Whether you are an animal rights activist or just love to cuddle your pet, one thing is for certain: New Moon Girls love animals! And now that summer has begun, what better time to volunteer for an organization that helps animals (like a local pet rescue), take your dog for a long walk, or curl up with a good book to learn more about your favorite furry, feathered, or scaly friends? Here are some suggestions of books about animals for girls to get you started.

Wild Animals

Most of us might not get to see wild animals often, but a book can give you a close encounter with any exotic animal in the world!

• Did you know hundreds of wild animals are mistreated in captivity in zoos or even in private homes that can’t properly care for them? The Born Free Foundation is dedicated to rescuing abused and neglected wild animals from around the world, including dolphins kept in dirty swimming pools, lions kept in cramped trailers, and chimps kept in cages in restaurants. You can read the inspiring stories of true-life animal rescues in their book series, which includes Chimp Rescue, Dolphin Rescue, Lion Rescue, Elephant Rescue, and Leopard Rescue. Each book includes beautiful full-color photographs of the animals’ journeys toward a better life. The Born Free Foundation even has a kids club, which you can learn more about on its website!
• The world of animals out in the wild is complicated and surprising, including the way that species help and harm each other. Natural Attraction by Iris Gottlieb is an illustrated field guide to the friends, frenemies, and enemies of the animal world. Which animals work together, and which will forever be at odds? Each entry in this illustrated book includes a different animal pair, and how the two help — or aggravate! — one another.
• If you love to sink into a big book filled with colorful diagrams, illustrations, and fascinating facts, the Atlas of Animal Adventures by Rachel Williams and Emily Hawkins is for you! In this book, you can run with the wildebeests in Kenya, dive with the platypus in Australia, climb trees with American black bears, and more!

Domestic Animals

Domestic is another word for animals that are tame or that have been bred to live with humans, such as our pets or animals that we raise for food. They have their own stories to tell, too!

• If you’re a dog lover, you’ll want to check out The Dog Encyclopedia for Kids by Tammy Gagne, which features photos and facts on over 150 dog breeds!
• Are you a horse fanatic? Then try sinking in to Alexandra the Great: The Story of the Record-Breaking Filly Who Ruled the Racetrack by Deb Aronson. Alexandra was born in Kentucky, the heart of America’s race-horsing scene, but her owner was sure she’d never make a good racehorse. Her mother rejected her, and she had to be raised by another mare. Plus, she had a medical condition that made her impossible to sell. Yet soon she was outrunning every other filly her age, and eventually, a new owner allowed her to run against male horses. She became the first filly in 85 years to win major horse race The Preakness, and the first filly ever to win another big race, the Woodward. This book gives you an up-close-and-personal look at Alexandra from interviews with her owners, veterinarian, and jockey.
• Are you more of a cat person? Read on to our fiction section!

Fiction Featuring Animals

Animals are fascinating in real life, but they make great characters in fiction, too! Check out these books featuring animals.

• Sometimes an animal can lead you to great things — like a new friend. In Cody and the Fountain of Happiness by Tricia Springstubb, Cody is trying to enjoy her summer vacation even though her dad is gone driving truck, her brother is moping over a girl, and her mom is busy with a new job. But then she meets a boy searching for a lost cat — and finding the cat and forging a new friendship might be just the summer adventure Cody was looking for. If you like this book, make sure to check out the other books in the series, too, which include Cody and the Mysteries of the Universe and Cody and the Rules of Life.
• In Terry Lynn Johnson’s Falcon Wild, 13-year-old Karma is lost in the Montana wilderness with her falcon, Stark, and a runaway boy, looking for help for her dad and brother who have been in an accident. The accident happened while the family was on their way to return Stark, a rescued bird, to his original owner in Canada, even though Karma doesn’t want to part with him. Lost in the wilderness, her bond with the bird only grows stronger as they face wild animals, injury, and severe weather together. (This book will be published in September, so make sure to add it to your list now and look for it at your local libraries and bookstores then!)

Magical Animals

Who says your animal adventures reading needs to be limited to creatures you might see in real life? Check out these books for some truly magical animal encounters.

• In the Unicorn Riders series by Aleesah Darlison, four girls and their companion unicorns protect the magical kingdom of Avamay from dark serpents, child-snatchers, and more. Each book features intricate black-and-white artwork and a different unicorn rider: Ellabeth’s Test, Krystal’s Choice, Quinn’s Riddles, and Willow’s Challenge.
• If you were interested in the Born Free series recommended above about real-life rescues, you might also like E.D. Baker’s new series Magical Animal Rescue! In it, 8-year-old Maggie can see magical animals that no one else can. And that means she’s one of the only people who knows when they need help. Soon, she teams up with the Keeper of Strange Creatures to save an injured flying horse in Maggie and the Flying Horse. In her next adventure, Maggie and the Wish Fish, she meets a magical fish who promises to grant one of her wishes if she frees him. Upcoming books in the series will feature unicorns and flying pigs!
• Legend says that Munch, a magical golden alligator, has the power to grant good luck to whoever is brave enough to face him. But if two people arrive at the same time, their luck is split and both will pass bad luck on to future generations. Now Tumble and Blue are determined to change their own fates and the fates of their families by finding Munch and facing him down again. You can read about their adventures when Tumble & Blue by Cassie Beasley releases this August!

What about you? Do you have favorite animal books? Have you read any of the books mentioned above? Share your thoughts in the comments!