It’s Spring and there are baby animals everywhere. So why not celebrate this renewing season with books about animals? Most of these new publications are about pets, and are picture books. But, I’ll begin with some great fiction books geared for ages eight and older.

A Dog Called Kitty, by Bill Wallace, is told through Ricky’s eyes, as he moves with his family to live on a farm. What Ricky doesn’t want is a dog. A dog attacked him when he was younger and he’s been frightened ever since. But it’s all about to change when a straggly little puppy shows up in the barn. If you’ve never read any of the author’s other outstanding books, you are missing out. Mr. Wallace is perhaps one of my all-time favorite authors for kids.

Chancey of the Maury River, by Gigi Amateau, is a rich story about a horse who has been abandoned and nearly starved to death when he finds a new home at the Therapeutic Riding School. Even though he now has cancer, and is nearly blind, he finds many children with problems who come to love him and he begins to love life again. This story is rich with emotion and life at an equestrian stable.

The Pet Trouble series, by T. T. Sutherland, now has five books all about different types of dogs. “Bulldog Won’t Budge” is book #4 in the series and is about a boy who has wanted a dog forever, the kind of dog who will run and play with him. But he ends up with a bulldog who doesn’t want to do much of anything. All of the books are fun and fairly quick reads.

The Pet Vet series, by Darrel and Sally Odgers, are chapter books geared for ages 7 to 9.  Book #1: “Cranky Paws” and book #2: “The Mare’s Tale” take place at the Pet Vet clinic and thankfully the Doctor’s own pet dog, Trump, can communicate with both pets and people enabling him to help them. These stories are short, with illustrations sprinkled throughout, and the adventures that take place at the clinic will make for good chapter-reading.

Now for some non-fiction books that will surely help youngsters better understand animals. Kingfisher Publications has a “Flip the Flaps” series of animal books that include Farm Animals, by Karen Wallace, and illustrated by Nicki Palin, Pets, by Hannah Wilson, and illustrated by John Butler, Jungle Animals, by Jinny Johnson, and illustrated by Nicki Palin and Animal Homes, by Judy Allen, and illustrated by Simon Mendez. Each book is formatted for easy reading with flaps to open to discover the answers posed. Kingfisher also has a “Navigator” series that has several publications that explore our world. The newest book is Animals, by Miranda Smith, and by just opening the book the bright and vivid animal colors practically jump off the page. This informative book will have your youngster pouring over all of the pages again and again!

The Smithsonian series has two publications by the renowned Seymour Simon. Dogs and Cats will shed light on understanding these pets, how to take care of them and showcasing the different breeds. The photographs are wonderful, large and bright.

Don’t Lick the Dog: Making Friends with Dogs, by Wendy Wahman, is a book every parent should purchase because it covers which dogs to approach and how to come up to them in a friendly manner. It also gives the key points of what to teach little ones when a dog is nearby. The text is rhymical, and the pictures are bright, making the read informative and great fun.

Let’s Save the Animals: A Flip-the-Flap Book, by Frances Barry, is the perfect book to teach youngsters about endangered animals. The flaps are big with inventive die-cut designs and a unique shape to the entire book. There’s even some helpful suggestions that youngsters will be able to participate in found at the back of the book.

The rest of the picture books are just fun stories about pets. Hot Rod Hamster, by Cynthia Lord, and illustrated by Derek Anderson, has a hamster raring to race the big dogs as he scavenges in “One Dog’s Junk” for the perfect parts to build his race car. The bold colors, along with the hamster, all race along with great speed as the fun rhyming only slows down just a spec to sputter out the slick text. You’ll find yourself cheering at this winner of a book.

Dogs Don’t Brush Their Teeth, by Diane deGroat and Shelly Rotner, is hilarious look into how 15 different dogs show what they can and can’t do. You’ll easily discover this by opening the flaps on each page. Oh, and they don’t brush their teeth, but at least they eat “breath bones”. Dogs, by Emily Gravett, begins with the perfect proclamation: “I love dogs.” From there, the text and pictures are simple yet powerful. Big, small, spotted and tall dogs are highlighted throughout. A Small Brown Dog with a Wet Pink Nose, by Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen, and wonderfully illustrated by Linzie Hunter, is clever in the story and picture format. Amelia wants a dog so much that she pretends to own one. But when her imaginary pet gets lost, Amelia’s parents are in for a surprise. The entire story has a cheery, happy feel and even the title is a pick-me-up by using the colors of the words.

What Cats Are Made Of, by the ingenious Hanoch Piven, carefully and uniquely constructs cats with lipstick, fruit, toys and much more. Mr. Piven’s trademark ability to create living people, or in this case cats, by using smaller objects is amazing and fun to see. Eric Carle’s Have You Seen My Cat? is now available in a small board book with a unique slide-and-peek tab on every page. Toddlers will love to see what kind of cat will be pulled out. How Many Cats?, by Lauren Thompson, and illustrated by Robin Eley, will give you a peek into what cats really do when left home alone. Beware! This cat’s going to have a party and you get to help count the felines as they enter to be entertained.