Animal Kingdom
July 19, 2022
Read a fiction or nonfiction book featuring animals. Dogs or giraffes or dinosaurs, oh my! The animal kingdom is not lacking in fascinating and beautiful creatures. Whether you prefer your animals domesticated or wild, there is [thankfully] no shortage of wonderful books featuring animals of all kinds. Below is a list of fiction and nonfiction suggestions – or choose any animal story you prefer.
Nonfiction
American Wolf by Nate Blakeslee
This dramatic story of Yellowstone’s famous wolf, O-Six, reads like a fast-paced suspense novel. With sharp details from wolf watchers, naturalists, and hunters this engaging story transports the reader to life and death in a wolf pack.
Our Wild Tails by Cynthia Bennett
This Colorado cat-dog duo has won our hearts with their fun-loving friendship! Enjoy photos and descriptions of their adventures as they trek mountains or just cozy up at home. Winner of the ‘Reading the West’ book award for illustrated nonfiction.
H Is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald
This popular and award-winning book recounts the author’s experience of training a goshawk while grieving the death of her father.
Book / Large Print / eBook / CD Audiobook / Audio eBook
All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot
This heartwarming classic has a renewed interest after the recent PBS mini-series remake. Join Herriot as he recounts his adventures as a veterinarian in the Yorkshire countryside.
Book / eBook / CD Audiobook / Audio eBook
Mama’s Last Hug by Frans de Waal
We have a lot to learn from animals – according to primatologist and best-selling author de Waal. Here we learn about our human emotions based on research of the emotional lives of various primates.
Fiction
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
A lonely widow befriends an octopus named Marcellus at an aquarium where she cleans. Told from varying points-of-view, including the octopus, this book is a charming tale of friendship and community.
Book / Large Print / eBook
West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge
Historical fiction set in depression-era America tells the inspiring road trip to deliver two giraffes to the San Diego Zoo.
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
Maybe you prefer your animals with a bit more bite? The recent movie release might inspire you to pick up this classic sci-fi thriller that started it all and begs the question: Is cloning dinosaurs a good idea? Life will find a way…
Claws for Alarm by Rita Mae Brown & Sneaky Pie Brown
If you are in the mood for a murder mystery there are a plethora of series featuring animals. For example, this is Brown’s 30th book in her popular Mrs. Murphy series. When a vet is found dead in his clinic, our crime-solving hero cat is on the case, with some help from her animal friends!
Horse by Geraldine Brooks
From a Pulitzer-prize winning author comes this sweeping novel inspired by the true story of a famous racehorse, a discarded painting, and the reckoning of racism.
Book / Large Print / eBook