“What are the best books about Animals?” We looked at 233 of the top Animal books, aggregating and ranking them so we could answer that very question!
The top 12 titles, all appearing on 2 or more “Best Animal” book lists, are ranked below by how many lists they appear on. The remaining 200+ titles, as well as the lists we used are in alphabetical order at the bottom of the page.
Happy Scrolling!
Lists It Appears On:
Every year billions of animals migrate from one part of our planet to another. Travel around the world to meet some of the masters of migration as they take you with them on some incredible journeys.
Lists It Appears On:
Welcome to Animalium. This museum is open all hours. It houses an astonishing collection of more than 160 animals for visitors of all ages. Learn how animals have evolved, see inside the dissection laboratory, and discover the amazing variety of habitats on Earth.
Lists It Appears On:
Dog starts the day with just one black spot on his ear. But wherever he goes, he runs into different things, all of which leave their mark. By the time he finally arrives home, Dog has ten spots. Then it’s bath time.
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When a white dog with black spots runs away from home, he gets so dirty his family doesn’t recognize him on his return as a black dog with white spots.
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When Kate and her parents visit the animal shelter, an adorable puppy charms them, but it is very hard to leave an older dog behind.
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A young boy acquires his first pet, a guinea pig named Theodore, and learns what Theodore likes to eat, what things scare him, the sounds he makes, how he likes to play, and where he likes to hide.
Lists It Appears On:
With 8 colorful tabs, this sturdy board book will introduce the littlest Pete the Cat fans to Pete and his super-cool group of friends, including Callie, Grumpy Toad, Gus, and more. This fun new format is perfect for even the tiniest paws!
Lists It Appears On:
Simple text and illustrations encourage careful handling and awareness of pets.
Lists It Appears On:
The pigeon really, really wants a puppy, but when a puppy arrives the pigeon changes its mind.
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Ferdinand likes to sit quietly and smell the flowers, but one day he gets stung by a bee and his snorting and stomping convince everyone that he is the fiercest of bulls.
Lists It Appears On:
A boy wants all of the pets in a pet store but he and his sister can choose only one. End notes discuss Dr. Seuss’s pets, his creative process, and the discovery of the manuscript and illustrations for “What Pet Should I Get?”
Lists It Appears On:
Harry the dog explains how to safely meet him and his friends.
| # | Books | Authors | Lists |
| 13 | 125 True Stories of Amazing Animals | Families Online | |
| 14 | 5 Elephants | One Green Planet | |
| 15 | A Boy and a Jaguar | One Green Planet | |
| 16 | A Cat and a Dog | Pre Kinders | |
| 17 | A Fish Out of Water | Helen Palmer | Fantastic Fun And Learning |
| 18 | A Kid’s Best Friend | One Green Planet | |
| 19 | A Nest Is Noisy | Natural Beach Living | |
| 20 | A Seed Is Sleepy | Natural Beach Living | |
| 21 | A Storytelling of Ravens | Kyle Lukoff | Goodreads |
| 22 | A Walk on the Beach: Into the Field Guide | Natural Beach Living | |
| 23 | About Birds: A Guide for Children | Natural Beach Living | |
| 24 | All the Water in the World | Natural Beach Living | |
