2nd through 6th grades
the Gallant Pig by Dick King-Smith
of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
Ten-year-old India Opal describes her first summer in the town of Naomi, Florida, and all the good things that happen to her because of her big ugly dog Winn-Dixie.
Beauty by Anna Sewell
A horse in nineteenth-century England recounts his experiences with both good and bad masters. Illustrated notes throughout the text explain the historical background of the story.
this Mouse by Lois Lowry
Mouse Mistress Hildegarde keeps a colony of church mice safe from the exterminator and sees that they make it through the dangerous Blessing of the Animals.
Web by E.B. White
Wilbur the pig is destined to be the farmer's Christmas dinner until his spider friend, Charlotte, decides to help him by praising him in her webs.
Cricket in Times Square by George Selden
The adventures of a country cricket who unintentionally arrives in New York and is befriended by Tucker Mouse and Harry Cat.
Dog’s Life: The Autobiography of a Stray by Ann M. Martin
Squirrel, a stray puppy, tells her life story, from her nurturing mother and brother to making her own way in the world, facing busy highways, changing seasons, and humans both gentle and brutal.
Ben by Walt Morey
The Alaskan wilderness is a lonely place for Mark, but he finds a friend named Ben, who happens to be an Alaskan brown bear. Ben and Mark form a special bond, but the townspeople are determined to destroy it.
of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry
Paul and his sister Maureen's determination to own a pony from the herd on Chincoteague Island, Virginia, is greatly increased when the Phantom and her colt are among the ponies rounded up for the yearly auction.
Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien
Having no one to help her with her problems, a widowed mouse visits the rats whose former imprisonment in a laboratory made them wise and long lived.
Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary
A reckless young mouse named Ralph makes friends with a boy in room 215 of the Mountain View Inn and discovers the joys of motorcycling.
|J Bri||Mousenet by Prudence Brietrose
Sent to live with her father and his wife in Oregon, ten-year-old misfit Megan is lonely until she starts working with some computer-savvy mice to try to save Mouse Nation--and the planet.
One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
When Ivan, a gorilla living in a mall, meets Ruby, a baby elephant who has been added to the mall, he decides that he must find a better life for her. Ivan’s love of art helps him attain a better life for Ruby and for himself.
Based on a true story.
|J Avi||Poppy by Avi
Poppy the deer mouse urges her family to move next to a field of corn big enough to feed them all forever, but Mr. Ocax, a terrifying owl, has other ideas.
Rescuers by Margery Sharp
|J Cle||Ribsy by Beverly Cleary
Separated from his owner, Henry Huggins, in a shopping center parking lot, an ordinary city dog begins a string of bewildering adventures.
at Sea by Richard Peck
In 1887, the Cranstons voyage to London, where they hope to find a husband for their awkward daughter. They are secretly accompanied by a mouse family, for whom the journey is both terrifying and wondrous.
|J Nay||Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
When he finds a lost beagle in the hills behind his West Virginia home, Marty tries to hide it from his family and the dog's real owner, a mean-spirited man known to shoot deer out of season and to mistreat his dogs.
Tells All by Ann Cameron
Called a troublemaker by his human family, a dog defends himself and relates the family's adoption of a cat who gives him a new way of looking at his world.
Little by E.B. White
The adventures of the debonair mouse Stuart Little as he sets out in the world to seek out his dearest friend, a little bird who stayed a few days in his family's garden.
Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
The story of Despereaux Tilling, a mouse of unusual talents, the princess that he loves, a servant girl, and a devious rat determined to bring them all to ruin.
Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White
Knowing how to read and write is not enough for Louis, a voiceless Trumpeter Swan; his determination to learn to play a stolen trumpet takes him far from his wilderness home.
6th through 9th grade
|T Hia||Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
Roy, who is new to his small Florida town, becomes involved in another boy's attempt to save a colony of burrowing owls from a proposed construction site.
Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford
A Siamese cat, an old bull terrier, and a young Labrador retriever travel together 250 miles through the Canadian wilderness to find their family. Based on a true story.
of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
While running away from home and an unwanted marriage, a thirteen-year-old Eskimo girl gets lost on the North Slope of Alaska and is befriended by a wolf pack.
Yeller by Fred Gipson
In early frontier Texas, fourteen-year-old Travis must take over his family's farm and making a painful decision.
|T Jac||Redwall books by Brian Jacques
When the peaceful life in Redwall Abbey is shattered by the arrival of the evil rat Cluny and his villanous hordes, Matthias, a young mouse, resolves to find a legendary sword to help Redwall's inhabitants destroy the enemy.
Stops for No Mouse by Michael Hoeye
When a jaunty mouse brings a watch into his shop for repair and then disappears, Hermux Tantamoq is caught up in a dangerous search for eternal youth as he tries to find out what happened to her.
|T Hun||Warriors books by Erin Hunter
For generations, four Clans of wild cats have shared the forest according to the laws of their ancestors. But the code is threatened, and one clan is in grave danger as another clan grows stronger. Noble warriors are dying, and some deaths are more mysterious than others.
of the Riding Stars books by M.I. McAllister
A group of animals, led by an orphaned squirrel, learns about friendship and loyalty when they band together to defend their island kingdom against evil forces.
Horse by Michael Morpurgo
Joey the horse recalls his experiences growing up on an English farm, his struggle for survival as a cavalry horse in World War I, and his reunion with his beloved master.
Down by Richard Adams
This stirring tale of adventure and survival follows a group of rabbits searching for a safe place to establish a new warren where they can live in peace.
the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
A young boy living in the Ozarks achieves his heart's desire when he becomes the owner of two redbone hounds and teaches them to be champion hunters.
Fang by Jack London
Being half wolf and half dog leaves White Fang looking for a place to belong. When he turns to man to protect him, he finds that man may be the cruelest animal.
Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
A young boy living in the Florida backwoods is forced to decide the fate of a fawn he has lovingly raised as a pet.