Animal Tales
Traveler: a novel by Richard Adams
The Civil War has been viewed from almost every possible perspective, but Adams breaks new ground: a first-person narrative, in dialect, by Robert E. Lee’s horse, Traveller. Traveller’s equine memoirs are told to a cat in the stable of the retired general.
Born Free: a lioness of two worlds by Joy Adamson
Joy Adamson, wildlife conservationist, is world-famous as the woman who walked with lions. This is the true story of her relationship with an orphaned cub, Elsa, whom she and husband George raise in Africa.
Letters From the Country by Marsha Boulton
Boulton’s bestselling and award-winning tales of a city woman who trades her high heels for Wellington boots. A former editor at Macleans magazine, Boulton now lives on a sheep farm in Southwestern Ontario.
A Zoo in My Luggage by Gerald Durrell
Naturalist/writer Gerald Durrell, with an eye for unusual detail, a great sense of humor, and an unquenchable enthusiasm for finding unique animals, recounts his third animal-collecting trip to the Cameroons in this classic 1960 memoir.
Through a Window by Jane Goodall
World renowned chimpanzee expert and field researcher Goodall continues on where her In the Shadow of Man left off. This highly descriptive book never gets bogged down in technical terminology. Readers may not agree with the parallels Goodall draws between apes and humans, but they will be entertained by her theories.
All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot
The first volume of the classic adventures and misadventures involving the young vet, James Herriot (a pseudonym for Alf Wight) in the Yorkshire Dales from 1937 onwards. Made into a long-running, much-loved TV series.
Creature Comforts: the adventures of a city vet by Stephen Kritsick
A vet from a small town in New England moves to the city. The book is full of interesting patients and their humans. The book covers his work in five different citys, including New York’s ASPCA and Animal Medical Center.
Vet in a Village by Hugh Lasgarn
Veterinarian, Lasgarn, and his family move to a village on the Welsh Border to take up residence. His first call involves a bull and a police car…the former being the winner in the end. The book is full of funny and sad tales. Life is never dull for this vet.
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
The classic story of Buck, a dog born into a life of luxury. He is betrayed by the estate’s gardener and sold as a sledge dog. The Gold Rush is on and sledge dogs are in great demand. This, however, is not the life for Buck. He escapes and joins a wolf pack, becoming a legend in the frozen north.
Nop’s Trials by Donald McCaig
Nop’s Trials is a beautifully written book for dog lovers and, in particular, fans of border collies. This wonderful, often suspenseful story is well paced and thoughtfully described. There are good guys and bad guys as in most stories. In the end, the best dogs win with truth, beauty, and justice prevailing. You won’t want to put this book down. The sequel is titled Nop’s Hope.
Fields and Pastures New by John E. McCormack
In 1963, McCormack and his wife and children moved to Butler, Alabama, so he could begin his career as the first and only veterinarian of Choctaw County. Readers will be captivated by the doctor, his family, and patients. Many of the stories are downright hilarious. An American version of James Herriot.
Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat
Hordes of wolves are slaughtering the arctic caribou, and the government’s Wildlife Service assigns naturalist Farley Mowat to investigate. Mowat is dropped alone onto the frozen tundra, where he begins his mission to live among the howling wolf packs. Made into a major motion picture in 1983.
Shy Boy: the horse that came in from the wild by Monty Roberts
The sequel to Roberts’s bestselling book,The Man Who Listens to Horses, Shy Boy picks up the story of this California horse trainer’s relationship with a wild mustang whom he “gentled.”
A Dog in a Million by Joyce Stranger
That is how Chita, a German Shepherd, was described by one of the top dog-training professionals in the U.K. Unfortunately, it was not meant as a compliment. Chita was stubborn, determined, and contrary. It took those who knew her as a puppy to appreciate the dog she became in her later years. If you love dogs and also countryside life and wildlife, you’ll love Joyce Stranger’s books.
The “Minack” series by Derek Tangye
It is impossible to pick just one favourite book of Derek Tangye’s. His charming stories of life with his wife Jeannie, and the world in Land’s Inn, are simply wonderful. With each page you’ll either be smiling or crying over happenings in the lives of Derek and Jeannie and their many animal companions, both wild and domestic.
List prepared by Sandi Hall (May 2006)
