Books in Spanish
For Independent Reading
VERY EASY
- ¿Dónde está Jake? (Where Is Jake?)
- by Mary Packard
Childrens
Two children search the house to find their missing dog.
- Nuestro perro (Our Dog)
- by Helen Oxenbury
The family dog embarrasses everyone with his mischievous behavior.
- Mi perrito (My Puppy)
- by Inez Greene
(Multicultural)
Harper Déjame leer
A girl describes her puppy.
- Gatitos (Kittens)
- by Angela Royston
(Science/Health)
Sequential photographs show a kitten's growth over a number of months.
EASY
- Plumas para almorzar (Feathers for Lunch)
- by Lois Ehlert
Harcourt Libros Viajeros
A sneaky cat tries to catch some birds for his lunch.
- Clifford, el gran perro colorado (Clifford, the Big Red Dog)
- by Norman Bridwell
Emily Ann describes her dog Clifford, who is bigger than a house.
- Mi pájaro (My Bird)
- by Isidro Sánchez and María Rius
A boy and girl take care of their bird, listen to its beautiful song, and
bring it to school for show-and-tell.
- Mi hámster (My Hamster)
- by Isidro Sánchez and María Rius
A boy and girl relate how they take care of their pet hamster.
AVERAGE
- Quiero un gato (I Want a Cat)
- by Tony Ross
When Jessy's parents refuse to let her have a cat, she decides to act like one.
- Crictor (Crictor)
- by Tomi Ungerer
Madame Bodot's unusual pet boa constictor saves her from a dangerous thief.
- Henry y Mudge: el primer libro de sus aventuras (Henry and Mudge:
The First Book of Their Adventures)
- by Cynthia Rylant
Simon Libros Colibrí
A boy named Henry finds companionship with a big lovable dog named Mudge.
- Alex quiere un dinosaurio (A Boy Wants a Dinosaur)
- by Hiawyn Oram and Satoshi Kitamura
Alex gets his wish for a pet dinosaur, but the huge creature causes problems
at home and at school.
- Sílbale a Willie (A Whistle for Willie)
- by Ezra Jack Keats
(Multicultural)
Willie wants to learn to whistle so he can call his dog.
- Harry, el perrito sucio (Harry the Dirty Dog)
- by Gene Zion
Harper Arco Iris
The classic story of a dog, some dirt, and a bath.
CHALLENGING
- Cepillo (Brush)
- by Pere Calders
A boy's love for his dog is transferred to a brush when his family must
give the dog away.
- ¿Quién cuida al cocodrilo? (Who's Taking Care of the Crocodile?)
- by Alma Flor Ada
A girl takes a crocodile home from school in this funny story.
- Las grandes mascotas (The Big Pets)
- by Lane Smith
In this fantasy, a giant cat and a little girl find a lake full of milk.
- Yo siempre te querré (I'll Always Love You)
- by Hans Wilhelm
A boy describes the life of his beloved dog, Elfi, and how the dog grows
old and dies.
- El gato chino (The Chinese Cat)
- by José Luis Olaizola
Martina takes care of a kitten that has been abandoned by its mother.
For Teacher Read Aloud
- La gata gatona (The Mousehole Cat)
- by Antonia Barber
A fisherman and his cat sail out in a storm to save their village from
starvation.
- El pañuelo de seda (The Silk Scarf)
- by Alma Flor Ada
A girl uses her treasured silk scarf to bind an injured crane that she cares
for.
- Sam Bangs y Hechizo de Luna (Sam Bangs and Moonshine)
- by Evaline Ness
Imaginative Sam tells her friends that she has a kangaroo for a pet when what
she really has is a cat named Bangs.
- La gata de retales (The Patchwork Cat)
- by Nicola Bayley and William Mayne
A pampered tabby searches for her missing quilt.
For Shared Reading
- Los cuatro cachorritos (Four Black Puppies)
- by Sally Grindley
The misadventures of a litter of four active black puppies.
- El rabo de gato (Cat's Tail)
- by Clarita Kohen
A rhyming story about a mischievous cat who plays with the tail of another cat.
Books in English
(English Language Development)
For Shared or Independent Reading
VERY EASY
- Claude Has a Picnic
- by Dick Gackenbach
Clarion
Claude the dog solves his neighbors problems and brings them together for a
picnic.
EASY
- Millions of Cats
- by Wanda Gag
Putnam
The classic tale of a man and a woman who find the prettiest kitten among
millions of cats.
AVERAGE/CHALLENGING
- The Outside Dog
- by Charlotte Pomerantz
Harper
Marisol convinces her grandmother to adopt a stray mutt.
- Pet Show
- by Ezra Jack Keats
(Multicultural)
Macmillan
Archie's cat disappears before the pet show, but quick thinking wins him a
ribbon.
- Henry and Mudge and the Happy Cat
- by Cynthia Rylant
Henry and his big dog Mudge take care of a lovable lost cat.
For Teacher Read Aloud
- Esmeralda and the Pet Parade
- by Cecile Schoberle Simon
Juan's rambunctious pet goat Esmeralda turns the annual Santa Fe pet parade
topsy-turvy.
- Lorenzo, the Naughty Parrot
- by Tony Johnston
A cookie-loving parrot who lives with a family in Mexico gets in all kinds of
mischief.