Raising Readers
Animal Chapter Books
Babe: the Gallant Pig
Dick King-Smith
X King-Smith
A piglet destined for eventual butchering arrives at the farmyard, is adopted by an old sheep dog, and discovers a special secret to success. This author has written a lot of other fun stories about animals.
Because of Winn-Dixie
Kate DiCamillo
NB DiCamillo
Ten-year-old India Opal describes her first summer in the town of Naomi, Florida, and all the good things that happen to her because of her big ugly dog, Winn-Dixie.
Big Red
Jim Kjelgaard
X Kjelgaard
Danny & his Irish Setter roam the Wintapi wilderness and eventually track down an outlaw bear.
Black Beauty
Anna Sewell
X Sewell
A horse in 19th century England recounts his experiences with both good and bad masters.
The Black Stallion
Walter Farley
X Farley
Young Alec Ramsay is shipwrecked on an island with a horse destined to play an important part in his life. Following their rescue, their adventure continues in America. There is a prequel and three sequels to this classic story.
The Call of the Wild
Jack London
X London
The adventures of an unusual dog, part St. Bernard, part Scotch shepherd, forcibly taken to the Klondike gold fields, where the dog eventually becomes the leader of a wolf pack.
Charlotte's Web
E.B. White
X White
Wilbur the pig is desolate when he finds out he is destined to be a farmer's Christmas dinner, until his spider friend, Charlotte, decides to help him.
The Cricket in Times Square
George Selden
NB Selden
Chester the cricket, with his friends Tucker the mouse, and Harry the cat, help bring success to a newsstand in New York City.
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Roald Dahl
X Dahl
Three farmers, each one meaner than the other, try all-out warfare to get rid of the fox and his family.
Gentle Ben
Walt Morey
X Morey
While held captive by a group of game poachers, a bear cub is secretly visited by Mark & a warm friendship develops. When Ben the bear injures his captor defending Mark, Mark & his father embark on a dangerous journey to find out if the bear has reverted to his wild instincts.
Gregor the Overlander
Suzanne Collins
X Collins
When 11-year-old Gregor & his 2-year-old sister are pulled into a strange underground world, they trigger an epic battle involving men, bats, rats, cockroaches, and spiders while on a quest foretold by ancient prophecy. The sequel is Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane.
Hoot
Carl Hiaasen
X Hiaasen
Roy, who is new to his small Florida community, becomes involved in another boy's attempt to save a colony of burrowing owls from a proposed construction site.
Incident at Hawk's Hill
Allan W. Eckhardt
NB Eckhardt
A shy, lonely six-year-old wanders into the Canadian prairie and spends the summer under the protection of a badger.
The Incredible Journey
Sheila Every Burnford
X Burnford
A Siamese cat, an old Bull Terrier, and a young Labrador Retriever travel together 250 miles through the Canadian wilderness to find their family.
The Jungle Book
Rudyard Kipling
X Kipling
Presents the adventures of Mowgli, a boy raised by wolves & the wild animals of the jungle.
Misty of Chincoteague
Marguerite Henry
X Henry
The determination of two children to own a Chincoteague pony is greatly increased when the Phantom and her colt are among those rounded up for yearly auction. This author has written many books about horses.
The Mouse and the Motorcycle
Beverly Cleary
X Cleary
The Mouse and the Motorcycle A reckless young mouse named Ralph makes friends with a boy in Room 215 of the Mountain View Inn and discovers the joys of motorcycling. Ralph S. Mouse is the sequel.
Old Yeller
Fred Gipson
NB Gipson
Set in Texas in the 1860's, young Travis wants nothing to do with a lop-eared stray dog. But Old Yeller quickly proves himself a loyal friend, protecting the family farm, and saving Travis' life.
Poppy
Avi
X Avi
Poppy the deer mouse urges her family to move next to a field of corn big enough to feed them all forever, but Mr. Ocax, a terrifying owl, has other ideas. Poppy & Rye is the sequel.
Rabbit Hill
Robert Lawson
NB Lawson
New people are coming to live in the Big House. The animals of Rabbit Hill wonder if they will plant a garden and thus be good providers
Redwall
Brian Jacques
X Jacques
Then the peaceful life in and around Redwall Abbey is shattered by the arrival of the evil rat Cluny and his villainous hordes, Matthias, a young mouse determines to find the legendary sword of Martin the Warrior, which, he is convinced, will help Redwall's inhabitants destroy the enemy. One of many in a series.
Shiloh
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
NB Naylor
When he finds a lost beagle in the hills behind his West Virginia home, Marty tries to hide it from his family & the dog's real owner, a mean-spirited man who is known to shoot deer out of season & mistreat his dogs. First in a trilogy.
Stuart Little
E. B. White
X White
The adventures of the debonair mouse as he sets out in the world to seek out his dearest friend, a little bird who stayed a few days in his family's garden.
The Tale of Despereaux
Kate DiCamillo
X DiCamillo
The adventures of Despereaux Tilling, a small mouse of unusual talents, the princess that he loves, the servant girl who longs to be a princess, and a devious rat determined to bring them all to ruin.
Warton and Morton
Russell E. Erickson
X Erickson
Two brother toads, off on a camping trip, are separated during a flash flood and before reuniting they have much more adventure than they bargained for.
The Wind in the Willows
Kenneth Grahame
X Grahame
The escapades of four animals friends who live along a river in the English countryside-Toad, Mole, Rat, and Badger.
Where the Red Fern Grows
Wilson Rawls
F Rawls
A young boy living in the Ozarks achieves his heart's desire when he becomes the owner of two redbone hound dogs and teaches them to be champion hunters.
Woodsong
Gary Paulsen
F Paulsebn
For a rugged outdoor man and his family, life in northern Minnesota is a wild experience involving wolves, deer, and the sled dogs that make their way of life possible. Includes an account of the author's first Iditarod, a dogsled race across Alaska.