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Ages 0-3
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Tails Are Not for Pulling; Elizabeth Verdick
Ages 0-3
We know how much kids love
animals—but sometimes they’re just a
bit too exuberant in showing that
love to their four-legged friends.
Using simple language and delightful
illustrations, “Tails Are Not for
Pulling” teaches kids how to pay
attention to their pets’ body
language, and how they can show
their animals love in the
appropriate (i.e. gentle!) way. Kids
will learn that teasing isn’t nice,
and what to do if they want to touch
someone else’s pet. A special
section for adults offers tips on
how to talk to your kids about
treating animals kindly. Short,
sweet, and super! |
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So, What's It Like To Be a Cat?;
Karla Kustin
Ages 4-8
When he’s given a school assignment
to interview someone, a young boy
decides his companion feline would
be a wonderful subject. “So, what’s
it like to be a cat?” he wonders,
and his cat responds, “I’m very glad
you asked me that!” The playful text
explores the secret inner lives of
felines, including what time they
eat their breakfast and what they
really think of dogs…and people! |
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A
Kid's Best Friend; Maya
Ajmera And Alex Fisher
Charlesbridge Publishing, 2002
Ages 4-8
Simple text and pictures document
the bond between children and their
dogs from around the world.
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"Let's
Get a Pup!" Said Kate; Bob Graham
Ages 4-8
A humorous tale about one family's
trip to the animal shelter to choose
the right dog. |
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Bears Barge In; Joni
Sensel
Ages 4-8
Zack is a boy who lives in the
forest along with bears and other
wild woodland creatures.
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Jubela; Cristina Kessler
Ages 4-8
A baby rhino loses his mother, must
rely on himself to survive until he
is adopted by an old female rhino.
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Animal
Talk: How Animals Communicate
Through Sight, Sound and Smell;
Etta Kaner
Ages 4-8
Large size picture book packed with
interesting facts about how mammals,
birds, fish and insects communicate.
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Goose's
Story; Cari Best
Ages 4-8
This book tells the story of a girl
and her dog who befriend a
one-legged goose and worry if she
will survive the winter migration.
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Each Living Thing; Joanne
Ryder
Ages 4-8
If you see a beautiful spider web or
an unusual flower, what should you
do? Leave it alone! This book
teaches respect and appreciation for
all aspects of our natural world.
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Jasper's
Day; Marjorie Blain Parker
And Janet Wilson (illustrator)
Kids Can Press, Ltd, 2002
Ages 4-8
Realistic yet gentle story of pet
loss. Riley and his family take a
day to celebrate Jasper's life and
what he means to them. |
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Little Flower; Gloria
Rand
Ages 4-8
Based on a true story, Little
Flower, a potbellied pig, becomes a
hero when she plays dead to get help
for her injured caretaker.
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Monkey for Sale; Sanna
Stanley
Ages 4-8
Set in the Democratic Republic of
Congo, two friends devise a series
of trades in order to free a
captured monkey. |
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Freckles: The Mystery of the
Little White Dog in the Desert;
Paul Howey
Ages 4-8
The true story of an abandoned dog
who is rescued from an Arizona
desert, adopted into a loving family
and eventually finds her true
calling as a therapy dog.
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Seldovia Sam and The Sea Otter
Rescue;Susan Woodward
Springer
Ages 4-8
Continuing his adventures in
Seldovia, Alaska, eight-year-old Sam
must work hard to make sure an
abandoned baby sea otter survives
the night until a biologist come to
take her to the zoo. |
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The Deliverance of Dancing Bears;Elizabeth
Stanley
Ages 4-8
In this contemporary fable, a
dancing bear who dreams of freedom
is liberated from her chains by a
old peasant man who reminds us all
to respect the dignity of all living
creatures. |
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And Tango Makes Three;
Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
Ages 4-8
A tale based on the true
story of a charming penguin family
living in New York City’s Central
Park Zoo. Kids will be thoroughly
enchanted with Tango, the only
penguin in the zoo with two daddies!
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Cool Time Song;
Carole Lexa Schaefer
Ages 4-8
On the sun-baked earth of
the African savannah, kudus, zebras,
giraffes and lions move slowly
through the hot day, looking for
shade, leaves to nibble, a resting
place. But when the sun sets, a cool
time settles on the savannah and the
song begins! |
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Earth Mother;
Ellen Jackson
Ages 4-8
This beautiful book
chronicles a day in the life of
Earth Mother as she meets with three
of her creations—Man, Frog and
Mosquito. Children will be
especially enchanted by the magical,
mystical, soft and elegant
illustrations by Leo and Diane
Dillon. |
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Gorilla Doctors: Saving Endangered
Great Apes; Pamela S.
