In 1877 Anna Sewell’s Black Beauty was published and is still one of the best-selling books of all time. With a horse as narrator it broke new ground, and also taught young readers about treating animals with kindness. It was the forerunner of the thousands of pony club books available today. Many other wonderful books that feature animals as the main characters have followed – Beatrix Potter’s classic tales for children, Animal Farm, The Incredible Journey, Lassie Come Home, Watership Down are just a few examples.
In a recent Zoom discussion, I shared a few of my favourite books that feature animals, Cheryl discussed a book about a well-travelled cat, and others in the room recommended their best-loved books about animals. It was such an interesting discussion! You’ll see the book list below created from everyone’s suggestions. There are enough books here to topple your to-read pile!
Pour yourself a refreshing beverage, get comfy and listen to our discussion about animal books.
What would you like to chat about next time? I’d love to hear your suggestions.
This reading list is comprised of books recommended by participants in this online chat. I have not read all of these books myself – but hope to do so soon! Hope you’ll find at least one that interests you.
Susannah Fullerton: Black Beauty
Susannah Fullerton: The Tale of Peter Rabbit is published
Susannah Fullerton: Paul Gallico dies
Susannah Fullerton: Charlotte’s Web is published
Susannah Fullerton: Remarkably Bright Creatures
Susannah Fullerton: Cats in Books
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
The Call of the Wild & White Fang by Jack London
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
Lassie Come Home by Eric Knight
The Half-Brothers by Elizabeth Gaskell
The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford
Jennie by Paul Gallico
Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
Watership Down by David Adams
Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl
Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann
The Cat Who Sniffed Glue by Lilian Jackson Braun
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa
Peter Rabbit books by Beatrix Potter
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
White Fang by Jack London
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
Lassie Come Home by Eric Knight
The Half-Brothers by Elizabeth Gaskell
The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford
Trim, The Cartographer’s Cat by Matthew Flinders, Gillian Dooley, Philippa Sandall
The Silent Meow by Paul Gallico
A Cat in the Window by Derek Tangye
My Friend Flicka by Mary O’Hara
Listening to the Animals by Noel Fitzpatrick
A Little Bush Maid by Mary Grant Bruce
Runt by Craig Silvey
Horse by Geraldine Brooks
The Life and Opinions of Maf the Dog by Andrew O’Hagan
The Dalai Lama’s Cat by David Michie
A Street Cat Named Bob by James Bowen
Cold Coast by Robyn Mundy
Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy
The Last Migration by Charlotte McConaghy
Animal Farm by George Orwell
I provide these links for convenience only and do not endorse or assume liability for the content or quality of these third-party sites. I only recommend books I have read and know. Some of these links may be affiliate links. If you buy a product by clicking here I may receive a small commission. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, but does help cover the cost of producing my free newsletter.
Images- Elizabeth Taylor, 1943 MGM film, Lassie Come Home, https://www.intofilm.org/films/16724
Tell me your thoughts by leaving a comment.
Margaret Debenham
Thank you, Susannah – I’ve just watched the video, which was extremely interesting. I’ve tended to avoid animal books because so many distressingly record animal deaths – as highlighted by the many references to boxes of tissues during the course of the chat. However there was one series of books about animals which I adored as a child – the series by “Romany of the BBC”, Rev. George Bramwell Evens. In these books he travels the English countryside in his Romany waggon drawn by the horse Comma, accompanied by Raq the cocker spaniel, and he describes in lovely word-pictures the animals and plants they encounter along the way. Such titles as “Out With Romany by Meadow and Stream” and “Out With Romany by Moor and Dale”. Several more Romany books were written by his son (including one narrated by Raq), and one by his wife, but those by Romany himself are the most enjoyable. They are the reason I studied zoology at university (I did a bit of botany, too, but the plants weren’t nearly as interesting as the animals). As an aside, I have read “Horse” and thought it excellent and the story of both horse and humans excellently told (even though I had to cope with the fact that the horse died – which of course I knew from he start), while the historical setting was quite gripping.