Auckland Council Libraries: Talk to the animals

Talk to the animals

If Anne's first love is books, a close second would be animals. So, putting the two together is magic! For the animal-loving bookworms out there, here is a menagerie of titles.

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Black Beauty

Anna Sewell

Book

It’s hard to beat the classics and Black Beauty will always stand out for me. Other horse inspired tales include The Black Stallion and the Stacy Gregg titles.

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Watership Down

Richard Adams

Book

Created initially as a story for his children, this is a great read for adults to share. Just like Black Beauty, there are sad times as well as happy in these pages. A new movie based on this book is due out in 2019.

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An elephant in the garden

Michael Morpurgo

Book

Many of Michael Morpurgo’s books have animals as central characters. Some, like this one, are based on real-life historical events. There are books for a range of different levels of readers.

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Redwall

Brian Jacques

Book

A whole series built around the imaginary world of Mossflower Wood and the gentle mice who live there. This is book 1 in the series.

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My side of the mountain

Jean Craighead George

Book

Before Gary Paulsen’s popular Hatchet series, there was this award-winning book. As much a survival and adventure tale as one about animals, especially the wild falcon Sam trained during his year in the wilderness.

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The one and only Ivan

Katherine Applegate

Book

Based on the true story of an ape kept in captivity in a mall in America, this award-winning children’s novel is a bit dark and one you will need tissues for. Also available as a picture book.

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The wind in the willows

Kenneth Grahame

Book

Another classic to share with the whole family, with plenty of different copies to choose from (this is just one of them). The other great classic for fans of this is, of course, Winnie the Pooh.

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Just so stories

Rudyard Kipling

Book

Just like Aesops Fables (many of which also feature animals), you can dip in and out of these short stories. They are available in a number of formats including compact disc. Also by this author is very popular The Jungle Book.

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Into the wild

Erin Hunter

Book

Book Number One in the Warriors series. Four clans of wild cats have always shared the forest, but that may not last much longer. These books fly off our shelves, so it’s a good thing there are plenty in the series.

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The capture

Kathryn Lasky

Book

I’ve always had a bit of a thing for owls. This is book one in the Legends of Ga’hoole series which has plenty of action and adventure. This is just one of the animal series by this author.

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The story of Doctor Dolittle

Hugh Lofting

Book

And finally, the classic original Doctor who talked to the animals. This book was first published in 1922 and like others, has stood the test of time. There are eleven Doctor Dolittle books in total.

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Auckland Council Libraries:Book list Recommended reading lists about different topics and genres to help you find new books to read.