Turner
Ages 4-8
Veterinarians in east central Africa
who “make house calls—or rather,
forest calls” to mountain gorillas
are the focus of this new addition
to the award-winning Scientists in
the Field series. Through lively
text and spectacular photographs,
kids will learn to love and respect
these curious, beautiful—and highly
endangered—species. |
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Magnus at the Fire;
Jennifer Armstrong
Ages 4-8
Being a fire horse at the Broadway
Firehouse is Magnus’s whole life.
But what happens when the captain
drives up with a brand-new motorized
fire engine? Magnus won’t quit—and
that’s a good thing, because one
night his courage and sense of duty
save the day. This historical story
is fast-paced and fun to read. |
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Buddy Unchained; Daisy Bix
Ages 4-8
What is life like for a dog kept
outdoors in all weather on a chain
or a rope, alone all day, every
day—a dog whose owners, for the most
part, forgot that he’s alive? Buddy,
a lovable mixed-breed dog, has had
such an existence.
Happy in a new home, Buddy tells the
story of his former life of neglect
and abuse. Now that he’s been
rescued, he’s finally living a good
life with a family that cares about
him. Written in simple,
age-appropriate text, Buddy
Unchained is a valuable tool for
teaching the message of compassion
and empathy toward animals.
Information is included for parents
and other adults about how to help
abused dogs. |
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Tale of a Great White Fish;
Maggie De Vries
Ages 4-8
This beautifully illustrated picture
book traces nearly 200 years of
Pacific Northwest Coast history as
it follows the life of Big Fish, a
sturgeon who, at 177 years old, has
survived a variety of natural and
manmade disasters to come to rest in
our present day when laws have been
created to protect her. The writer
and illustrator, both winners of
prestigious awards, have crafted an
exciting tale that ends with a
glossary, diagram and interesting
facts about the biology and history
of the sturgeon. |
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Anna and Natalie; Barbara H.
Cole
Ages 4-8
More than anything, Anna, who is
blind, wants to represent her
third-grade class on the field trip
to the Wreath-Laying Ceremony at the
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Each
child in the class must write a
letter stating why he or she should
be selected as one of the four
student representatives. Anna writes
a winning letter―from the
perspective of Natalie, her
seeing-eye dog, to honor all dogs
that served valiantly during war.
This story shows respect for a child
with a disability and gives seeing
children a glimpse into her world.
The
book also includes a page about
"Dogs in War" and information about
the National War Dog Memorial Fund
to honor the service of dogs in
wartime. |
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Ape; Martin Jenkins
Ages 4-8
Swing with a hairy orangutan and her
baby as they lunge for a smelly,
spiky durian fruit. Roam and play
with a gang of chimps, then poke out
some tasty termites with a blade of
grass. Chatter and feast on figs
with a bonobo, or chomp on bamboo
with a gorilla as he readies for
sleep. What could be better than
spending time with these rare and
wonderful creatures—after all, the
fifth great ape on this planet is
you! With
compelling illustrations and a
conservationist slant, this look at
four rare great apes—and one very
familiar one—is a book to go ape
over. |
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Hanni and Beth: Safe and Sound;
Beth Finke
Ages 4-8
This book tells the story of Hanni,
a Seeing Eye dog and her owner,
Beth, a writer who travels a lot and
is blind. Told from Hanni’s point of
view, we learn what Seeing Eye dogs
do and do not do when working. When
her harness is on Hanni can’t stop
to eat or sniff. She can’t be petted
or roll over to scratch her back.
She is focused on "keeping us safe".
While at times Hanni envies the
lives of other dogs, she is very
proud of her job and enjoys being
allowed in places where most dogs
can’t go.
