Books for Independent Reading
VERY EASY
Oh, Cats!- by Nola Buck
Harper 1997 (24p)
A young girl tries to make playmates out of three cats she finds in her backyard in this rhyming story.
- An Octopus Followed Me Home
- by Dan Yaccarino
Viking 1997 (32p)
When a girl begs to keep an octopus that as followed her home in this rhyming story, her father reminds her of all the unusual pets she has already kept.
- Digby
- by Barbara Shook Hazen
(Multicultural)
Harper 1997 (32p)
A girl explains to her younger brother why their dog Digby is too old to play catch with him.
- Lost Cat
- by Tad Hardy
Houghton 1996 (32p)
Rhyming verse describes a lost cat from the loving perspective of his owner and from the exasperated perspective of the person who has found the cat.
- A Bag Full of Pups
- by Dick Gackenbach
Clarion 1991 (32p) paper
A little boy wants a pet for no other reason than to love him
EASY
- McDuff Moves In
- by Rosemary Wells
Hyperion 1997 (32p)
A West Highland terrier named McDuff finds a loving home with Fred and Lucy after he escapes from the dogcatcher.
- Mr. Putter and Tabby Row the Boat
- by Cynthia Rylant
Harcourt 1997 (44p)
On a hot summer day, Mr. Putter and his cat Tabby and his neighbor Mrs. Teaberry and her dog Zeke cool off by taking a rowboat on a pond.
- A Dog Named Sam
- by Janice Boland
Dial 1996 (40p)
Three lighthearted stories about a playful dog named Sam.
- Spot a Cat
- by Lucy Micklethwaite
(Art)
Dorling 1995 (32p)
Readers look for a cat in each of thirteen fine art paintings.
- I Love Guinea Pigs
- by Dick King-Smith
(Science)
Candlewick 1995 (32p)
An appealing, chatty introduction to guinea pigs, including
their care and feeding
AVERAGE
- The Cats of Mrs. Calamari
- by John Stadler
Orchard 1997 (32p)
Mrs. Calamari's new landlord insists that he doesn't like cats, so Mrs. Calamari finds clever ways to disguise her many felines.
- Alison's Puppy
- by Marion Dane Bauer
Hyperion 1997 (40p)
Instead of the puppy she wants more than anything else in the world for her birthday, Alison gets a kitten she names Puppy.
- Nugget & Darling
- by Barbara M. Joosse
Clarion 1997 (32p)
Nell's dog Nugget finds a kitten, but he becomes jealous when Nell starts lavishing it with attention and affection.
- Martha Blah Blah
- by Susan Medddaugh
Houghton 1996 (32p)
Able to speak only gibberish after eating her daily bowl of alphabet soup, Martha the talking dog goes to the soup factory to investigate the disappearance of some of the soup's letters.
- Rotten Ralph's Rotten Romance
- by Jack Gantos
Houghton 1996 (32p)
Dressed as a cupid, Sarah's cat Rotten Ralph causes mischief at a Valentine's Day party before being smothered by the party goers' kisses.
- Good Luck, Ronald Morgan!
- by Patricia Reilly Giff
Viking 1996 (26p)
Ronald Morgan discovers that training his new dog Lucky and making friends with his new next-door neighbor Kelly takes patience and luck.
- Mr. Putter and Tabby Pick the Pears
- by Cynthia Rylant
Harcourt 1995 (44p)
Mr. Putter and his cat, Tabby, come up with a wild plan to pick
pears to make into pear jelly.
- Officer Buckle and Gloria
- by Peggy Rathmann
Putnam 1995 (32p)
Officer Buckle's dog Gloria enlivens his boring safety lectures
with her own funny antics.
CHALLENGING
- Harry's Pony
- by Barbara Ann Porte
Greenwillow 1997 (56p)
When Harry wins a pony he can't keep in a contest, he donates the pony to the Red Barn Pony Farm, a place where physically challenged children learn to ride.
