Humane EDUCATION: Companion Animal Stories

Many issues surrounding the workings of the shelter, companion animal care and children's attitudes and feelings toward the animals in their care can be explored through literature.

Our bibliography Companion Animal Stories, for Everyone's Recommended Reading List, Especially Young Readers, that, while updated periodically, is by no means a complete list of companion animal stories. It represents a number of good cat and dog stories that we have read and want to recommend. We welcome new selections and encourage you to share your favorite companion animal stories with us. The two books featured below specifically highlight shelter animals. The picture book, One Day at Wood Green Animal Shelter, familiarizes readers with an animal shelter in England through stunning multi-media collages. Art teachers, as well as primary grade teachers will find multiple uses for this fun and informative piece of artwork that doubles as a children's book.

Book Reviews

Kehret, Peg. Shelter Dogs Amazing Stories of Adopted Strays, 1999, Albert Whitman & Company – In just 132 pages young readers will get to know eight very remarkable shelter dogs and their people. Each story is packed with emotion. Will the little terrier whose owner died and left him orphaned be euthanized because he is snarling and snapping at everyone who tries to befriend him? Will the big puppy, Zorro, who grew into a gigantic dog while living in the shelter ever find a home? How about the blind border collie who spent the first three years of his life with his sibling as a farm dog, with little human interaction? Those three and the other five dogs profiled in the book, not only get adopted but go on to lead extraordinary lives of service, heroism and stardom. These are real life super-heros who young readers will fall madly in love with and wish that there were eight more stories just like these to read.

Casey, Patricia. One Day at Wood Green Animal Shelter, 2001, Candlewick Press – The inside cover describes the book like this, “It’s always bustling with activity at the Wood Green Animal Shelter. On this particular day, you’ll find shelter workers doing their chores, a waiting room full of pets and people, a curious fox named William, a baby pigeon named Roast Potato, and seventy stretching, pacing purring cats! Through a lively combination of narrative and photo collage, author-illustrator Patricia Casey introduces us to the busy family of people and animals at Wood Green Animal Shelter, and to the fascinating stories they have to tell.” It is a fun book to read aloud and would make a great book to use as a guide for an art project. Children love looking at the illustration-collages and figuring out which animals are drawings and which are photographs.

Learn More about these and other great books
Doris Day, Animals Aloud
American Library Association’s Caldecott Winners Page
Washington Humane Society's Companion Animal Bibliography