End
notes explain Hanni’s intensive
training at the Seeing Eye School in
Morristown, NJ, and how Beth became
blind and came to have Hanni in her
life. |
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Before Your Were Mine; Maribeth
Boelts
Ages 4-8
A little boy imagines what life was
like for his new dog before he
adopted him from a shelter. Maybe he
had a boy who loved him, but the
family had to move and couldn’t keep
him. Maybe he belonged to someone
who didn’t appreciate how
mischievous puppies can be. Maybe he
was treated badly, and now he can be
shown all the love he’s been
missing. This boy wonders about all
of these things, but maybe they
don’t matter. Because now, his dog
is home. |
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Toad by the Road; Joanne Ryder
Ages 4-8
Toads are small and often unseen by
human eyes, but their world is rich
and varied. The toads in these
eloquent poems describe their many
wonders, from sticky fly-catching
tongues, to the way they shed skin,
and camouflage. Joanne Ryder traces
the life cycle of amphibians as they
change from springtime tadpoles into
full-grown toads that hibernate in
winter. Maggie Kneen’s illustrations
showcase toads in their natural
habitat with precise, dramatic
detail. You’ll never think of toads
the same way again! |
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Turtle Summer: A Journal for My
Daughter; Mary Alice Monroe
Ages 4-8
Each
year thousands of volunteers spend
their summers watching over
endangered loggerhead sea turtle
nests. This is the journal of a
young mother who assembles
photographs and sketches for her
daughter so she will remember the
time they spent together tending
turtle nests. Dedicated to all
grandmothers, mothers and daughters,
this scrapbook journal explains the
nesting cycle of sea turtles and the
natural life along the southeastern
coast, including local shore birds,
shells, and the sea turtle hospital.
Adults and children will enjoy the
inspiring original photographs and
text.
A
"For Creative Minds" section at the
end of the book offers more amazing
sea turtle facts and three fun
activities. |
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Old Mother Bear; Victoria Miles
Ages 4-8
Through the seasons and over the
years, Old Mother Bear's story
unfolds. We watch her dig a winter
den, give birth to three cubs, hunt
for food, and defend her cubs
against another grizzly bear. We
witness the cubs growing up, a bear
growing old and the imprint of her
life upon the land. Beautifully
illustrated in luminous chalk
paintings. |
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ER Vets: Life in an Animal Emergency
Room; Donna M. Jackson
Ages 9-12
Know any kids who want to be a vet?
This book is an absolute must!
Jackson takes an in-depth look at
all that goes on an emergency
veterinary facility. The
accompanying photos are
fascinating—there’s even one of a
bottle cap in a dog’s stomach—and
are sufficiently detailed, but not
gruesome. We especially love the
glossary of common “codes” used by
ER staff and the heartwarming study
of Paco the Taco—a newborn foal with
a life-threatening illness. |
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Star in the Storm; Joan
H. Harlow
Ages 9-12
Set in 1912 on the coast of
Newfoundland, this heart-warming
novel about a girl and her beloved
Newfoundland dog will delight
readers. |
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Interrupted Journey: Saving
Endangered Sea Turtles;
Kathryn Lasky
Ages 9-12
Describes the efforts to protect sea
turtles, and help them reproduce and
replenish their once-dwindling
numbers. |
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Saving
Lilly; Peg Kehret
Ages 9-12
A touching story about two sixth
graders who campaign to make a
difference in the lives of circus
animals, especially Lilly, the
elephant. |
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The Chimpanzees I Love: Saving
Their World and Ours; Jane
Goodall
Ages 9-12
A personal narrative by a
world-renowned, pioneer Jane Goodall
and her life-long involvement with
the chimpanzees of Gombe.
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Cherry
Hill's Horse Care for Kids;
Cherry Hill
Ages 9-12
Perfect book for kids who are eager
to learn the essentials of equine
care. |
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In Flanders Fields;
Norman Jorgensen
Ages 9-12
A young World War I soldier risks
his life to rescue a robin caught in
the barbed wire that separates the
opposing forces. |
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Safari Journal; Hudson
Talbott
Ages 9-12
Join Carey and his 12-year-old
Maasai friend, Pilot, as they track
wildlife and expose a ring of animal
poachers on a safari through the
heart of wild Kenya. |
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Wild Horses: Black Hills
Sanctuary; Cris Peterson
Ages 9-12
Breathtaking photographs chronicle
the story of one man's dream to
create a sanctuary where wild horses
can live in freedom and dignity.
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Animals
Asleep;
Sneed B. Collard III
Ages 9-12
How do fish sleep? What about bats
and cats? We get lots of questions
from kids about the sleeping habits
of all members of the animal
kingdom, so we know this is one
bedtime story that’ll be read again
and again. The author delivers
up a range of surprising dozing
habits in a friendly, but
fact-filled style. Young nature
lovers will get the snoozing scoop
on all manner of critters, from
alligators (whose armored plates and
scales make sleeping on their
stomachs a necessity) to sea otters,
who prefer to sack out in beds—kelp
beds, that is! Anik McGrory’s
bright, inviting illustrations are
fun to look at, too.
