What other books feature animals as heroes? > Likes and Comments

Love and Ordinary CreaturesHelp me put together a list of books featuring animals as protagonists and/or heroes, like Love & Ordinary Creatures' Carusso!

The horse Joey, in War Horse.

I've heard several people mention that book. What do you think of it and how is Joey portrayed? How is he a hero? Claire wrote: "The horse Joey, in War Horse."

They're a bit juvenile but I still enjoy reading these books. I lost count of how many books there are in the series but most of them can be read out of order. I also own most of them still. Lol. If you're into cute medieval type adventures that center around mice and hares and badgers and the like (like me, hehe), you'll love these. I would definitely recommend them for young readers as well. My mom bought me Redwall when I was in fifth grade and I haven't stopped loving them since. =)

Never heard of these, thank you for the suggestions!! Lara wrote: "
They're a bit juvenile but I still enjoy reading these books. I lost count of how many books there are in the series but most of them can be read out of order. I also own..."

Jennifer wrote: "I've heard several people mention that book. What do you think of it and how is Joey portrayed? How is he a hero? Claire wrote: "The horse Joey, in War Horse.""


I haven't read the book War Horse yet. But man did I bawl my eyes out, pretty much sobbing at the theatre watching the movie that was based on the book.

The book can be put into this group of stories but it could also be a book about how people thinking horses were tools to use and discard as if they were not an animal with a soul.

From what I gathered from the movie; Joey is strong, brave and determined. He has all the characteristics of a true hero! And for what he went through and survived is unbelieveable. It's bringing me to tears just thinking about it.

Hopefully that helps you a bit in how Joey is protrayed

Thanks Tessa! Tessa wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "I've heard several people mention that book. What do you think of it and how is Joey portrayed? How is he a hero? Claire wrote: "The horse Joey, in War Horse.""


I haven't read t..."

Late reply I know! Joey is portrayed as very brave certainly and very tolerant. And he's also totally loyal. He will do just about anything to get back to his boy. He really is portrayed to me like a soldier, doing his duty, very noble. But aching to get back to his loved ones.

I just recently read "The Book of the Dun Cow" and it seems like a perfect addition to your list. The protagonist, a rooster, is one of the most likable 'hero' types I've seen in animal lit. :)

Most of Dean Koontz books.

Hi all

Just wanted to say hello and introduce myself. I am an author and animal lover. I write a light-hearted crime series set in India, featuring a baby elephant, for fans of The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency series. The first book in my series The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra is a Times Saturday bestseller, Waterstones Book Club selection and Amazon Best Debut pick. This 2015 hit introduces readers to Inspector Ashwin Chopra of the Mumbai police as he moves through the turbulent, colourful fabric of modern Indian society in search of a murderer, whilst simultaneously coming to grips with the surreal dilemma of caring for a one-year-old baby elephant that has been sent into his care. “Endearing and gripping” ~ The Sunday Times; “Colour and atmosphere flows out of every page” ~ The Daily Express; “Utterly charming” ~ The Guardian

Currently on 99p Kindle September 2016 offer



http://amzn.to/2celHwG

The Unexpected Inheritance of Inspector Chopra

Ive been writing all summer - busy working on the third in the series - but managing to read a lot too. Lot of domestic noir - most of which, sadly, isn't that good. But I just read the one that started it all - Gone Girl - and thought it was terrific. So definitely a recommend from me.

Vaseem, London

Hi,
I have just signed with Crowood Press (formerly J A Allen) for a newer larger and colout illustrated version of Plants Potions & Oils for Horses.... new version imaginatively titled Plants Potions Oils & More for Horses!!! It will be ut by early summer (UK time) 2017, perhaps a bit early to tell you all but hope you will give it a try when it comes out. Thanks Chris.

Here are a few very very famous ones that no-one seems to have mentioned:
Black Beauty Horse story
The Call of the Wild/White Fang Two dog stories
Life of Pi Tiger story
Singing Home the Whale Orca whale story
The Whale Rider whale story
Jennie beautiful cat story

The horse indirectly in the Rocket series books one Sting In The Tail just launched. The book is mine but the importance of the horse grows as the series continues. There is some, not excessive, adult content in the book.

