Recommended Reading: Jr./Sr. High Non-Fiction
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.
Animal Smarts
Category: Elementary Non-Fiction, Jr./Sr. High Non-Fiction
By Sylvia Funston, 1997
Animal Smarts, one of The Secret Life of Animals series, details fascinating findings about all sorts of creatures, from our everyday pets to exotic wildlife from remote places around the world. The Secret Life of Animals series presents the very latest discoveries about animal behaviors that have long been hidden and mysterious. Sylvia Funston, former editor-in-chief of OWL and Chickadee Magazines, is a multi-award-winning science author and editor.
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.
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.
Being Caribou: Five Months on Foot with an Arctic Herd
Category: Chapter Books, Jr./Sr. High Non-Fiction
By Karsten Heuer, 2007
This book expands the narrative over 235 pages that delve more deeply into the authors’ motivations, physical and emotional tribulations, and the internal changes brought about as they had to move, act and think like caribou in order to keep up with the herd.
Black Beauty
Category: Chapter Books, Jr./Sr. High Non-Fiction
By Anna Sewell, 1877
The original title page for this classic novel read: “Black Beauty: The Autobiography of a Horse, translated from the original equine, by Anna Sewell.” Black Beauty is considered the first novel in the genre of animal autobiography. The style of presenting an animal as an animal rather than giving it human traits has been followed by similar stories such as Beautiful Joe and The Incredible Journey. Sewell’s novel has been an influence on animal stories of all kinds, including those of popular modern writers such as Beatrix Potter and Kenneth Grahame. The book resulted in legislation protecting horses and a changed public attitude about animal pain and the traditional and fashionable practices that caused suffering for horses.
Defending the Defenseless: A Guide to Protecting and Advocating for Pets
Category: Books for Teachers, Chapter Books, Jr./Sr. High Non-Fiction
By Allie Phillips, 2011
This book is at once a how-to manual and an inspirational piece. Drawing on her own journey to becoming an animal advocate, Allie shares her encyclopedic knowledge of the animal protection field to give us practical advice on how to get involved - and how to keep moving forward.
Dogs Never Lie About Love: Reflections on the Emotional World of Dogs
Category: Chapter Books, Jr./Sr. High Non-Fiction
By Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, 1998
The author draws from myth and literature, scientific studies, and the stories and observations of dog trainers and dog lovers around the world, to discuss the emotional complexity of dogs. But the stars of the book are the author's own three dogs whose delightful and mysterious behavior provides the way to exploring a wide range of subjects--from emotions like gratitude, compassion, loneliness, and disappointment to speculating what dogs dream of and how their powerful sense of smell shapes their perception of reality.
Fifty Animals that Changed the Course of History
Category: Books for Teachers, Chapter Books, Jr./Sr. High Non-Fiction
By Eric Chaline, 2011
Covers the fascinating stories of creatures great and small and how they have played a central role in the development of our world.
For the Love of A Dog: Understanding Emotion in You and Your Best Friend
Category: Chapter Books, Jr./Sr. High Non-Fiction
By Patricia B. McConnell, 2006
This book offers dog owners a new understanding of the complex range of emotions that they come across with their companions. Written by a renowned animal behaviorist and zoologist, we learn how to read the more subtle expressions behind the fuzzy faces and floppy ears.
