Children's Book Suggestions | Animal Fantasy

Some of our favorite animal fantasy books for readers in Grades 2-7, telling traditional fantasy stories where animals are the protagonists. You can view more animal fantasy books for young readers in the library catalog.

For more fantasy book suggestions, check out our Fairy Tales, Fantasy, and Mythology & Folklore book lists.

Updated June 29, 2024
LINCC (Libraries in Clackamas County) Oregon City Public Library
Drag items up and down to your preferred order then select the "Save Order" button.
The last
Applegate, Katherine
Paper Book
In this first book of an epic middle grade series, Katherine Applegate takes us on an unforgettable journey. A New York Times bestseller from the beloved author of the action-packed Animorphs series and the award-winning The One and Only Ivan. Byx is the youngest member of...

Katherine Applegate is one of the most prolific authors of animal stories for children! While The One and Only Ivan and others are more realistic, this one features human-like animals engaged in a classic fantasy quest. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

The familiars
Epstein, Adam Jay.
Paper Book
For fans of Warriors and Wings of Fire comes a magical adventure story about a street cat who's mistaken for a wizard's familiar. "Whether furry, flippered or feathered you'll be taking a closer look at your family pet." --Michael Buckley, author of The Sisters Grimm and NERDS When...

Three animals are chosen to be familiars for young wizards in training and must learn to work together to protect their human companions. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

Guardians of the Taiga
Hinojosa, Stacy
Paper Book
New York Times bestseller! From StacyPlays, creator of the mega-popular YouTube series Dogcraft, comes a thrilling illustrated novel about a girl raised by a pack of wolves and her quest to protect their shared forest home. The first in a new Minecraft-inspired...

A popular YouTuber and animal lover crafts a story about a young girl raised by wolves who works together with her animal companions to protect their home. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

Into the wild
Hunter, Erin.
Paper Book
Epic adventures. Fierce warrior cats. A thrilling fantasy world. It all begins here. Read the book that began a phenomenon--and join the legion of fans who have made Erin Hunter's Warriors series a #1 national bestseller. For generations, four Clans of wild cats have shared the...

A young housecat runs away to join a clan of warring cats in the woods. Easily the most popular animal fantasy series in the library! There is literally a new Erin Hunter book published every month, so you will never run out of books to read if you like the Warriors series and its spinoffs. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

The taken
Iserles, Inbali
Paper Book
The first book in a thrilling fantasy trilogy starring one of the animal kingdom's most hunted heroes. Foxcraft is full of excitement and heart, and a touch of magic.Isla and her brother are two young foxes living just outside the lands of the furless -- humans. The life of a fox is filled with...

One of the secrets to Erin Hunter's prolific success is that she's actually multiple authors writing under a pen name! One of those authors, Inbali Iserles, took the skills she developed writing the Warriors books to create a story about urban foxes seeking to reunite with their parents. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

The wind in the willows
Grahame, Kenneth
Paper Book
Since its beginnings as a series of stories told to Kenneth Grahame's young son, The Wind in the Willows has gone on to become one of the best-loved children's books of all time. The timeless story of Toad, Rat, Mole, and Badger has delighted readers of all ages for more than eighty years....

While it's not an epic fantasy quest tale, this cozy classic features a group of humanesque animals living their best lives in the English countryside. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

The capture
Lasky, Kathryn.
Paper Book
A classic hero mythology about the fight between good and evil, Guardians of Ga'Hoole is filled with adventure, suspense, and heart.Soren is born in the forest of Tyto, a tranquil kingdom where the Barn Owls dwell. But evil lurks in the owl world, evil that threatens to shatter Tyto's peace and...

A group of imprisoned young owls must break free from their prison camp in this suspenseful tale for older elementary readers. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

Mez's magic
Schrefer, Eliot
Paper Book
The magical rainforest of Caldera has forever been divided into those animals who walk by night and those who walk by day. Nightwalker panthers, like young Mez and her beloved sister, have always feared daywalkers as creatures of myth and legend. Until the eclipse. Now Mez...

A group of rainforest animals set out on a magical quest in this series opener from Eliot Schrefer. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

Wild born
Mull, Brandon
Paper Book
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Mull comes Spirit Animals, an epic book series that leaps from the page into a riveting online game. Your book is the key to claim your spirit animal!In the world of Erdas, four children are about to discover if they have a spirit animal bond, a rare...

In a magical worlds where a handful of lucky 12-year-olds forge powerful bonds with magical animals, four young teens and their spirit companions set out to save the world. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

DnDoggos. 1, Get the party started
Underhill, Scout
Paper Book
A Kirkus Best Book of the Year (Middle Grade) A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year (Middle Grade) An ALA Best Graphic Novel for Children Four adorable dogs are tail-waggingly excited to play their favorite role-playing game in DnDoggos...

A slightly quirky take on the animal fantasy theme, this graphic novel features a group of dogs who enjoy fantasy role playing games. Perfect for avid D&D fans! (Children's Graphic Novel Grades 3-5)

Mellybean and the giant monster
White, Mike (Children's author)
Paper Book
"Mike White hits a heartwarming hat trick with this cute, funny, and action-packed adventure. Mellybean will bounce off the page and into your heart." -Mo O'Hara, New York Times bestselling author of the My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish series and Agent Moose The Secret...

A spunky dog accidentally falls through a hole into a fantasy world and tries to get back home in this funny portal fantasy adventure. (Children's Graphic Novel Grades 3-5)

Redwall
Jacques, Brian.
Paper Book
Ten years ago, the courageous creatures of Redwall Abbey burst onto the literary scene in Redwall, the unforgettable epic pitting the followers of Martin the Warrior against Cluny the Scourge and his evil compatriots. Since then readers across the world have come to embrace the animal heroes of...

A brave mouse monk helps defend his abbey home from a gang of marauding weasels in the first book of Brian Jaques' classic fantasy series. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)


Library staff! You can create and contribute to lists. Contact your catalog administrator or log in here.