Animal (Fiction and Nonfiction)

It's a wild world and we're just living in it. Try this list for reads about wildlife, ecology, and human/animal connections that matter for survival.

Working on Summer Reading Book BINGO? Find more booklists to help at go.lincc.org/hvBINGObooks.

Updated May 28, 2025
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What an owl knows : the new science of the world's most enigmatic birds
Ackerman, Jennifer
Paper Book
For millennia, owls have captivated and intrigued us. With their forward gaze and quiet flight, owls are often a symbol of wisdom, knowledge, and foresight. But what does an owl really know? And what do we really know about owls?
Our kindred creatures : how Americans came to feel the way they do about animals
Wasik, Bill
Paper Book
A compassionate, sweeping history of the transformation in American attitudes toward animals by the best-selling authors of Rabid Over just a few decades at the end of the nineteenth century, the United States underwent a moral revolution on behalf of animals. Before the...
Silk : a world history
Prasad, Aarathi
Paper Book
A Smithsonian Magazine Best History Book of 2024 A Library Journal Selection for Best Nonfiction of 2024 A Next Big Idea Book Club Must-Read for April "Aarathi Prasad's Silk: A World History is a love song to this protean material. . . . Beautiful [and] fascinating." --Wall...
Remarkably bright creatures
Van Pelt, Shelby
Stand-alone player
Of time and turtles : mending the world, shell by shattered shell
Montgomery, Sy
Paper Book
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * NATIONAL BESTSELLER * AMAZON EDITOR'S PICK and BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR * INDIE BESTSELLER * A SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE'S BEST SCIENCE BOOK OF THE YEAR * THE WASHINGTON POST'S BEST NONFICTION OF THE YEAR PICK * A NEW SCIENTIST BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR *THE PERFECT...
Alien worlds : how insects conquered the Earth, and why their fate will determine our future
Nicholls, Steve
Paper Book
A beautifully illustrated journey into the hidden realm of insects Life on Earth depends on the busy activities of insects, but global populations of these teeming creatures are currently under threat, with grave consequences for us all. Alien Worlds presents insects...
Eat, poop, die : how animals make our world
Roman, Joe
Paper Book
NAMED A TOP-TEN BEST BOOK OF 2023 BY SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN A "fascinating" exploration (Elizabeth Kolbert) of how ecosystems are sculpted and sustained by animals eating, pooping, and dying--and how these fundamental functions could help save us from climate...
Eight bears : mythic past and imperiled future
Dickie, Gloria
Paper Book
Bears have always held a central place in our collective memory, from Indigenous folklore and Greek mythology to nineteenth-century fairytales and the modern toy shop. But as humans and bears come into ever-closer contact, our relationship nears a tipping point. Today, most of the eight remaining...
Bird life
Smaill, Anna
Paper Book
The second novel by Booker Prize-longlisted author Anna Smaill. A lyrical and ambitious exploration of madness and what it is like to experience the world differently. In Ueno Park, Tokyo, as workers and tourists gather for lunch, the pollen blows, a fountain erupts, pigeons scatter, and...
Twilight Falls
Black, Juneau
Paper Book
The fourth book in the Shady Hollow mystery series sees Vera embroiled in a case involving star-crossed lovers whose affair may have turned deadly. It's spring in Shady Hollow, and romance is in the air. Even reporter Vera Vixen is caught up in the season as her relationship with...
George : a magpie memoir
Hughes, Frieda
Paper Book
"Poignant and funny...a passionate book about unconditional love and commitment." --The Washington Post * "Captivating." --Associated Press * "Rich with imagery...It's impossible not to be smitten." --Star Tribune (Minneapolis) From poet and painter Frieda Hughes...
Nursery earth : the wondrous lives of baby animals and the extraordinary ways they shape our world
Staaf, Danna
Paper Book
It's time to pay attention to baby animals. From egg to tadpole, chick to fledgling, they offer scientists a window into questions of immense importance: How do genes influence health? Which environmental factors support-or obstruct-life? Entire ecosystems rest on the shoulders (or tentacles, or...
How to be a good creature : a memoir in thirteen animals
Montgomery, Sy
Paper Book
A New York Times bestseller! National Book Award finalist Sy Montgomery reflects on the personalities and quirks of 13 animals--her friends--who have profoundly affected her in this stunning, poetic, and life-affirming memoir featuring illustrations by Rebecca Green. ...
Perestroika in Paris
Smiley, Jane
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * From the Pulitzer Prize-winning and best-selling author: a captivating, brilliantly imaginative story of three extraordinary animals--and a young boy--whose lives intersect in Paris in this "feel-good escape" (The New York Times). ...
Wildlife of the world
Ambrose, Jamie (Author of nature books for children)
Paper Book
Experience the full force of nature with this stunning visual encyclopedia celebrating the world's most wonderful wildlife.  With an inspiring foreword by leading naturalist and wildlife photographer Chris Packham, this epic adventure takes you across the continents to meet...
Pony confidential
Lynch, Christina
Paper Book
Pony has been passed from owner to owner for longer than he can remember. Fed up, he busts out and goes on a cross-country mission to reunite with the only little girl he ever loved, Penny, who he was separated from and hasn't seen in years. Penny, now an adult, is living an ordinary life when she...
Dewey's nine lives : the legacy of the small-town library cat who inspired millions
Myron, Vicki.
Paper Book
Share your fabulous feline photos with us in the Dewey the Library Cat group in Penguin Community. The cat that captured America's hearts returns, to share more of his special brand of magic. Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World was a...
The blanket cats
Shigematsu, Kiyoshi
Paper Book
"Utterly charming . . . I would read a hundred of these stories." --Shelby Van Pelt, New York Times bestselling author of Remarkably Bright Creatures Seven struggling customers are given the unique opportunity to take home a "blanket cat" . . . but only for three days,...
My beloved monster : Masha, the half-wild rescue cat who rescued me
Carr, Caleb
Paper Book
The New York Times bestselling author of The Alienist tells the extraordinary story of Masha, a half-wild rescue cat who fought off a bear, tackled Caleb like a linebacker--and bonded with him as tightly as any cat and human possibly can. ...

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