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A Dog's Life: The Autobiography of a
Stray; Ann M. Martin
Ages 9-12
From Newbery award-winning author
Ann M. Martin comes the
“autobiography” of Squirrel, a
sweet, sensitive and strong dog who
has spent most of her ten years as a
stray. From the comfort of her new
home, Squirrel fills us in on the
trials and tribulations of her
difficult life, from the loss of a
fellow stray friend to abandonment
by her mother as a pup. |
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Dog Sense;
Sneed B. Collard III
Ages 9-12
Montana is a long way from
California, but 13-year-old Guy is
trying to make the best of a tough
situation. It’s hard getting used to
a new town (especially when you’re
on the school bully’s bad list!),
but with the help of a good friend
and a great dog, Guy learns to call
Montana home. This easy, engaging
read will keep even the most
reluctant young readers
enthralled—especially when it’s time
for Guy and his dog to participate
in the town’s Frisbee-catching
competition! |
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Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of
the Meadow; Joyce
Sidman
Ages 9-12
This combination of science and
verse introduces children to the
ecosystem of a meadow through a
variety of poetic forms. Each page’s
colorful, woodcut-like illustrations
work hand in hand with the text as a
teaching tool, giving the reader a
hint to its riddles without
revealing the answer until it's time
to turn the page. |
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Dog Heroes: Fire Dogs;
Donna Latham
Ages 9-12
This nonfiction picture book shows
young readers how dogs are trained
to become the dedicated assistants
of arson investigators. Latham
explains how their super sense of
smell allows dogs to “sniff out
missing people, find hidden bombs
and even detect microscopic cancer
cells.” Thanks to the descriptive
photographs, readers are able to
follow the dogs through their
training and onto crime scenes. |
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Dog Heroes: Water Rescue Dogs;
Frances
E. Ruffin
Ages 9-12
In this colorful and
compelling book, young readers will
go on the job with dogs who have
been trained to rescue people from
floods, boating accidents and other
water-related emergencies. One of
the dogs they’ll meet is Ursa, a
Newfoundland who came to the rescue
when her owner, Elizabeth, was lost
in a storm.
Animal lovers will also become
acquainted with WET DOG, a group
that trains and tests dogs for water
rescues. We were especially amazed
to learn that dogs of all shapes and
sizes have passed the test—including
a ten-pound Chihuahua! |
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Is My Dog a Wolf? Jenni Bidner
Ages 9-12
The cover photo says it all—a
distinctly canine face, half smiling
golden retriever and half intense
gray wolf. Once inside, young animal
lovers will learn about the
similarities and differences between
the family pooch and one of the wild
kingdom’s most fascinating
creatures. Questions answered
include “Why does my dog’s hair
stand up?,” “Why does my dog chew my
stuff?” and “Why does my dog love to
lick my face?”; be forewarned, the
answer to the latter may surprise
you! |
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Quest for the Tree Kangaroo; Sy
Montgomery
Ages 9-12
He looks like a bear, but isn’t one.
He climbs trees like a monkey, but
isn’t a monkey either. He has a
pouch like a kangaroo, but kangaroos
don’t live in trees...or do they?
Inquisitive young minds will enjoy
meeting Matschie’s tree kangaroo, a
rare animal who makes his home in
the ancient trees of Papua New
Guinea’s cloud forest and is often
described as looking like a “big
stuffed animal.”
The
author joined a scientist,
photographer and whole crew of
international and local explorers as
they climbed up a steep mountain in
search of the tree kangaroo. Her
diary-style account of the trek is
lively and interesting, written in a
tone that’s just right for younger
readers. Nic Bishop’s phenomenal
photos document the amazing
animals—and people—involved in the
expedition. |
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Wings; William Loizeaux
Ages 9-12
This novel takes readers through the
eventful summer of 1960 when
10-year-old Nick nurses back to
health a wild mockingbird he names
Marcy. Readers follow Nick’s
experiences as he learns more about
his father, who died in the Korean
War, and develops a rich, nurturing
relationship with Marcy, coaxing the
bird to eat worms and wondering if
she’ll fly away when she heals.
Soft, realistic pencil illustrations
add to the story, in which Nick
makes decisions that show he
respects Marcy as a wild animal
rather than a pet. |
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Being Caribou: Five Months on Foot
with a Caribou Herd; Karsten
Heuer
Ages 9-12
In one of the earth’s most amazing
migrations, more than 100,000
caribou trek thousands of miles each
year over high mountain ranges,
through snowy passes, and across icy
rivers. But they have to battle more
than just the brutal elements—hungry
wolves, huge grizzly bears, human
hunters, and hordes of bloodthirsty
insects. Karsten Heuer and his
wife, Leanne Allison, are the only
humans ever to become part of a
caribou herd and join it on its
arduous journey. To keep up, they
had to move, act, and even think
like caribou. Karsten and Leanne’s
incredible adventure gives us a
window into a world that we have
never seen before. |
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M is for Meow; Helen L. Wilbur
Ages 9-12
Feed
me, pet me, come and play.
