Sharmat from Yearling Mystery for 1st-3rd grade in Nate the Great (Location: SER-NATE) $6.99 $3.50 (1 in stock)
	Now We Are Six by A. A. Milne from Dutton Children's Books Poetry for Kindergarten-4th grade in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN) $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Owl and the Pussycat by Edward Lear, illustrated by Colin West from Frederick Warne & Company for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Owl and the Pussycat by Edward Lear, illustrated by Gwen Fulton from Atheneum for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $6.50 (1 in stock)
	Poke in the I A Collection of Concrete Poems by Paul Janeczko from Candlewick Press for Nursery-2nd grade in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL) $7.99 $5.50 (3 in stock)
	Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran from HarperCollins Realistic Fiction for Kindergarten-3rd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $9.99 $4.50 (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)
	Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin from Houghton Mifflin Biographies of Scientists and Inventors for 1st-3rd grade 1999 Caldecott Medal winner in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $9.99 $5.50 (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) $8.99 $5.00 (2 in stock)
	The Treasure by Uri Shulevitz from Farrar, Straus and Giroux for Preschool-2nd grade 1980 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $3.50 (1 in stock)
	Travels of Babar OSI by Jean de Brunhoff from Random House Books for Young Readers for Preschool-2nd grade in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $6.00 (1 in stock)

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