| 25 | An Oak Tree’s Life (Watch It Grow) | Natural Beach Living | |
| 26 | Animal | Families Online | |
| 27 | Animal Babies in Polar Lands | Editors of Kingfisher | Gift Of Curiosity |
| 28 | Animal Groups | Jill Esbaum | Goodreads |
| 29 | Animal Opposites | Families Online | |
| 30 | Animals – 400 reusable stickers | Families Online | |
| 31 | Animals – Fingerprint Activities | Families Online | |
| 32 | Animals in School | Families Online | |
| 33 | Antionette | Pre Kinders | |
| 34 | Arctic Fox: Very Cool! | Stephen Person | Gift Of Curiosity |
| 35 | Arctic Foxes | Emily Rose Townsend | Gift Of Curiosity |
| 36 | Are You My Mother? | P.D. Eastman | Goodreads |
| 37 | Avati: Discovering Arctic Ecology | Mia Pelletier | Gift Of Curiosity |
| 38 | Baa Humbug | One Green Planet | |
| 39 | Beetle Boy | M. G. Leonard | The School Run |
| 40 | Beyond the Pond | Natural Beach Living | |
| 41 | Big Bear, Small Mouse | Karma Wilson | Goodreads |
| 42 | Big Red Barn | Margaret Wise Brown | Goodreads |
| 43 | Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? | Bill Martin Jr. | Goodreads |
| 44 | Buddy Unchained | Daisy Bix | Goodreads |
| 45 | Bunny Roo, I Love You | Melissa Marr | Goodreads |
| 46 | Can We Save the Tiger? | Martin Jenkins, illustrated by Vicky White | Book Trust |
| 47 | CAT | Pre Kinders | |
| 48 | Charlotte’s Web | E. B. White | The School Run |
| 49 | Children Make Terrible Pets | Pre Kinders | |
| 50 | Claude in the City | Alex T. Smith | The School Run |
| 51 | Cookie’s Week | Pre Kinders | |
| 52 | Coyote Summer | Mimi Thebo | Book Trust |
| 53 | Creaturepedia | Families Online | |
| 54 | Curiositree: Natural World: A Visual Compendium of Wonders from Nature – Jacket unfolds into a huge wall poster! | Natural Beach Living | |
| 55 | Curious Kids Nature Guide: Explore the Amazing Outdoors of the Pacific Northwest | Natural Beach Living | |
| 56 | Dave Loves Chickens | One Green Planet | |
| 57 | Dear Zoo: A Lift-the-Flap Book | Rod Campbell | Goodreads |
| 58 | Discovering Animals | Neepin Auger | Goodreads |
| 59 | Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! | Mo Willems | Goodreads |
| 60 | Don’t Let Them Disappear | Chelsea Clinton | Goodreads |
| 61 | Douglas, You Need Glasses! | Imagination Soup | |
| 62 | Ellie | Mike Wu | Goodreads |
| 63 | Endangered Animals of Antarctica and the Arctic | Marie Allgor | Gift Of Curiosity |
| 64 | Everything Spring (Picture the Seasons) | Natural Beach Living | |
| 65 | Fancy Nancy: Puppy Party | Jane O’Connor | Goodreads |
| 66 | Feather | NY Times | |
| 67 | Flip Flap Safari | Families Online | |
| 68 | Floss | Pre Kinders | |
| 69 | Foxes Live Here | Irmengarde Eberle | Goodreads |
| 70 | Froggy Gets a Doggy | Pre Kinders | |
| 71 | Gamba: An Optimistic Mountain Gorilla Tale | One Green Planet | |
| 72 | Gaston | Pre Kinders | |
| 73 | Giraffe Meets Bird | Imagination Soup | |
| 74 | Giraffes Can’t Dance | Giles Andreae | Goodreads |
| 75 | Go, Dog. Go! | P.D. Eastman | Goodreads |
| 76 | Goyangi Means Cat | One Green Planet | |
| 77 | Groovy Joe: Dance Party Countdown | Eric Litwin | Goodreads |
| 78 | Groovy Joe: Ice Cream and Dinosaurs | Eric Litwin | Goodreads |
| 79 | Grumpy Pants | Imagination Soup | |
| 80 | Have You Seen My Cat? | Pre Kinders | |
| 81 | Hello Hello | Brendan Wenzel | Goodreads |
| 82 | Henry the Fourth | Pre Kinders | |
| 83 | Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth | Natural Beach Living | |
