Writers and Their Pets

by Kathleen Krull, Violet Lemay (Illustrations)

Discover how animals influenced 20 of the world's most beloved authors, from Charles Dickens to J.K. Rowling. 

Genres: Nonfiction, Animals, Middle Grade, Biography, Childrens

192 pages, Hardcover

Published June 11, 2019

Reviews

[Ed · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't realize this is a YA nonfiction book until I started reading it. But I liked the cute topic and went ahead and finished it. The variety of writers and their respective pets is fairly impressive. Dorothy Parker had a poodle she named Cliche, for instance. Most of the pets I hadn't heard of before. Hemingway's five-toed cats are fairly well-known. Some of the writers with serious mental issues took comfort in their pets (like Virginia Woolf, for instance). If you're looking for a short, breezy read, this title might be the one for you.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book, however know the child you will be giving this to, as some adult things are mentioned, such as Virginia Woolf’s suicide via drowning and Beatrix Potter’s dissecting two woodland mice to see their musculature to better draw mice for her books. (That last one shocked me.) If the reader who is going to get this book is sensitive to that sort of thing and knows, or will ask, about dissection, be prepared. It’s not graphic in description, but it is mentioned. Also, death via natural causes of animals and humans is mentioned. Not a deal breaker, it’s a part of life, but know the audience for this book.

I did learn a lot from this book and think it would be interesting to readers of all ages. 4 solid stars. Definitely recommended!

[Stephanie ((Strazzybooks)) · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The dog kept Woolf company in her small writing hut and on the long walks she took to help her unwind. [Her dog] helped her look around and be aware of nature, like the change of the seasons..”

This was a beautifully-designed book with thick pages and charming illustrations. It contains informative vignettes about writers & their pets and how the pets helped the writers create.

“[Gertrude Stein] claimed that listening to the rhythm of [her dog] drinking water made her recognize the difference between sentences and paragraphs, that paragraphs are emotional and sentences are not.”

Of course there are Hemingway’s cats and Barrett Browning’s dog Flush, but there are more stories I didn’t know, such as about Dickens’ pet raven or Dorothy Parker’s love of dogs. Worth a read for lit lovers and animal lovers.

[Alexandra Calaway · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was really excited for this and then utterly disappointed, even angry. It's 2019 for god's sake. It isn't difficult to include diverse authors and the one of TWO POC in the entire book is front and center on the book cover. Aware of the issue, are you? Did Maya Angelou not have pets? Toni Morrison? Amy Tan? Linda Sue Park? Frida Kahlo?

This is especially an egregious oversight since the collection included contemporary authors. Why not include diverse authors who actually write for children then? Jacquelline Woodson. Erin Entrada Kelly. Grace Lin. Kwame Alexander. Jason Reynolds. DO YOU SEE HOW EASY THIS IS?

Needs to be re-titled "Mostly White Writers and Their Pets." Enough about Hemingway and his cats, already. (And I'm a cat lady.)

[Ameliaallison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful and fun! So glad I ran across this!

[Heidi Burkhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Krull has done it again! This is a very engaging book that can be enjoyed from upper elementary students to adults.

Anyone who loves stories about authors are sure to be in for a treat, while pet fans will be delighted with these charmingly illustrated stories about a variety of well known authors. Carefully researched information about the pets in the book are a definite highlight. What fun to learn details about the owners, their pets, such as their names and personalities, as well as their interactions with their owners.

The book includes a contents page, introduction, glossary of literary terms, a section with more books that one can read about various authors in the book, citations and an index. It would serve perfectly as a study for students about the authors included in the story (20), understanding some basic literary terms, and how to use the the various sections in the book as a "parts of a book" study.

Highly recommended.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Find out why we might say "keeping up with the Joneses", which beloved children's author self-published in 1901, and more. Some subjects covered are more suitable for adults.

[Amy Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting history book and I learned a lot more about some of my favorite authors.

[Zoé · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute and fun way to learn about some famous authors. Some chapters weren't as inspired, but still enjoyable. I also appreciated the inclusion of many female authors.

[Lexi · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy read. I found it really interesting and think it would be an excellent introduction for kids to these authors. Good for a book club since these are really snippets of characters.

[Margie · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the book is called, it is about Writers and Their Pets. Interesting and it gave me some ideas of titles to be added to my to read list.

[Sarah Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful read. Beautifully illustrated and packed with charming facts I never knew before.

[Gail Sacharski · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting book. Being a prolific reader, I like to learn more about the writers I like to read. This book presents short biographies of many famous authors--John Steinbeck, Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, Dorothy Parker, Alice Walker, Beatrix Potter, Edgar Allen Poe, J.K. Rowling, Maurice Sendak, E.B. White & many more--featuring their love for animals & the pets they cared for in their lives. Pets range from alligators to peacocks with the standard cats, dogs, guinea pigs, birds, too. There is quite a variety & many stories about these pets, some of which were featured in their owners' writings like Steinbeck's Travels with Charley (his dog) who accompanied him on a 10,000 mile journey across America, & Charles Dickens' pet raven which became the inspiration for Poe's famous poem. Hemingway collected cats wherever he was living &, at one point, had 57 of them & built a special house with the money he received from the Nobel Prize. Marguerite Henry (whom I loved to read as a child) wrote Misty of Chincoteague about a real horse of the East Coast wild pony herds & then brought Misty back to her home in Illinois to live with her. These stories & the wonderful illustrations by LeMay are fascinating & this was an enjoyable book to read.

