[LM_NET] HIT: MID animal stories

[Nicole Sette <nsette@GMAIL.COM>]

Thank you to everyone who responded to my request for animal stories. I
forgot to mention the assignment was for 6th graders. Here are all your
suggestions:

The Incredible Journey by  Burnford, Sheila Every


She might like No More Dead Dogs, which is not really about an animal,
but it is about a boy who is sick of reading books about dogs that end
up dying.  He is forced to read Old Shep, My Pal in language class and
writes a scathing book report, earning himself an F and detention after
school until he writes a "proper" book report.  His detention takes him
away from football practice and to the play practice where the crew is
putting on a play based on Old Shep, My Pal.  Very funny book by Korman!

Foxy by Griffith

 How about Shiloh, by Naylor or Because of Winn Dixie?

What about All Creatures Great and Small?  While there is certainly death in
it, overall it's a wonderful story and considered a classic by many.


Sheep by Valerie Hobbs


Surely she knows that old yeller dies in the end??? I don't know her grade
level or reading capability, but one such story is Cynthia Rylant's
"Gooseberry Park."  I have used it very successfully as a 5th grade
read-aloud.  It's amusing, compassionate, and has a happy ending (no one
dies.)
Stone Fox is an excellent story with an animal main character, but the dog
dies at the end.
Cricket in Times Square is a heart-warming animal/human story, and I don't
believe there are any animal deaths in that.
Avi's "Ragweed" series might also fill the bill.

 A Dog's Life by Ann Martin

 How old a student is this?  Might the James Herriot *All Creatures Great
and Small* series be appropriate?

 Nicole,
         I love animal stories so I often gravitate toward those kind of
stories.  Most of the ones I have read have happy endings.  Here are some
suggestions:

*Animal Planet (the domestic side)*
·        *My Kingdom for a Horse *
Brooks, Lauren.  *Thicker Than Water*
Calvert, Patricia.  *The Stone Pony*
Campbell, Barbara.  *Taking Care of Yoki*
Farley, Walter.  *The Black Stallion*
Farley, Walter.  *The Black Stallion's Sulky Colt*
Farley, Walter.  *The Island Stallion Mystery*
Farley, Walter.  *The Island Stallion Races.*
Peck, Robert Newton.  *Cowboy Ghost*.**
Peck, Robert Newton.  *Horse Thief*.**
**
·        *Its Reigning Cats & Dogs *
Avi.  *The Good Dog*
Burnford, Sheila.  *The Incredible Journey* Calvert, Patricia.  *Hour of the
Wolf*
DiCamillo, Kate.  *Because of Winn Dixie*
Green, Gerald.  *Girl *(1977)
Kehret, Peggy.  *Cages*
Kehret, Peggy.  *Don't Tell Anyone*
Koja, Kathe.  *Straydog* London, Jack.  *Call of the Wild*
Mikaelsen, Ben.  *Rescue Josh McGuire*
Paterson, Katherine.  *The Field of Dogs*
Paulsen, Gary.   *Dog Song*
Paulsen, Gary.   *The Haymeadow*
Taylor, Theodore.  *The Maldonado Miracle*
Taylor, Theodore.  *The Trouble With Tuck*
Westfall, Robert.  *Kingdom by the Sea*
Wier, Ester.  *The Loner* (1963)**
Other North, Sterling.  *Rascal*
White, E. B.  *Charlotte's Web*


The Dog Who Thought He Was Santa

Would any of the Redwall books do?  If not here are two that might work:
Title:  Stay! Keeper's story /
Author:  Lowry, Lois.
Publisher:  New York : Yearling,
Publication Date:  1997.
ISBN:  0440415241 4.50
Summary:
    The autobiography of a pup of the streets who grows up and finds
fame, fortune, and finally a good home.

Title:  Whittington /
Author:  Armstrong, Alan W.,
Publisher:  New York : Random House,
Publication Date:  c2005.
Physical Description:  191 p. :  ill., maps ;  22 cm.
ISBN:  0375828648 12.8
Notes:
    Includes bibliographical references (p. 188-191).
Summary:
    Whittington, a feline descendant of Dick Whittington's famous cat
of English folklore, appears at a rundown barnyard plagued by rats and
restores harmony while telling his ancestor's story.

  Jackie's Wild Seattle by Will Hobbs
Misty of Chicoteague by Marguerite Henry
The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden
Charlotte's Web by E. B. White
Rascal by Sterling North
The Wainscott Weasel by Seidler
The Revenge of Randall Rat Reese by Seidler
A Rat's Tale by Seidler
Michael Hoeye's Series: Time Stops for No Mouse, The Sands of Time &  No
Time Like Show Time and Time to Smell the Roses
LionBoy Trilogy by Corder
Whittington by Armstrong
The Incredible Journey by Burnford
Shiloh by Naylor
Because of Winn Dixie by DiCamillo
The Tale of Desperaux by DiCamillo
Stewart Little by E. B. White

As I recall the dog in Big Red by Kjelguard (sp?) does not die at the end.


You don't say what level your school covers, but I think your reader might
enjoy *No More Dead Dogs*  by Gordon Korman.  James Herriott books have a
mix of animals, some of which die, some do not.  *James Herriott's Dog
Stories* might fill the bill. JH is also a very funny writer.  His works are
a little difficult for younger readers, but they are definitely humorous
mood lighteners.











-- 
Nicole Sette
School Library Media Specialist
Woodcliff School
Woodcliff Lake, NJ
nsette@woodcliff-lake.com

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