Animals, Animals, Animals!

6/23/2025

Children typically love picturebooks about animals. Animal characters can be very relatable, especially in fiction books with talking animals. Interestingly, animal fiction can reveal truths about us as humans, whereas nonfiction teaches truths about animals themselves. These 2025 fiction and nonfiction titles are worth a look to see what you can find out!

Fiction Books

The Bear Who Had Nothing to Wear. Jeanne Willis. Illus. by Brian Fitzgerald. (2025). Scallywag Press.
Albie is a teddy bear who refuses to be identified as any one thing. Albie does not want to be known as a "Him or a Her." The author refers to Albie as "he" throughout the story, but this does not detract from the hilarious ways that Albie chooses to express himself. He shows up as a baby, a cowboy, a butterfly, a prince, a pirate, a city bear, and a country bear, but none seem to fit. Finally, he opts to go around in his own fur, topped by a hat with a colorful hatband. His cries of "This is me!" invite readers to find their own authentic selves, not through what they wear but by acknowledging who they are on the inside. The story is told in ABAB rhyme that never seems forced. Fitzgerald's jubilant illustrations contribute to the fun, and the subtle rainbow colors on the hatband hint at the message that it is important to be proud of who you are. (PreK-Gr 2)

Goat is the G.O.A.T. Bea Birdsong. Illus. by Kelly Murphy. (2025). Nancy Paulsen Books.
Poor goat is confused when he overhears his farm friends refer to a prize bull as the G.O.A.T., the "greatest of all time." Goat thinks he must be the greatest, but he's not sure what he's so good at. He tries strength, speed, leadership, and other physical characteristics, but he just doesn't measure up to other animals. Just when he is beginning to think that he's not the greatest at anything, three kittens find themselves stuck in a tree, and it is only the goat who can save them. The message that everyone is great at something is clear, and children will laugh at the funny way that the goat misinterpreted the acronym for his name. While the characters/animals are all personified, they resemble actual animalsanimals, which helps the very real message of self-worth seem relatable. This book lends itself well to an introduction or study of acronyms. (PreK-Gr 2)

Grace Builds an <Almost-Perfect> Dog. Curtis Manley. Illus. by Tracy Subisak. (2025). Roaring Brook Press.
Grace is determined to have a dog, even though her parents have forbidden it. She decides that if she can't have a flesh-and-fur dog, she'll build a robotic one. While Grace successfully produces a dog that wags its tail, plays with her, and is easily trained with code she writes herself, she finds that the robot is too perfect. It is boring, and Grace realizes that a perfect pet isn't an ideal one. A subtle theme is that perfection isn't what it's cracked up to be. Her "perfect" dog was too predictable, and some flaws made it much more interesting. This is an important concept for children, especially those who strive to be the best all the time. The cartoon-styled illustrations work well in the story that uses coding directions to carry the plot linealong. At the end of the book, the author provides insight into the art of writing code for beginners. (Gr 3-5)

I Don't Wanna Hibernate! Anna Ouchchy. Illus. by Raahat Kaduji. (2025). Henry Holt and Company.
Parents and children alike will relate to this story about a little groundhog named Tess who isn't sleepy and doesn't want to hibernate. She exhausts her mother and father as they try everything they know to get her to bed. The parents finally give up, and little Tess is left to play alone until she finally drifts off to sleep on her own, nearly missing Groundhog Day. Ouchchy's whimsical, bouncy text in verse is fun to read aloud, and Kadjuji's watercolor illustrations beautifully depict the billowy snowflakes and pastel colors that should make any little groundhog sleepy. Readers are left to hope that Tess will learn her lesson and go to sleep on time next year. (PreK-Gr 2)

Otter Carries On. Maya Tatsukawa. (2025). Henry Holt and Company.
This book is a gem and a must-read for anyone who needs another lesson on the dangers of holding on to things they don't need, whether it's physical objects or emotional burdens that keep them from thriving. It's also a cautionary tale about the importance of accepting help when it is offered. Otter is a rock collector, which isn't a bad thing except that he has too many of them, and he insists on carrying them around his stomach while he floats on the water. This habit prohibits him from doing otter-ly things like caring for his fur and swimming. As a result, he is swept away by a storm when he refuses to drop his rocks, insisting that he can handle them while trying to swim to safety with the other otters. The dialogue is presented in conversation bubbles that complement the illustrations of sea life using subtle colors and textures to bring the characters to life. (PreK Up)

