There sure are some great books about the human-animal bond out there. UAN has researched some of them and selected our favorites on our humane education reading list, but we'd love to hear your ideas!

What are your favorite books about the human-animal bond? Share your favorite titles and why you like them, and you just might see them featured in our list!

Seeing Black Beauty on the suggested reading list reminded me of a book I read years ago. It's a contemporary of Black Beauty called Beautiful Joe. It was written in the early days of the anti-cruelty movement in England and gently preaches humane treatment of animals withough being too blatant about it. It follows a pup telling his story from his birth on a farm and his early life with a cruel master who abuses his mother and drowns his littermates, to his rescue by a boy who takes the pup home to his pet loving family. They name him Beautiful Joe, partly because he's anything but, and partly because they can see the inner beauty in him. Like Black Beauty, he relates the story of his life, and the other animals, some mistreated, who he meets along the way. For about the same age group as Black Beauty.
I would also like to recomend Socks, by Beverly Cleary. It tells the story of a kitten, being offered for adoption by some kids in a grocery store parking lot (this can lead to a discussion of why this is not a good idea, and the importance of spay/neuter).One of them is almost adopted by a harried woman with many noisy kids who want a kitten on impulse and would probably play too hard with it until they lost interest and Mom got tired of taking care of it. Fortunatly, this kitten is instead adopted by a young couple who name him Socks, because he's the only one in the litter with white feet. He lives quite hapily with them in their small aappartment, then a house, where he gets lots of petting and lap cuddling and life is good. This changes when the woman's belly gets bigger and her lap gets smaller and Socks doesn't fit there any more. His life is turned upside down for a few days as the woman leaves and the man forgets to feed him and there is lots of confusion and running around. When the woman comes home, she brings this squaling thing called a baby, who takes up a lot of the time and attention they used to give to Socks. When the confused cat demands the attention he was used to getting, he is put outside. The book well illustrates why a house pet can't survive dumped outside, where Socks is divebombed by bluejays, attacked by alley cats, and has his food stolen by racoons. (another good discussion point). When the people realise what is happening, they let Socks back in, where he discovers that the baby can be a great playmate and partner-in-crime. A very realistic story told with humor. Reading level I would say is 10 and up, but all ages with younger siblings can relate to how Socks is feeling when the baby gets all attention

Dear Karen,

"Beautiful Joe" is often mentioned as an important book for understanding empathy. And there's an entire "Beautiful Joe Heritage Society" !

"Socks" is a fun and thought-provoking read. These books are on my list to borrow from the library and re-read.

Thank you for the suggestions!

Alexa

To be completely honest, I am a little bit obsessed with books about the human/animal bond, especially the bond with dogs. Some of my favorite books include, Marley and Me, Amazing Gracie, A Dog Year, The Dogs Who Found Me, The Man Who Talks To Dogs, and I am currently reading Puppy Chow is Better Than Prozac. I will be sure to let you know if this one is worth reading as well.

I recently read 'Let's Go Visit Best Friends Animal Sanctury' to my grandson and found it to be a great way to teach him to think about how people take care of their pets. The humor made it fun, but the photos were the best part as we had seen several of the dogs and the pot bellied pigs when we took a tour of Best Friends. Don't get me wrong, the book and lessons learned could apply to any place.

Dear Readers,

Thank you for sharing your favorite titles! Reading and talking about books seems to be one of the best ways to keep the conversation about animals going!

Alexa

P.S.

October 12-18 is Teen read week sponsored in part by the International Reading Association and the National Council of Teachers of English. Encourage teens to read! For more information visit teen read week

One of this year's suggestions is to read about animals. Check out UAN's Suggested Reading List for books that portray animals and tell their stories with accuracy and compassion.

I've got another book for you, this one for the kindergarten set. Our local free dog magazine reviewed a book called Nico & Lola, which tells the story of when Nico's family takes care of his aunt's dog Lola for a while. Nico is very excited, but he worries about how to be gentle with her. As the two play, he discovers how to be gentle, and they develop a bond. The reviewer's five year old daughter loved the photographs, and wanted the book read to her repeatedly. Go to www.nicoandlola.com. Also check www.fetchmag.com for the review

Thank you for suggesting Nico and Lola. Perfect timing too. UAN purchased this book just last week and and it is actually on my desk right now. The touching photographs that fill each page demonstrate the love and care that Nico shares with Lola. I just love it.
We are reviewing it now for the HEAR program.

Keep those suggestions coming!

-Karly

I've got another one for you. At PetSmart I saw a book called Tails Are Not For Pulling. This seems aimed at the pre-school and kindergarten group. It talks about many kinds of pets, and the reactions they have to various things. It introduces kids to the concept that animals sometimes talk with their bodies rather than their voices, and how to tell what they're saying, as well as what they like and don't like. It would be good for a discussion of how pets have likes, dislikes, and feelings, just like people, and "How would you like it if someone did this to you?"

I agree, Tails Are Not For Pulling is a great book for preschool age children to learn more about animals likes and dislikes. This book is part of a series by Elizabeth Verdick focused on helping young children learn self control. Other titles in the series include Teeth Are Not for Biting and Feet Are Not for Kicking. Since the HEAR program targets third and fourth graders with books that hightlight the bond between animals and people, this book does not make the cut. I appreciate you suggesting this book because at it does contains messages about kindness toward animals. Thank you for suggesting it.

I am looking forward to more great suggestions!

-Karly