Book list
Animal books
Reading a good book about animals can be like watching a good documentary. You get to see them really close up. More, with some books you can discover what the animals are thinking. If the author is really knowledgeable you can learn a lot about your animal. I learnt about wild stallions from Mary O'Hara's 'My Friend Flicka'.
Books for younger readers
The Story of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting
Dr Dolittle adventures to Africa to cure the monkeys of a terrible illness.
The Polar Bear Explorers' Club by Alex Bell
Junior Explorer Stella Starflake Pearl encounters wild, weird and downright dangerous magic in the Icelands.
Beetle Boy by M G Leonard
Darkus tracks down his lost father...with the help of his uncle, friends and a vast beetle army. But he makes a serious enemy out of Lucretia Cutter, beetle collector.
The Last Wild by Piers Torday
There are wild animals out there to be saved and whatever you think of him, Kester Jaynes really is the man for the job...unless you know
The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell
Epic fairytale set in the grim starving forests of Russia. Feo and her wolves set out to rescue her mother from prison.
Highway Robbery by Kate Thompson
A tale of highway robbery, but not necessarily the obvious kind.
Storlax by Robert Jackson and Bubbi Morthens
Swim with the Hofsin as they make the Great Journey from their feeding grounds in the North Atlantic all the way upriver to the Home Pool.
Firewing by Kenneth Oppel
Adventures in the Underworld. Superhero bats, unlikely hero bats, deadly enemy bats. Fluffy beasties, human emotions.
Fly, Cherokee, Fly by Chris d'Lacey
Darryl finds an injured racing pigeon hiding under a bush in the local park, and takes it home. As he cherishes the damaged bird, he learns a lot about life, bullies, pigeon fanciers and pigeons.
Not Just Rescuing by Helen Flint
How to make the most of life if you find yourself spending a summer holiday in an animal rescue station.
Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C O'Brien
Why should this tribe of super-rats help ordinary mousewife, Mrs Frisby? And how did the rats become super-rats?
War Dog by Martin Booth
Jet, the poacher's dog, is taken into the army when her owner is sent to prison. She is trained as an infantry patrol dog and sent to France on active service.
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
Passed from owner to owner, horse Black Beauty meets good, cruel and foolish men.
Elephant Ben by Geoffrey Malone
Real-life safari adventure. Ben and his gamewarden father rescue a baby elephant from a swamp. One good deed deserves another . . .