[Marathon County Public Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you have a pet? What kinds of animals do you like? Have you ever given your pets names like Bambino, You Know, Catterina, Mooky, Littless Kitty, Friendless, or Colonel Eggbert?

In this read you will learn about the pets and animals 20 famous authors loved! Author Kathleen Krull offers insight into the backgrounds of the authors from childhood to them becoming famous. Krull highlights how animals were inspirations, confidants, friends, and heroes to authors from Beatrix Potter, to E. B. White, Charles Dickens, J. K. Rowling, and more!

Some authors had pets like cats and dogs, while others had more extra ordinary pets! Animals you will read about include dogs, cats, tropical birds, canaries, ponies, eagles, ravens, mice, rabbits, bats, butterflies, alligators, horses, chickens, pigs, spiders, hedgehogs, pigeons, lizards, turtles, ducks, peacocks, guinea pigs, a mongoose, badger, and more! You’ll enjoy reading about them and viewing the fun illustrations by Violet Lemay.

Rose D. / Marathon County Public Library

[Melanie Faith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a cross between an annotated anthology (with one chapter about each author) and a graphic novel without panels. There are tidbits about classic authors as well as fun facts about their pets aplenty. I've read many anthologies and essays about authors and authors' lives, and I especially like the theme for this one.

It's written in a style where upper-grade elementary and tweens as well as adults would enjoy it. This book was a great, relaxing evening read, and although I already knew a bunch of facts about the chosen authors, I still learned a few things about Pablo Neruda, Maurice Sendak, and Alice Walker (and her chickens!) that I hadn't known before the book. The illustrations are charming and well done, too.

There's bonus material at the end, which I always appreciate: a glossary, an index, and a list of books/resources for more information. Handy!

I'll share this one with my darling nieces and sister.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute book with great illustrations. It goes through several authors and the animals. It might have been better if it focused on some more authors with a children's repertoire, but maybe they'll do a second edition.Lillian let me finish the whole thing without switching back and forth when it was her turn to pick the book so that seems like a good recommendation. She clearly had a greater love for biography and true stories than I did as a kid. We'll definitely be trying out some more books by this author since they appear to have a large body of work in children's nonfiction.

[Careena Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a super enjoyable read. As an author myself, it was really cool to learn about the authors who have gone before me and some of their struggles. I've always loved children's nonfiction and this was no exception.

For parents who might be reading this to their kiddos, I would recommend previewing it first as there are some issues (suicide, lesbian marriage, etc.) that might cause them to have some questions.

[Yvonne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a charming introduction to several famous authors and their relationships with their pets. The text is clear, the illustrations whimsical but accurate, and the over all charm of this little book cannot be understated. Writers and Their Pets is a good springboard for discussion on writing, companionship and why we humans share our lives with the animals we love.

[Bruna Bento]

the narrator of this book it's the worst, ugh! but the book itself it's quite nice. I discovered the poet elizabeth barrett browning (and her life) in this; now I wanna read her poetry and get to know everything about her. Ernest Hemingway also seemed to have led a pretty interesting life, I would love to read a biography of his but I guess I'll go through a few of his books first :)

[Shawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was some engaging stuff here. I did not know that Charles Dickens owned a raven and Edgar Allan Poe was a cat guy. For the most part, there was decent info to indicate strong bonds between the writers and their pets - but there were a few instances in which it seemed that the writer/pet connection was a stretch.

[Donna Mork · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really fun book about famous authors and what pets they kept (or keep). It was fun to delve into the lives of famous writers and see if they were dog people, cat people, or even chicken people. Lots of fun stories about the person behind the words.

[al3xdlarge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! I saw it in the New section while i was waiting to take my 2 year old to storytime. I thought ok it’s a kids book but as an English major this is right up my alley. I enjoyed every moment of it!

[Ruthe Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointing, as the book was more about the human owner than of the pets, and some of the human owners are not worth reading about. I listened to an audio-ebook version for entertainment as I walked - therefore it was at least interesting enough to help me get my steps in.

[Sophie Lipton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Literature and pets - what a splendid combination! This book examines the stories behind famous writers and their animal companions, many of whom were a source of inspiration as well as company to the authors. Charmingly illustrated, it's a great book for either book lovers or pet lovers.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 8-year-old asked me to read this because she liked it so much. The stories are sweet. But the author doesn't mince words about hard times and difficult circumstances. It did inspire me to add some classics to my Want to Read list.

[Tressa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Kathleen Krull. This book not only makes me want to read the books by the writers she profiles, but also the rest of her own books, too.

[Ghostly Writer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be a very interesting read! I learnt some things that I didn’t know previously.

[Jade Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An informative, fun and unique book.

[Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

A charming book and a pleasant read! :)

[Olga Mendez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book in two hours. It is an entertaining one and you learn a lot about the authors and their relationships with their pets.
Like Hemingway, I adore "the purr factories".