Let me out, please go away!
A cat fits all these thoughts
somehow
into the tiny word MEOW.
The
cat has been companion, worker, and
revered idol throughout man’s
recorded history. From A is for
Ancestors to Z is for Zzzz’s, this
unique book in an alphabet format
combines breed, behavior, cat care
and anecdotal information with the
breathtaking illustrations of Robert
Papp. |
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The Least of These: Wild Baby Bird
Rescue Stories; Joan Harris
Ages 9 & Up
Squawk! Honk! Squeak! You can almost
hear the main “characters” in
Harris’s book, thirteen baby birds
rescued and rehabilitated by
caregivers all across the country.
Animal-loving kids and adults alike
will be captivated by each one, from
Hurlly, an abandoned baby turkey
vulture, to Faith, a mute swan who
was badly disfigured and unable to
eat on her own after an attack by a
snapping turtle. The author’s
enchanting illustrations are a
beautiful bonus.
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Working
Like a Dog: The Story of Working
Dogs Through History;Gena
Gorrell
Ages 12 & up
This book describes the canines of
history, the evolution of breeds for
different purposes and how dogs are
trained for modern-day jobs such as
search and rescue. |
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Flash Point; Sneed B.
Collard III
Ages 12 & Up
The town of Heartwood,
Montana, is burning out of control.
The fire is also igniting
long-standing disputes between
out-of-work locals,
environmentalists and state wildlife
managers. At the center is Luther, a
high-school sophomore and
ex-football hero who now works to
help rehabilitate raptors.
Collard takes young adult readers on
a suspense-filled ride while
successfully integrating information
about logging, forest fires and
birds of prey. As one teen reviewer
on Amazon.com says, “This amazing
book will grab readers with its
stunning real-life topic. A great
read!” |
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Listen! Stephanie S. Tolan
Ages 12 & Up
This novel, about a lonely young
woman who is transformed by her
relationship with a feral dog, deals
with healing, both physically and
emotionally. Charley, who has just
lost her mother and is recuperating
from a car accident that has left
her leg injured, gains back her
ability to walk by following a
free-roaming dog into the woods,
where she is able to connect with
her mother again through nature. The
shy stray has also been through
trauma and, as the story unfolds,
Charley and the dog, whom she names
Coyote, develop a mystical
relationship that heals them both. |
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Defiance; Valerie Hobbs
Ages 12 & Up
Eleven-year-old Toby
Steiner wants to do normal things on
his vacation, like hiking, fishing
and racing his bike down the hill.
The last thing he wants is to return
to the children’s hospital where his
painful cancer treatment finally
ended. When Toby starts spending
time with Pearl, a spunky old woman
who lives on a nearby farm, and her
broken-down cow named Blossom, he
sees all the more reason to keep the
new lump on his side a secret from
his parents... |
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One Kingdom: Our Lives with Animals;
Deborah Noyes
Ages 12 & Up
We want to know animals. Whether the
goal is to conserve or consume them,
talk to or train them, befriend or
master them—animals matter to us.
Therein lies the theme of OneKingdom,
a provocative photo-essay on the
human-animal bond by Deborah Noyes.
The author touches on many topics,
from the memory of elephants to an
explanation of how animals are
classified in the Linnaeus system.
The sophisted design lends
itself to browsing, and readers of
all ages will be fascinated by
sidebar information, which covers
Lonesome George, the last saddleback
tortoise in the world, and animal
escape artists in zoos, to name just
a few. One New England mom who
bought the book for her 15-year-old
daughter reports on Amazon.com, “Her
rave reviews inspired my husband and
I to read it. We all love it! The
manner in which Deborah Noyes
intertwined myth, history, science
and humanity in this book make it
both educational and a page turner.”
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The World According to Dog: Poems
and Teen Voices; Joyce Sidman
Ages 12 & up
Poetic observations of beloved pets
are interwoven with short essays by
teens, creating funny, surprising
and poignant insights into our
relationships with canine
companions. |
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StrayDog; Kathe Koja
Ages 12 & up
Through teaching a feral collie to
trust, teenage Rachel breaks out of
her own cage. |
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The Eco-Diary of Kiran Singer,
Sue Ann Alderson
Ages 12 & Up
Kiran Singer is worried. What can a
kid do to help preserve the earth?
Her grandmother introduces her to
the wonders of Vancouver’s Camosun
Bog. Richly illustrated by Millie
Ballance, Sue Ann Alderson’s poems
are a celebration of life and of our
ability to make a difference.
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