Skip to main content
 
San Diego Humane Society

Children's Reading List

Our Humane Educators use books as a teaching tool to inspire compassion for animals. Check out some of our favorites here! 

Adoption

Pablo Puppy.jpg

Pablo Puppy's Search for the Perfect Person by Sheila Hamanaka

  • A Place for Grace by Martha Mosley
  • Before You Were Mine by Maribeth Boelts
  • Danny Dog by Sid Shapira
  • “Let’s Get a Pup!” Said Kate by Bob Graham
  • Maggie’s Second Chance by Nancy Furstinger
  • Pablo Puppy’s Search for the Perfect Person by Sheila Hamanaka
  • Pick a Pup by Marsha Wilson Chall
  • Rescue Kitty by Brenda Fiorini
  • Rescue Pup by Brenda Fiorini

Community Cats

At-Home-Outside-Cover-1024x1024.jpg

At Home Outside by Valerie Ingram and Allstair Schroff

  • At Home, Outside by Valerie Ingram and Alistair Schroff
  • Nobody’s Cats by Valerie Ingram and Alistair Schroff
  • Samurai, A Feral Kitten’s Journey to Find a Home by Rosemary Wood

Environmental

Pesky Plastic.jpg

Pesky Plastic: an Environmental Story by Leticia Colon de Mejias

  • All the Way to the Ocean by Joel Harper
  • Not for Me Please, I Choose to Act Green! by Maria Godsey
  • Pesky Plastic, An Environmental Story by Leticia Colon de Mejias
  • The Eye of the Whale by Jennifer O’Connell
  • The Tree Lady by H. Joseph Hopkins
  • What Does it Mean to Be Green? by Rana DiOrio
  • Why Should I Recycle? by Jen Green
  • Why Should I Protect Nature? by Jen Green

Farm Animals

Hens for Friends.jpg

Hens for Friends by Sandy De Lisle

  • Call the Horse Lucky by Juanita Havill and Nancy Lane
  • Esther the Wonder Pig by Steve Jenkins, Derek Walter, & Caprice Cane
  • Gwen the Rescue Hen by Leslie Crawford
  • Hens for Friends by Sandy de Lisle
  • Sprig the Rescue Pig by Leslie Crawford

Kindness

Sad the dog.jpg

Sad, the dog by Sandy Fussell

  • A Home for Dakota by Jan Zita Grover
  • Buddy Unchained by Daisy Bix
  • Cookie’s Fortune by Lynda Graham-Barber
  • Ginger Finds a Home by Charlotte Voake
  • Gray Whiskers by Lisa Wiehebrink
  • Hey Little Ant! by Phillip and Hannah Hoose
  • Jake and Ava: A Boy and a Fish by Jonathan Balcombe
  • Jeannie Houdini: A Hamster’s Tale by Mary-Ann Stouck
  • Maggie’s Second Chance by Nancy Furstinger
  • Out of the Cold by Valerie Ingram and Alistair Schroff
  • Sad, the Dog by Sandy Fussell
  • Saving Audie: A Pitbull Puppy Gets a Second Chance by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent

Pet Safety

Tails are not for pulling.png

Tails Are Not for Pulling by Elizabeth Verdick

  • Don’t Lick the Dog: Making Friends with Dogs by Wendy Wahman
  • Love Me Gently by Lisa Wiehebrink
  • Tails are Not for Pulling by Elizabeth Verdick

Responsibility

Koko Cat.jpg

KokoCat, Inside and Out by Lynda Graham-Barber

  • Are You Ready for Me? by Claire Buchwald
  • The Forgotten Rabbit by Nancy Furstinger
  • It’s Raining Cats – And Cats! by Jeanne Prevost
  • It’s Raining Pups and Dogs by Jeanne Prevost
  • Jeannie Houdini: A Hamster’s Tale by Mary-Ann Stouck
  • Kami Cat’s Terrible Night by Sheila Hamanaka
  • KokoCat, Inside and Out by Lynda Graham-Barber
  • Lola Gets a Cat by Anna McQuinn
  • My Happy Dog and My Happy Cat by Valerie Ingram and Alistair Schroff
  • Walle McGee: How to Prepare for and care for your new guinea pig friend by Aaron & Breanna Robertson

Wild Animals

busy tree.jpg

The Busy Tree by Jennifer Ward

  • Always Blue for Chicu by Karen Dugan
  • The Busy Tree by Jennifer Ward
  • Coyote’s Wild Home by Lily Kingsolver and Barabara Kingsolver
  • Each Living Thing by Joanne Ryder
  • Friends in Fur Coats by Claire Buchwald and Sarah Buchlaw
  • Ivan the Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla by Katherine Applegate
  • Lucky: Based on a True Story by Monica Engebretson
  • A Warbler’s Journey by Scott Weidensaul
  • When Anju Loved Being an Elephant by Wendy Henrichs
Links to other recommended reading:

Red Rover Readers

Who Chains You

The Gryphon Press

HEART

  • Was this article helpful?