- Tonio's Cat
- by Mary Calhoun
(Multicultural)
Morrow 1996 (32p)
Tonio, an immigrant from Mexico, befriends a stray cat that helps him to to make friends and feel more at home.
- Mr. Potter's Pet
- by Dick King-Smith
Hyperion 1996 (64p)
Playing matchmaker, Mr. Potter's pet, a mynah bird named Everest, fixes up his bachelor owner with a childhood sweetheart.
- Pet Parade
- by Patricia Reilly Giff
Bantam 1996 (100p)
The kids in Ms. Rooney's class at the Polk Street school all worry that their pets aren't good enough to take to school for Pet Week.
- Dogs
- by Gail Gibbons
(Science)
Holiday 1996 (32p)
Information on canine breeds, physical characteristics,
and behavior of dogs and puppies.
Shared Reading
- I Had a Hippopotamus
- by Hector Viveros Lee
(Multicultural)
Lee & Low 1996 (32p)
A box of animal crackers inspires a Mexican American boy to imagine what he'd do with the different creatures.
- When the Fly Flew In
- by Lisa Westberg Peters
Dial 1994 (32p)
A child doesn't want to wake his sleeping pets by cleaning his room,
but a fly helps to get the job done.
Books for Teachers to Read Aloud
- Dick King-Smith's Animal Friends
- by Dick King-Smith
Candlewick 1996 (95p)
In thirty-one true life stories, the well-known author of Babe, the Gallant Pig tells about his favorite pets and other memorable animals he's encountered during his life.
- Asana and the Animals: A Book of Pet Poems
- by Grace Nichols
(Multicultural)
Candlewick 1997 (32p)
These lively poems feature a girl named Asana and the cows, cats, elephants, honeybees, and other animals and insects she loves.
- Top Banana
- by Cari Best
Orchard 1997 (32p)
When Flora Dora brings home a delicate orchid named Scarlett O'Hara, her pampered but intelligent parrot Benny saves Scarlett when she gets sick.
- Duke the Dairy Delight Dog
- by Lisa Campbell Ernst
Simon 1996 (32p)
Duke the dog decides to make the Dairy Delight his home, but he must find a way to make Darla, the ice cream shop's scrupulously clean owner, welcome him.
- Preposterous Pets
- by Laura Cecil
Greenwillow 1995 (77p)
Thirteen humorous stories and poems about pets and other animals
Now Available in Paperback
- Mr. Potter's Pet
- by Dick King-Smith
Hyperion
- I Love Guinea Pigs
- by Dick King-Smith
Candlewick
- Dogs
by Gail Gibbons
- Holiday
- Henry and Mudge Take the Big Test
- by Cynthia Rylant
Simon
- The Outside Dog
- by Charlotte Pomerantz
Harper
- My Hen Is Dancing
- by Karen Wallace
Candlewick
- The Three-Legged Cat
- by Margaret Mahy
Puffin
- Wag Wag Wag
- by Peter Hansard
Candlewick
- Island Baby
- by Holly Keller
Mulberry
- Let's Get a Pet
- by Harriet Ziefert
Puffin
- Martha Speaks
- by Susan Meddaugh
Houghton
- Arthur's New Puppy
- by Marc Brown
Little
- Ginger Jumps
- by Lisa Campbell Ernst
Simon
- Millions of Cats
- by Wanda Gag
Putnam
Now Available as a Big Book
- The Little Old Woman and the Hungry Cat
- by Nancy Polette
Mulberry
- The Mysterious Tadpole
- by Steven Kellogg
Puffin
Now Available in Spanish
- Harry the Dirty Dog (Harry, el perrito sucio)
- by Gene Zion
Harper Arco Iris
- The Adventures of Taxi Dog (Las aventuras de Maxi, el perro taxista)
- by Debra and Sal Barracca
Penguin Ediciones
Now Out of Print
- I Had a Cat
- by Mona Rabun Reeves
- Esmeralda and the Pet Parade
- by Cecile Schoberle
- Poonam's Pets
- by Andrew and Diana Davies