| 84 | Hobbes Goes Home | One Green Planet | |
| 85 | Horrible Bear! | Imagination Soup | |
| 86 | How Do Dinosaurs Love Their Cats? | Read Brightly | |
| 87 | How to Be a Wildflower: A Field Guide | Natural Beach Living | |
| 88 | How to Be an Elephant: Growing Up in the African Wild | NY Times | |
| 89 | How to Draw Amazing Animals | Families Online | |
| 90 | Hush Little Polar Bear | Jeff Mack | Gift Of Curiosity |
| 91 | I am the Dog I am the Cat | Donald Hall | Fantastic Fun And Learning |
| 92 | I Don’t Know What to Call My Cat | Pre Kinders | |
| 93 | I Took the Moon for a Walk | Natural Beach Living | |
| 94 | I Wanna Iguana | Karen Kaufman Orloff | Fantastic Fun And Learning |
| 95 | Ice Bear and Little Fox | Jonathan London | Gift Of Curiosity |
| 96 | Ida, Always | Caron Levis | Goodreads |
| 97 | If an Armadillo Went to a Restaurant | Ellen Fischer | Goodreads |
| 98 | If You Give a Cat a Cupcake | Pre Kinders | |
| 99 | If You Give a Dog a Donut | Pre Kinders | |
| 100 | If You Give a Mouse a Cookie | Laura Joffe Numeroff | Goodreads |
| 101 | If You Were a Panda Bear | Wendell Minor | Goodreads |
| 102 | If You Were a Penguin | Wendell Minor | Goodreads |
| 103 | In Arctic Waters | Laura Crawford | Gift Of Curiosity |
| 104 | Inky’s Great Escape: The Incredible (and Mostly True) Story of an Octopus Escape | NY Times | |
| 105 | Just a Dream“ | Natures Path | |
| 106 | Just So Stories | Families Online | |
| 107 | Kitten’s First Full Moon | Kevin Henkes | Goodreads |
| 108 | Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling, The | Natural Beach Living | |
| 109 | Lift the Flap Questions and Answers About Animals | Families Online | |
| 110 | Lion & Tiger & Bear Tag! You’re It! | Imagination Soup | |
| 111 | Little Devils | Robert J. Blake | Goodreads |
| 112 | Little Owl’s Night | Natural Beach Living | |
| 113 | Living in the Arctic | Neil Morris | Gift Of Curiosity |
| 114 | Lola Plants a Garden | Natural Beach Living | |
| 115 | Lost and Found | Oliver Jeffers | Goodreads |
| 116 | Make Way for Ducklings | Robert McCloskey | Goodreads |
| 117 | Mama Cat Has Three Kittens | Pre Kinders | |
| 118 | Miss Rumphius | Natural Beach Living | |
| 119 | Moon: A Peek-Through Picture Book | Natural Beach Living | |
| 120 | My Little Polar Bear | Claudia Rueda | Gift Of Curiosity |
| 121 | National Geographic Animal Encyclopedia: 2,500 Animals with Photos, Maps, and More! (Encyclopaedia) | Natural Beach Living | |
| 122 | National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry: 200 Poems with Photographs That Squeak, Soar, and Roar! (Stories & Poems) | Natural Beach Living | |
| 123 | National Geographic Book of Nature Poetry: More than 200 Poems With Photographs That Float, Zoom, and Bloom! (Stories & Poems) | Natural Beach Living | |
| 124 | Nature Adventures | Mick Manning and Brita Granstrom | Book Trust |
| 125 | Nature Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of the Natural World (Julia Rothman) | Natural Beach Living | |
| 126 | Night Animals | Natural Beach Living | |
| 127 | Nightsong | Ari Berk | Goodreads |
| 128 | North: The Amazing Story of Arctic Migration | Nick Dowson | Gift Of Curiosity |
| 129 | Not All Animals Are Blue: A Big Book of Little Differences | Béatrice Boutignon | Goodreads |
| 130 | Ocean | Families Online | |
| 131 | Olivia | Ian Falconer | Goodreads |
| 132 | On Meadowview Street“ | Natures Path | |
| 133 | Outside Your Window: A First Book of Nature | Natural Beach Living | |
