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 6, 2024
LINCC (Libraries in Clackamas County)Oregon City Public Library
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The ember stone
Charman, Katrina
Paper Book
Magic, fantasy, and adventure combine to create a grippingly fast-paced new series for young readers -- The Last Firehawk!Pick a book. Grow a Reader!This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line Branches, aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content...

Scholastic's Branches imprint features lots of amazing beginning chapter books perfect for newly independent readers, including this story about a squirrel and an owl who set out on an epic quest to save their world. (Bridging Fiction Grades 2-4)

The last
Applegate, Katherine
Paper Book
A New York Times bestseller from the beloved author of the action-packed Animorphs series and the award-winning The One and Only Ivan. In this first book of an epic middle grade series, Katherine Applegate takes us on an unforgettable journey.  Byx...

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 shelterlings
Durst, Sarah Beth
Paper Book
A group of magical misfit animals learns to appreciate their seemingly useless powers--and themselves--when they work together to thwart a villain's attempt to steal their magic. Holly, a grey squirrel, and her animal friends have accepted that they will never be wizards'...

Upside Down Magic meets The Familiars in this fantasy story, in which a group of rejected wizards' familiars band together in search of a cure for their "defective" magic. (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)

Lucky duck
Kurtz, Chris
Paper Book
From the critically acclaimed author of The Adventures of a South Pole Pig comes a heartwarming middle grade animal adventure story about Frank, the odd one out in a family of ducks, who discovers both his courage and unique identity as he braves the unknown to save his family from...

A sweet, engaging story loosely based on The Ugly Duckling. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

The wind in the willows
Grahame, Kenneth
Paper Book
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graham has charmed children and adults for more than a hundred years.  Sebastian Meschenmoser's lush and expressive watercolor and oil painting illustrations bring a fresh look to this unabridged and beloved classic...

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)

The haunting
Lasky, Kathryn
Paper Book
Newbery Honor-winning Kathryn Lasky, author of the bestselling Guardians of Ga'Hoole and Bears of Ice series, delivers a sweeping middle grade animal adventure with loyal beavers, a cultured swan, and ominous lynxes around every turn--a captivating story about heroism, loyalty, and...

While cats and mice have always been popular animal fantasy protagonists, we've been getting more and more unusual animals each year! Oregonians will be especially delighted by this series featuring an intrepid young beaver. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

The wild ones
London, C. Alexander
Paper Book
For fans of Warriors, Spirit Animals, and Redwall--the next great animal fantasy adventure is here! Kit is a young raccoon who has lived his whole life under the Big Sky. But when a pack of hunting dogs destroy his home and kill his parents, Kit needs to escape. He...

A young racoon from the wild learns to navigate city streets in this urban fantasy adventure. (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)

Ember's end
Smith, S. D.
Paper Book
The end is here.Heather and Picket face off for the last time with their tyrannical foes in this final installment of the Green Ember Series. The Mended Wood flickers dimly in the vision of the rabbits of Natalia, as they battle bravely for their survival and a hopeful future beyond.My place beside...

This animal fantasy series from indie author S.D. Smith is great for families looking for wholesome, engaging stories with limited descriptions of violence and "clean" language. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

Legend of the yearling
Black, Roan
Paper Book
In the first installment of the action-packed Guardians of Horsa graphic novel series, four young horses from clashing herds must join forces to solve a mystery and save magic. Welcome to the realm of Horsa, a world of magic, wild horses, and danger. The four elemental herds of...

My Little Pony fans looking for a more traditional fantasy setting will enjoy this graphic novel set in a realm of magical horses. (Children's Graphic Novel 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)

The gang of the feline sun
Salati, Giorgio, 1978- author.
Paper Book
Brina, a city cat, moved to the mountains with the owners for a summer holiday. Here she meets some stray cats who call themselves 'The Gang of the Feline Sun'. The new friends convince her to escape her owners and become a free cat. But while Brina enjoys her newfound freedom and all the new types...

A city cat exploring the mountains on a summer vacation must decide whether to return with her humans or stay in the wild in this realistic story with animal protagonists. (Children's Graphic Novel Grades 3-5)

DnDoggos. 1, Get the party started
Underhill, Scout
Paper Book
Four adorable dogs are tail-waggingly excited to play their favorite role-playing game in DnDoggos: Get the Party Started, the middle grade graphic novel debut from online comic creator Scout Underhill. They've picked their characters and favorite dice, and are ready to...

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)

Starfire
Alvarez, Jennifer Lynn
Paper Book
Riders of the Realm author Jennifer Lynn Alvarez "will lift the reader on the wings of danger and destiny, magic and hope"* in this first book in an action-packed fantasy adventure series. Perfect for fans of the Warriors and Guardians of Ga'Hoole series. Once every hundred years, a black...

A classic fantasy adventure with a twist: the characters are all winged horses! A great choice for horse lovers as well as fantasy fans. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

Redwall
Jacques, Brian.
Paper Book
As the inhabitants of Redwall Abbey bask in the glorious Summer of the Late Rose, all is quiet and peaceful. But things are not as they seem. Cluny the Scourge--the evil one-eyed rat warlord, is ell-bent on destroying the tranquility as he prepares to fight a bloody battle for the ownership 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)

Wild magic
Pierce, Tamora
Paper Book
Discover a land of enchantment, legend, and adventure in this first book of the Immortals series, featuring an updated cover for longtime fans and fresh converts alike, and including an all-new afterword from Tamora Pierce. Thirteen-year-old Daine has always had a special...

A young teen girl who can speak to animals is recruited to help protect her kingdom from a wave of dangerous magical creatures who've found a way to leave the world of immortals. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)


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