Children & Teen

The Best Children’s Books About Animals

“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!



Top 12 Kids Books About Animals



12 .) Amazing Animal Journeys written by Chris Packham

Lists It Appears On:

  • Families Online
  • Families Online

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.




11 .) Animalium written by Jenny Broom

Lists It Appears On:

  • Families Online
  • Natural Beach Living

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.




10 .) Dog’s Colorful Day written by Emma Dodd

Lists It Appears On:

  • Fantastic Fun And Learning
  • Pre Kinders

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.




9 .) Harry the Dirty Dog written by Gene Zion

Lists It Appears On:

  • Fantastic Fun And Learning
  • Pre Kinders

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.




8 .) Let’s Get a Pup! Said Kate written by Bob Graham

Lists It Appears On:

  • Fantastic Fun And Learning
  • Read Brightly

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.




7 .) Oh, Theodore! written by Susan Katz

Lists It Appears On:

  • Fantastic Fun And Learning
  • Read Brightly

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.




6 .) Pete the Cat written by James Dean

Lists It Appears On:

  • Fantastic Fun And Learning
  • Pre Kinders

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!




5 .) Tails are Not for Pulling written by Elizabeth Verdick

Lists It Appears On:

  • Fantastic Fun And Learning
  • Read Brightly

Simple text and illustrations encourage careful handling and awareness of pets.




4 .) The Pigeon Wants a Puppy written by Mo Willems

Lists It Appears On:

  • Fantastic Fun And Learning
  • Pre Kinders

The pigeon really, really wants a puppy, but when a puppy arrives the pigeon changes its mind.




3 .) The Story of Ferdinand written by Munro Leaf

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • One Green Planet

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.




2 .) What Pet Should I Get? written by Dr. Seuss

Lists It Appears On:

  • Fantastic Fun And Learning
  • Read Brightly

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?”




1 .) May I Pet Your Dog? written by Stephanie Calmenson

Lists It Appears On:

  • Fantastic Fun And Learning
  • Pre Kinders
  • Read Brightly

Harry the dog explains how to safely meet him and his friends.





The 200+ Additional Best Children’s Animal Books



# 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


13 Best Kids Animal Book Sources/Lists



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
A.M. Anderson

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