| 134 | Over and Under the Pond | Natural Beach Living | |
| 135 | Over in the Arctic: Where the Cold Winds Blow | Marianne Berkes | Gift Of Curiosity |
| 136 | Over in the Ocean: In a Coral Reef | Natural Beach Living | |
| 137 | Owl Moon | Natural Beach Living | |
| 138 | Pax | Sara Pennypacker | The School Run |
| 139 | Peep Inside Animal Homes | Families Online | |
| 140 | Pet Show | Pre Kinders | |
| 141 | Pets at the Whitehouse | Marge Kennedy | Fantastic Fun And Learning |
| 142 | Piggy Handsome | Pip Jones | The School Run |
| 143 | Planting a Rainbow | Natural Beach Living | |
| 144 | Please, Puppy, Please | Pre Kinders | |
| 145 | Polar Animals (Animal Planet Animal Bites) | Natural Beach Living | |
| 146 | Polar Bear Morning | Lauren Thompson | Gift Of Curiosity |
| 147 | Polar Bears | Gail Gibbons | Gift Of Curiosity |
| 148 | Pond | Natural Beach Living | |
| 149 | Pretty Animal Postcards | Families Online | |
| 150 | Put Me in the Zoo | Robert Lopshire | Goodreads |
| 151 | Quackers | Liz Wong | Goodreads |
| 152 | Quentin Blake’s Amazing Animal Stories | Families Online | |
| 153 | Red & Lulu | NY Times | |
| 154 | Roxaboxen | Natural Beach Living | |
| 155 | Seeds and Trees: A children’s book about the power of words | Natural Beach Living | |
| 156 | Skunk on a String | Imagination Soup | |
| 157 | Sky Dancer | Gill Lewis | Book Trust |
| 158 | Snail & Worm | Imagination Soup | |
| 159 | Someday, Narwhal | Lisa Mantchev | Goodreads |
| 160 | Something About a Bear | Jackie Morris | Book Trust |
| 161 | Song of the Wild: A First Book of Animals | NY Times | |
| 162 | Sparky! | Read Brightly | |
| 163 | Splat the Cat | Pre Kinders | |
| 164 | Stellaluna | Janell Cannon | Goodreads |
| 165 | Step-by-Step Drawing Animals | Families Online | |
| 166 | Strictly No Elephants | Lisa Mantchev | Fantastic Fun And Learning |
| 167 | Tall Tall Tree | Natural Beach Living | |
| 168 | The Animal Book | Families Online | |
| 169 | The Animals of Farthing Wood | Families Online | |
| 170 | The Best Book of Polar Animals | Christiane Gunzi | Gift Of Curiosity |
| 171 | The Big Book Of Bugs | Barbara Taylor, illustrated by Yuval Zommer | Book Trust |
| 172 | The Blobfish Book | Jessica Olien | Goodreads |
| 173 | The Chameleon That Saved Noah’s Ark | Imagination Soup | |
| 174 | The Cow Loves Cookies | Karma Wilson | Goodreads |
| 175 | The Curious Garden | Natural Beach Living | |
| 176 | The Doghouse | Pre Kinders | |
| 177 | The Farmer’s Away! Baa! Neigh! | Anne Vittur Kennedy | Goodreads |
| 178 | The Forgotten Rabbit | Read Brightly | |
| 179 | The Great Escape | Megan Rix | The School Run |
| 180 | The Great Gracie Chase | Pre Kinders | |
| 181 | The House at Pooh Corner | A.A. Milne | Goodreads |
| 182 | The Kid’s Guide to Exploring Nature (BBG Guides for a Greener Planet) | Natural Beach Living | |
| 183 | The Kissing Hand | Audrey Penn | Goodreads |
| 184 | The Last Wild | Piers Torday | The School Run |
| 185 | The Legend of Podkin One-Ear | Kieran Larwood | The School Run |
| 186 | The Lion and the Mouse | Jerry Pinkney | Goodreads |
| 187 | The Little Gardener | Natural Beach Living | |
| 188 | The Lost Words | Robert Macfarlane, illustrated by Jackie Morris | Book Trust |
| 189 | The Midsummer Tomte and the Little Rabbits | Imagination Soup | |
| 190 | The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane | Kate DiCamillo | The School Run |
| 191 | The Night Gardener | Natural Beach Living | |
| 192 | The Perfect Dog | Imagination Soup | |
