A Boy Called BAT

Category: Books with Resources, Chapter Books, Featured Reading

By Elana K. Arnold, 2017

A Dog called Kitty

Category: Chapter Books

By Bill Wallace, 1992

Ricky was attacked by a dog when he was just a baby. So when a stray puppy comes sniffling around the farm, he tells it to get lost. But the puppy keeps trying to play with him. And every time Ricky's Mom feeds the cats, the little dog comes running. The cats aren't sharing their food, however, and the poor pup is slowly starving. If Ricky doesn't overcome his fear, the little puppy may die -- but if he lets himself get close enough to feed it, he may find the best friend he's ever had!

A Dog’s Life: the Autobiography of a Stray

Category: Chapter Books

By Ann M. Martin, 2005

Squirrel is not like most dogs. Born a stray, she must make her own way in the world, facing busy highways, changing seasons, and humans both gentle and brutal. Her life story, in her own words, is marked by loss, but also by an inspiring instinct to survive. It brings home the hardships endured by animals who are lost or abandoned.

A Street Cat Named Bob

Category: Chapter Books, Jr./Sr. High Non-Fiction

By James Bowen, 2012

When James Bowen found an injured, ginger street cat curled up in the hallway of his sheltered accommodation, he had no idea just how much his life was about to change. James was living hand to mouth on the streets of London and the last thing he needed was a pet. Soon the two were inseparable and their adventures would transform both their lives, slowly healing the scars of each other's troubled pasts.

Animals Make Us Human: Creating the Best Life for Animals

Category: Chapter Books, Jr./Sr. High Non-Fiction

By Temple Grandin, 2010

Temple Grandin is an influential doctor of Animal Science and provides us with terrific insight into the animal mind.

Any Pet Will Do

Category: Chapter Books

By Nancy Shouse, 2005

This fun-filled chapter book begins with nine-year-old Jeremy’s father telling him “Pets are a huge responsibility,” inspiring the determined Jeremy to start a petsitting business to discover the type of pet that’s best for him. Along the way Jeremy – and his parents – learn how much fun and how much work it is to have a pet. The endnote from the author cautions that Jeremy’s example is not one to be followed, and points out how Jeremy could have researched pet needs before caring for them.

BAT and the End of Everything

Category: Books with Resources, Chapter Books, Featured Reading

By Elana K. Arnold, 2019

BAT and the Waiting Game

Category: Books with Resources, Chapter Books, Featured Reading

By Elana K. Arnold, 2018

Beautiful Joe

Category: Chapter Books, Jr./Sr. High Non-Fiction

By Margaret Marshall Saunders, 1893

Born in Nova Scotia, Margaret Marshall Saunders (1861-1947) taught school briefly before starting her career as a novelist. Her second book, Beautiful Joe, achieved international recognition. Inspired during a visit to Meaford Ontario about 1892, it is based on the story of a dog rescued from a brutal master by a local miller, William Moore. Margaret relocated the story to a small town in Maine and changed the family's name to Morris to win a literary contest sponsored by the American Humane Education Society. The book quickly became the first Canadian book to sell more than a million copies. Miss Saunders was awarded the Companion of the British Empire (CBE) in 1934 in recognition of her contribution toward securing humane treatment for animals.

Because of Winn-Dixie

Category: Chapter Books

By Kate KiCamillo, 2000

Ten-year-old Opal Buloni begins her account of the summer her life changed because of Winn-Dixie, a goofy stray dog she adopted. Author Kate DiCamillo earned one of the highest honors in children's books when Because of Winn-Dixie was designated a Newbery Honour Book for excellence.