Hello! I'm new to the group but it looks like one I will really enjoy. I hope it's acceptable to mention a book I wrote that fits into this thread perfectly. The book is about a well-known animal hero, a wolf named Journey. I imagine you've heard of him. He's the wolf that traveled thousands of miles on his own and was the first one in California for nearly a century. He's still out there and has a pack of his own now. If you are interested, my book is called Journey: The Amazing Story of OR-7, the Oregon Wolf that Made History. Available on Amazon, etc. https://www.amazon.com/Journey-Amazin...
I'm looking forward to being in this group!

Your book looks fascinating and I will certainly be taking a look at it. Thanks Chris

Chris wrote: "Your book looks fascinating and I will certainly be taking a look at it. Thanks Chris"

Thanks, Chris! One of my goals in writing this book was to share a personalized, although not anthropomorphic, viewpoint of the wolf with readers of all ages. My thoughts were that if readers form a connection with an animal and its kind they will be more invested in trying to protect them. And wolves need all the help they can get!

I agree having lived in Africa for a while in the past we need to help every species. I actually found a small pack of Ethiopian wolves on living just inside the border of Kenya.

Chris wrote: "I agree having lived in Africa for a while in the past we need to help every species. I actually found a small pack of Ethiopian wolves on living just inside the border of Kenya."

Wow, that's exciting! I've never seen an Ethiopian wolf.

There are only an estimated 650 left they are beautiful not as robust as say a timber wolf but persecuted just the same through ignorance

Not sure if this is the kind of book you mean but Seawind has a magical black cat

https://www.amazon.com/Seawind-M-Blac...

Tui wrote: "Here are a few very very famous ones that no-one seems to have mentioned:
Black Beauty Horse story
The Call of the Wild/White Fang Two dog stories
Life of Pi Ti..."
Good choices! I've read most of these. I didn't realize Whale Rider was a book. Sure enjoyed the movie.

Oh you could try seabuscuit and take a look at Enid Blyton if my memory does me well she a did a series called black bess about a sheepdog.

Chris wrote: "Hi,
I have just signed with Crowood Press (formerly J A Allen) for a newer larger and colout illustrated version of Plants Potions & Oils for Horses.... new version imaginatively titled Plants Poti..."

sounds like an awesome book!

Thank you you can see details on my website www.chrisdyerauthor.com. Don't forget to try the Black Bess series and Seabiscuit.

Jean Gill has a wonderful book written by Sirius, a Great Pyrenees. This is a serious book that has been noted as a book that all dog owners should read, as it emphasizes how important training your dog is. It is touching in oh-so-many ways. I couldn't put it down.

Oops. I failed to mention the name of Jean Gill's dog book: "Someone to Look Up to."

Hi,
Bit of shameless self promotion I am afraid but the Rocket series (Sting In The Tail, From Rocket With Love and soon to be released Storm Brewing have asort of flawed man and horse hero. Available on Amazon or at Monday Creek Publishing.com
Kind regards
Chris

I also enjoyed Fester the Cat, a memoir written by, who else? the cat.

Sorry for some shameless promotion, but any time I can give my horse, Gizmo, the credit he deserves, I'll jump in [grin]. He's certainly the hero of my book about our ride across America in 1974. He was a great horse, and I'm lucky to have had him as my friend for 22 years.

OK, since two of you have paved the way, I'll do my bit of shameless promotion and mention that I published "Lord Banjo the Royal Pooch" in 2017. My dog wrote this humorous book after discovering he was part Great Pyrenees and thus royal. I'm currently running a Goodreads giveaway.

Jennifer wrote: "Love and Ordinary CreaturesHelp me put together a list of books featuring animals as protagonists and/or heroes, like Love & Ordinary Creatures' Carusso!"
I think my book, "Joy Unleashed: The Story of Bella, the Unlikely Therapy Dog" could be a good addition to your list. She sure was a hero!

Hi,
Try the Rocket series as the horse is a flawed hero of sorts. It is an adult read though.