| 193 | The Poky Little Puppy | Janette Sebring Lowrey | Goodreads |
| 194 | The Polar Bear Son: An Inuit Tale retold | Lydia Dabcovich | Gift Of Curiosity |
| 195 | The Raft | Natural Beach Living | |
| 196 | The Secret Life of Squirrels | Nancy Rose | Goodreads |
| 197 | The Sheep-pig | Dick King-Smith | The School Run |
| 198 | The Snow Bear | Miriam Moss | Gift Of Curiosity |
| 199 | The Tree Book for Kids and Their Grown-Ups | Natural Beach Living | |
| 200 | The Tree Lady: The True Story of How One Tree-Loving Woman Changed a City Forever | Natural Beach Living | |
| 201 | The Variety of Life | Natural Beach Living | |
| 202 | The Velveteen Rabbit | Margery Williams Bianco | Goodreads |
| 203 | The Very Hungry Caterpillar | Eric Carle | Goodreads |
| 204 | The Watcher: Jane Goodall’s Life with the Chimps | Natural Beach Living | |
| 205 | The Wild Folk | Sylvia V Linsteadt | The School Run |
| 206 | The Wilderness War | Julia Green | Book Trust |
| 207 | The Wolf Wilder | Katherine Rundell | The School Run |
| 208 | The Wolves of Currumpaw | William Grill | Book Trust |
| 209 | They All Saw a Cat | Pre Kinders | |
| 210 | This Moose Belongs to Me | Oliver Jeffers | Goodreads |
| 211 | Three Little Kittens | Pre Kinders | |
| 212 | Treat | Imagination Soup | |
| 213 | Tree: A Peek-Through Picture Book | Natural Beach Living | |
| 214 | Two Mice | Imagination Soup | |
| 215 | Unlovable | Pre Kinders | |
| 216 | Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt | Natural Beach Living | |
| 217 | Urban Roosts: Where Birds Nest in the City“ | Natures Path | |
| 218 | Ursa’s Light | Imagination Soup | |
| 219 | Varjak Paw | S. F. Said | The School Run |
| 220 | Waiting for Ice | Sandra Markle | Gift Of Curiosity |
| 221 | Walruses of the Arctic | Sara Swan Miller | Gift Of Curiosity |
| 222 | Wangari’s Trees of Peace: A True Story from Africa“ | Natures Path | |
| 223 | We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt | Natural Beach Living | |
| 224 | Welcome Home, Bear: A Book of Animal Habitats | Il Sung Na | Goodreads |
| 225 | Westlandia“ | Natures Path | |
| 226 | What Will Fat Cat Sit On? | Pre Kinders | |
| 227 | When Anju Loved Being an Elephant | One Green Planet | |
| 228 | When the Mountains Roared | Jess Butterworth | The School Run |
| 229 | When We Were Very Young | A.A. Milne | Goodreads |
| 230 | Who Lives Here? Polar Animals | Deborah Hodge | Gift Of Curiosity |
| 231 | Wishtree | Natural Beach Living | |
| 232 | Wolf Camp | Imagination Soup | |
| 233 | Yucky Worms | Viv French, illustrated by Jessica Ahlberg | Book Trust |
| Source | Article |
| Book Trust | 10 fantastic children’s books about wildlife, chosen by Nicola Davies |
| Families Online | 21 amazing books for children who love animals |
| Fantastic Fun And Learning | Books About Pets for Kids |
| Gift Of Curiosity | 20 books about Arctic animals for kids |
| Goodreads | Popular Childrens Animals Books |
| Imagination Soup | 18 Picture Books Starring Animal Characters |
| Natural Beach Living | 50 Best Children’s Books About Nature |
| Natures Path | The 10 Best Books for Kids About Animals & Nature |
| NY Times | Bookshelf: Picture Books for Animal-Loving Children |
| One Green Planet | 10 Amazing Children’s Books That Will Inspire Your Little One to Stand |
| Pre Kinders | Books about Pets for Kids |
| Read Brightly | 8 Books That Show Kids How to Treat Animals |
| The School Run | Best children’s books for animal lovers |
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