Animals

Carbonel by Barbara Sleigh

This is the story of a cat, a broomstick and an ordinary schoolgirl called Rosemary. She bought them both in the market, quite cheaply. Of course, neither the cat nor the broomstick were just what they seemed, and they turned up just when Rosemary badly needed something nice to happen to her. A good cat is apt to be independent, so she did not have things all her own way, and as...

Charlotte's Web by E. B. White

The book begins when John Arable's sow gives birth to a litter of piglets, and Mr. Arable discovers one of them is a runt and decides to kill it. However, his eight year old daughter Fern begs him to let it live. Therefore her father gives it to Fern as a pet, and she names the piglet Wilbur. Wilbur is hyperactive and always exploring new things. He lives with Fern for a few weeks...

Animal Farm by George Orwell

Mr. Jones, of the Manor Farm, had locked the henhouses for the night, but was too drunk to remember to shut the pop-holes. With the ring of light from his lantern dancing from side to side, he lurched across the yard, kicked off his boots at the back door, drew himself a last glass of beer from the barrel in the scullery, and made his way up to bed, where Mrs. Jones was already...

Rosy Is My Relative by Gerald Durrell

Could there possibly be anything funnier than Durrell's book about an ordinary chap who inherits an elephant ("Rosy") with a taste for liquor?

Moby-Dick by Herman Melville

When Ishmael sets sail on the whaling ship Pequod one cold Christmas Day, he is clueless to the horrors that await him on the vast and merciless ocean. The ship's strange captain, Ahab, is in the grip of an obsession to hunt down the famous white whale, Moby Dick, and will stop at nothing on his quest to annihilate his nemesis.

White Fang by Jack London

A classic adventure novel detailing the savagery of life in the northern wilds. Its central character is a ferocious and magnificent creature, half dog, half wolf, through whose experiences we feel the harsh rhythms and patterns of wilderness life among animals and men.

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

Mole was happy with his life until one day, in the middle of spring-cleaning, he emerges from his hole at Mole End and starts meandering the English countryside. Everything is new for the simple, but stalwart mole. Never before had he seen a river, taken a boat ride, or encountered the woods. But this is nothing compared to what awaits him when he gets tangled up in the escapades of...

Watership Down by Richard Adams

Tells the story of a motley band of rabbits who desert their ancient warren when the gentle Fiver predicts imminent destruction of all who remain. Led by Fiver's intelligent brother, Hazel, the refugees set out on an epic search for a new home.

Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling

The twelve magical Just So Stories tell, among other things, how the camel got his hump, the leopard his spots, the elephant his trunk, how the alphabet was made, and how a butterfly caused mayhem at the court of King Solomon when he stamped. Kipling's own illustrations make Just So Stories one of the few enduring classics of children's literature. 

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

The son of a zookeeper, Pi Patel has an encyclopedic knowledge of animal behavior and a fervent love of stories. When Pi is sixteen, his family emigrates from India to North America aboard a Japanese cargo ship, along with their zoo animals bound for new homes. The ship sinks. Pi finds himself alone in a lifeboat, his only companions a hyena, an orangutan, a wounded zebra, and...