Animals in Literature

The selections in this Collection explore the common motif of animals in literature. From classic novels to contemporary poetry and nonfiction, these titles delve into the relationships between humans and animals, shedding light on the profound impact animals have on our lives and exploring humanity's relationship with the natural world.

Runaway Ralph

by Beverly Cleary

Publication year 1970

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Loneliness, Childhood & Youth, Animals, Family, Friendship, Self Discovery, Safety & Danger

Tags Children`s Literature, Animals, Fantasy, Classic Fiction

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Runt

by Marion Dane Bauer

Publication year 2002

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Coming of Age, Death, Environment, Family, Fathers, Self Discovery, Power & Greed

Tags Animals, Action & Adventure, Fantasy

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Scat

by Carl Hiaasen

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Tags Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Animals, Action & Adventure, Humor

Carl Hiaasen’s Scat! is a young adult thriller with a comic tone and an environmental message. Nick Waters and his best friend, Marta Gonzalez, are students at the private Truman School in Naples, Florida. When their biology teacher, Mrs. Bunny Starch, disappears, the two students are drawn into a conflict between a ruthless oil company and an informal band of environmentalists bent on protecting the breeding grounds of an endangered Florida panther and her cub. The... Read Scat Summary

Seabiscuit

by Laura Hillenbrand

Publication year 1999

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Animals, Sports, US History, World History, Biography

Seabiscuit is a 1999 nonfiction book written by Laura Hillenbrand about the rise to fame and racing glory of an American racehorse named Seabiscuit. In the depths of the Great Depression, Seabiscuit rose from obscurity to international fame, and became a symbol of hope for many Americans. Born in 1933, he was owned by the Wheatley Stable, which had the famous James “Sunny Jim” Fitzsimmons as its trainer. Fitzsimmons found Seabiscuit to have speed, but... Read Seabiscuit Summary

Serafina and the Black Cloak

by Robert Beatty

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Coming of Age, Good & Evil

Tags Fantasy, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Coming of Age, Animals, Children`s Literature, Historical Fiction, Action & Adventure

Serafina and the Black Cloak is a middle-grade mystery/fantasy by Robert Beatty. First published in 2015, the novel is set in 1899 at the historic Biltmore Estate near Asheville, North Carolina. The story features 12-year-old Serafina, a girl of mysterious origins and many unusual skills who lives secretly in the mansion’s basement. When some of the Biltmore guests’ children go missing, Serafina discovers that an evil intruder—the Man in the Black Cloak—is responsible. Serafina sets... Read Serafina and the Black Cloak Summary

Sheep

by Valerie Hobbs

Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Memory, Coming of Age, Animals, Self Discovery, Trust & Doubt

Tags Realistic Fiction, Action & Adventure, Animals, Children`s Literature, Fantasy

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Shiloh

by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Publication year 1991

Genre Novella, Fiction

Themes Animals, Justice, Truth & Lies, Coming of Age

Tags Children`s Literature, Coming of Age, Realism, Education, Education, Animals, Realistic Fiction, Classic Fiction

Eleven-year-old Marty Preston fights to save an abused beagle from its cruel owner in Shiloh (1991). Marty bonds with the dog, Shiloh, and learns more about himself and others as he struggles to reconcile the letter of the law with what he knows in his heart is right. Acclaimed children’s author Phyllis Reynolds Naylor based Shiloh on a poignant, personal encounter with a mistreated dog. Marty’s character struggles with the same issues that troubled Naylor... Read Shiloh Summary

Silverwing

by Kenneth Oppel

Publication year 1997

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Animals, Teamwork, Fear, Shame & Pride, Good & Evil

Tags Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Animals, Relationships, Children`s Literature

Kenneth Oppel’s 1997 award-winning middle-grade novel Silverwing is a high-fantasy work that follows a young bat’s journey to find his colony. The novel has sold over a million copies and been adapted for television as an animated children’s series. This book is the first of four in The Silverwing Book Series.Other works by this author include Inkling, Bloom, Half Brother, and Airborn.Plot SummaryThe novel is divided into three parts, and it shifts point of view... Read Silverwing Summary

Song for a Whale

by Lynne Kelly

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Disability, Childhood & Youth, Friendship

Tags Realistic Fiction, Symbolic Narrative, Children`s Literature, Inspirational, Disability, Relationships, Animals, Modern Classic Fiction, Action & Adventure

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Sounder

by William Armstrong

Publication year 1969

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Grief, Loneliness, Disability, Race, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Social Class, Justice

Tags Historical Fiction, Animals, Classic Fiction, Southern Literature

Sounder is a 1969 book for young readers by American author William H. Armstrong. In the novel, a young boy grows up in a Black sharecropping family on a sprawling plantation in the 19th-century in the American South, where he lives with his parents, his siblings, and his faithful dog, Sounder. Bored and lonely, the boy dreams of returning to school and learning to read, and he copes with his life of obligation by hunting... Read Sounder Summary

Spare

by Prince Harry

Publication year 2023

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Family, Perseverance, Conflict, Grief, Hope, Loneliness, Love, Shame & Pride, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Self Discovery, Social Class, Colonialism, Politics & Government, Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt, Loyalty & Betrayal, Justice, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger

Tags European History, Politics & Government, British Literature, Animals, Grief & Death, Depression & Suicide, Social Class, Relationships, Journalism, Bullying, World History, Biography

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Spillover

by David Quammen

Publication year 2012

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags Science & Nature, Animals, World History, Health

Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic is a 2012 narrative nonfiction work about the relationship between animal infections and human disease. It was nominated for several awards and won the Science and Society Book Award, given by the National Association of Science Writers, and the Society of Biology (UK) Book Award in General Biology. In Spillover, Quammen’s narrative alternates between the outbreak and eventual discovery of recent emerging diseases, and the scientific discoveries... Read Spillover Summary