Hi, I’m Sharon. My young teenage daughter & I love novels with animals portrayed as the narrator, or main characters talked about, or do talk to other animals and /or humans!
We love Chicken soup for the soul from cats to dogs to pets, and horses we love them all & have read as many as we can find.
We love Seabuscuit, the horse and Black Beauty.
I love War Horse but she’s not old enough to enjoy the book beyond the sacrifices of the horses.
I enjoyed The Call of the Wild, White Fang.
I hated Life of PI.
I plan to read all the other novels mentioned in the above posts! Thanks for sharing!

I love Cozy mysteries especially cat ones!

I love Rita Mae Brown’s mystery series! I have read over 20 of them and one of the main characters is a corgi named T- Tucker and she and Simon the Possum that eats marshmallows are my favourite animals in the book even though their are main character cats & I love cats! The animals only talk to each other not to the human main characters in the novels.

I also love Shirley Rousseau Murphy’s Joe Grey Mystery series. His mate Dulcie is my favourite! The cats talk and are from a Celtic background but they don’t want there secret told. Its a very good mystery series too.

My animal rights ebook novel, Animaia - The Return, is now free for download on Smashwords. If you like it, review it and recommend it please. Thanks.
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...

i recommend this book
https://www.amazon.com/-/es/Noel-Moll...

Where the Trail Forks (Search and Rescue K9)
by Denise Sager (available on Amazon)

Milk Treading.

This book has a nice message and also features a hero we could all use today! Hope you can add it to your list of reading this spring. Sir William seeks the true meaning of the holidays and also decides to make positive change in his community. 25% of book sales will benefit NY Marine Rescue Center in Riverhead! Sir William's First Holiday Season

Dewey The Library Cat - by Vicki Myron is a really cute story
I also love...
Emma and I - by Sheila Hocken
plus all of James Herriot's books, of course
Love, Life, and Elephants - by Dame Daphne Sheldrick
Born Free - Joy Adamson
(all wonderful true stories)

I forgot to add "Jock of the Bushveld" by Sir Percy Fitzpatrick about a transport rider and his dog in South Africa in the 1800s or so - be sure to have a box of tissues handy for the ending though - it is a true and poignant story

Hi, I am looking for a fun book on dogs being funny, rescuing people and being dumb. I need some happy escapism. Thanks

My books of short stories about German Shepherds might meet some of your criteria - "Bonds of Affection" and "Ranger's First Call." All proceeds go to benefit rescues. Also "The DeathCats of Asa'ican and Other Tales of a Space-Vet" features my German Shepherds in a futuristic setting. If you like K-9 mysteries, the Albert Smith Culinary Capers by Steve Higgs featuring the dog Rex Harrison are light and fun.

One other book I don't see mentioned here is
A Stranger at Green Knowe
The hero is the gorilla Hanno. He has endured parallel experiences to a small boy called Ping. Both have been uprooted from their native jungles and brought to live on hard concrete in the UK. This is a novel for older children. I read it as an adult and was enthralled.
Both Ping and Hanno manage to eventually find a sympathetic environment to inhabit together and Hanno becomes an integral part of the mysterious ongoing fabric of the magical Green Knowe world. This is something you discover in later Green Knowe books where he reappears later in ghostly but terribly effective form.
This book teaches the reader to respect and understand gorillas in a way you might not have before.

Maybe read my books about those who dedicate their lives to care deeply about our fellow animal species?
I write about animals (mountain lions, wolfdogs and now dolphins), always hoping that gripping fictional stories can indirectly influence the reader to become advocates for protecting our wildlife. But I can't break through the clutter of millions of books about monsters, dystopia and romance. Would any of you be willing to read my latest novel Tom Berquist and if you like it and find it meaningful, help get the word out? I'd be happy to send you a free pdf for your iPad if you'd like. Thank you kindly for considering and caring. Tom/DD Berquist.



Somewhere Beyond the Sea: Two Hearts Bound and Torn by the Forces of Nature

I very much like both this books, light hearted mysteries for cat and dog lover. Hope you like them as much as I do:-). I very much recommend these two.

Athini and Wisteria’s Afternoon Tea Mystery Adventure


Athini and Wisteria’s Milan Catwalk Mystery Adventure by A.B. Milamalfi

Me wrote: "Hi, I am looking for a fun book on dogs being funny, rescuing people and being dumb. I need some happy escapism. Thanks"

You should check out the Colby Adventure series if you're looking for stories about dog antics. It's a fun read that amuses both children and adults.