Supply your animal-loving child with a home library of books featuring beloved animals. In these titles, you'll fall in love with pets, farm animals, and wild creatures—fantastic and real. Sometimes the animals are the main characters of the book, and in other cases the animals are portrayed in relation to human characters.
1. Babe the Gallant Pig
by Dick King-Smith
from Sonlight's History / Bible / Literature B Package
You may have seen the movie. Don't discount the book!
Set on a farm, the book recounts the story of Babe, a pig. After being taken in by Farmer Hogget's sheepdog, Fly, it's only natural Babe would want to follow in his foster mum's paw-steps. Even with considerable handicaps as a sheepdog (namely, he's a pig), he manages to overcome all with his earnestly polite and soft-spoken ways, proving once again that might doesn't always make right.
After saving the sheep from rustlers and wild dogs, Babe convinces Hogget that his idea of becoming a sheep-pig might not be so silly after all. No one could have predicted what follows.
Pair it with a trip to a farm to see how sheep are raised.
2. Kildee House
by Rutherford G. Montgomery
from Sonlight's History / Bible / Literature B Package
A warm story about an asocial recluse who finally wins friends when he builds and moves into a cottage in the forest.
Your forest-loving child will be enchanted by the parade of raccoons, deer, skunks, and other woodland creatures that take over Kildee House and enrich the life of the man living in their midst.
Your kids may want to move to a cabin in the woods after reading this one!
3. Mountain Born
by Elizabeth Yates
from Sonlight's History / Bible / Literature B Package
Sheep are the featured animal in this touching, beautifully crafted, and thought-provoking work of fiction in which a young farm boy grows up.
This more mature book deals with several life issues: birth, death, real life farm activities, working hard and living off the land. The family never protects their young son from the realities of life, but instead allow his experiences to mold him into a caring, competent, and mature man.
4. Charlotte's Web
by E. B. White
from Sonlight's History / Bible / Literature B Package
This heartwarming classic explores the friendship between a little girl, a selfless spider and "the world's greatest pig."
Keep your tissues handy. You will cry.
Pair this book with a trip to your state or county fair. Be sure to tour the animal exhibits!
5. My Father's Dragon
by Ruth Stiles Gannett
from Sonlight's History / Bible / Literature A Package
This story is a tale of fantasy featuring a dragon and other talking creatures. It's a delightful story about a boy who rescues a sweet young dragon from her enemies through the judicious use of the unlikely items he has stored in his knapsack.
This children's story allows you to begin talking with your children about typically difficult topics such as oppression, laziness, compassion and resourcefulness. Literature breaks through the awkwardness and allows us to dig into both the good and bad of life.
Enjoy open-ended crafts after you read. For example, try this mapping activity.
6. The Story of Dr. Dolittle
by Hugh Lofting
from Sonlight's History / Bible / Literature A Package
Here's another fantasy tale where animals can communicate with humans. Dr. Dolittle sails off to save African monkeys from an epidemic and encounters amazing animals.
As part of an introduction to the world, your children will travel halfway around the world in this book. With a mix of fairy tale experiences and real world animals, this book for children adds joy to your global, cultural studies
7. Mr. Popper's Penguins
by Richard Atwater and Florence Atwater
from Sonlight's History / Bible / Literature B Package
A classic, absolutely impossible tall tale. It will win your child's heart — and maybe yours, too!
Though completely fictitious, this illustrated book for children introduces many historical explorers in the naming of penguins.
After you read this animal book, visit the penguin enclosure at your closest zoo and imagine caring for a houseful of penguins!
8. The Cricket in Times Square
by George Selden
from Sonlight's History, Bible, Read-Alouds C Package
Chester, a cricket from Connecticut, moves into the Bellinis' Newspaper Stand in New York City.
His escapades at first threaten to ruin the stand, but lead, ultimately, to the stand's greatest success. Fun!
9. Stone Fox
by John Reynolds Gardiner
from Sonlight's History / Bible / Literature D Package
Ten-year-old Willy needs to win the big dog sled race in order to pay the back taxes on his grandfather's farm. But that means he has to beat the huge Indian, Stone Fox, and his incredible dogsled team.
A stunning, heartwarming story set in Wyoming. The author was inspired by a Rocky Mountain legend. Though the characters are fictitious, the dogsled race and its surprising finish supposedly really happened.
10. The Bears on Hemlock Mountain
by Alice Dalgliesh
from Sonlight's History / Bible / Literature D Package
Jonathan goes to get "the biggest pot you ever laid eyes on" — on the other side of Hemlock Mountain.
How he protects himself from the bears is the highlight of this short tall tale!
11. The Great Turkey Walk
by Kathleen Karr
from Sonlight's History / Bible / Literature E Package
"Git along, little . . . turkeys"? Yep! In 1860, a fifteen-year-old boy attempts to herd one thousand turkeys from Missouri to Denver, Colorado, in hopes of selling them at a profit.
In this sure-fire funny-bone tickler, part tall-tale but mostly solid historical yarn, Simon Green proves he's a man and worthy of respect. What fun! This book will make you laugh!
To see more top-notch books and our complete book-based homeschool programs, ask for a complimentary copy of your catalog today.
2 Comments