Scamp. Anden Wilder. (2025). Little, Brown and Company.
Children often identify with animals and sometimes identify as animals. The "Scamp" in this story is a young child who does just that, mimicking her black cat, Hector, and doing everything that he does. One day, she begins to find herself popping up on her two legs, using a spoon to eat, and taking a bath, all things that cats just don't do. This is concerning until Hector gets caught in a downpour of rain, and only Scamp can save him by standing up and using her hands to open a window so Hector can jump to safety. Wilder presents Scamp in striped pink pajamas and at no time depicts her with cat features save for her ear-like pigtails. This technique separates Scamp as a cat person without making her look at all like the cat she pretends to be. The story helps readers know that they can be themselves, whoever they are. (Gr K-4)

Nonfiction Book

Finding Home: Amazing Places Animals Live. Mike Unwin. llus. by Jenni Desmond. (2025). Bloomsbury Children's Books.
Home can be defined simply as a place to live, but this book makes the point that home is really a place where we can feel safe, even if we sometimes must leave a space to find a new safe home elsewhere. Unwin takes readers to the homes of twenty different animals and tells the story of where they live in engaging descriptions accompanied by Desmond's luminous and realistic illustrations. Each home is depicted on a double-paged spread with sidebars that go into further detail about the animals and where they live. The book is oversized, and the end pages include an explanation of Earth as our home, inviting readers to learn how to protect it and to keep each other safe. (Gr K-4)

Good Night Sea Otters Adam Gamble and Mark Jasper. Illus. by Katherine Blackmore. (2025). Random House.
This delightful board book is part of Random House's Good Night Our World series. It packs a lot of information into a small format made for young children's hands. Readers will learn about where and how otters live, who their friends are, what they eat, and how they sleep wrapped up in kelp, so they don't drift apart. Children will fall in love with these creatures whose faces and antics endear them to human beings. To appeal to children, the facts are embedded within a narrative about a little sea otter who says good night to everyone and everything around him. (PreK-2)

Pets. Xavier Deneux. (2025). Chronicle Books.
If you liked Pat the Bunny, you will love this board book from Chronicle Books' "TouchThinkLearn" series. With simple illustrations in vibrant colors, children are invited to interact with different kinds of pets through touch. The animals have child appeal, and little ones can trace over the outlines of the animals and feel the pets' textures while exploring how the pets interact with their environments. The entire series is full of motivating titles that will serve as foundational books for emerging readers who are beginning to develop critical concepts of print, such as left-to-right progression and how to identify the front and back of a book. Each book is both entertaining and educational and invites questions about the concepts that will lead to further reading. (PreK-K)

The Urban Owls: How Flaco and Friends Made the City Their Home. Christian Cooper. Illus. by Kristen Adam. (2025). Little, Brown and Company.
As the subtitle suggests, Urban Owls features the famous Flaco, who captivated New York City after he escaped the Central Park Zoo and made his home in the skyscrapers until he flew into a building one year after his escape. Cooper tells the stories of other notable urban owls, including the one who found herself moved from the country to the city when her tree home was chosen as the Christmas tree for Rockefeller Center. The text is not told in verse, but there is use of internal rhymes that are pleasing to the ear when read aloud, allowing for a more lyrical kind of performance. Adam's illustrations lend a magical tone, emphasizing the mysterious nature of owls and their surprising appearances when they allow themselves to be seen. The end notes provide information about different kinds of owls, how to look for owls, and how to take action to ensure that owl habitats are protected. Suggestions of other resources, books, and websites are located on the end pages at the back of the book. (PreK Up)

You Are a Wildlife Warrior!: Saving Animals & the Planet. Bindi Irwin and Smitri Prasadam-Halls. Illus. by Ramona Kaulitzki. (2025). Random House.
Wildlife warrior Steve Irwin's daughter, Bindi, is carrying on her father's work and passing it along to a new generation in this colorful book about saving animals. Her work in the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital is featured, and photographs of Bindi and her family are included at the end of the book. While the Wildlife Warriors organization works around the world, Irwin focuses on conservation organizations in Africa, Sumatra, and Australia. Although most readers in the United States may be unfamiliar with these places in the Southern hemisphere, Irwin's story with paintings of her and her daughter tending to animals' needs is general enough to appeal to readers everyanywhere. Tips for conserving the earth for animals right from your home will help readers feel that they, too, can be wildlife warriors anywhere they happen to be. (PreK-Gr 2)

Sue Corbin has taught all levels of education from K through graduate school. She is a fan of picturebooks that entertain and motivate children to love reading and learning.

0 Comments