News / Life / Clark County Life

Check It Out: Animal-themed autumn reading list fun for all ages

By Jan Johnston

Published: October 7, 2018, 6:05am

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As promised in last week’s column, I have put together an animal-friendly autumn reading list. The emphasis is on cute, so I’ve selected seven picture books and one nonfiction title. While the list was curated for a juvenile audience, each and every book can charm the pants off any adult. My cutie patootie reading plan is truly ageless, and I hope that anyone who loves bears, foxes, mice, deer, owls, bats, otters and squirrels will invite these adorable reads into their homes.

• “The Autumn Visitors,” by Karel Hayes. A family of bears experiences a variety of autumn adventures after they move into a New England cottage.

• “Fox Family Adventures,” by Bobbie Kalman. A kid-friendly introduction to foxes, this sweet and informative book is filled with fox facts, activities and photographs, centered around a very special red fox family.

• “Halloween Mice,” by Bethany Roberts. It’s time for Halloween, and the mice are ready to have tons of pumpkin fun when a sneaky cat threatens to ruin their plans. Newsflash: cats love mice, but mice do not love cats. Will Halloween turn out to be a party or a nightmare? Hmm — did I mention that these mice are quite clever?

• “Kate & Pippin,” by Martin Springett. Several years back, I devoted an entire column to this picture book. On a cuteness scale of 1 to 10, “Kate & Pippin” skyrockets to infinity and beyond, so I think it deserves another mention. Kate is a Great Dane and Pippin is a fawn, and this book is the heart-melting story of their real-life friendship.

• “Little Owl Lost,” by Chris Haughton. If you or your little ones have ever experienced separation anxiety, reading “Little Owl Lost” is one way to make everything better.

• “Littlebat’s Halloween Story,” by Diane Mayr. Personal bat phobia aside, I can say that this batty picture book is a real charmer. Littlebat, who lives in the attic of a library, really, truly wants to attend a library storytime. His mom, however, really, truly wants him to wait until the moment is just right for a story-loving bat. And that right time is … Well, you’ll just have to read Littlebat’s story to find out.

• “Otter Loves Halloween!” by Sam Garton. The otterly adorable story of an otter who loves to celebrate all things Halloween.

• “Squirrel’s Fall Search,” by Anita Loughrey. The squirrel in this charming picture book loves fall. Confession time: I think all squirrels love autumn. Harvesting tasty nuts, scampering through crunchy leaves — what bushy-tailed rodent doesn’t want to frolic during the rockin’ month of October? But if a squirrel forgets where those tasty nuts are stored, and the squirrel has a little brother, can he find the nuts before his sibling does?

Jan Johnston is the collection development coordinator for the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District. Email her at readingforfun@fvrl.org.

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