Wild Reads: Experts Share their Favorite Animal-Inspired Books
On behalf of all those regularly tickled by the animals seen on All Creatures Great and Small, MASTERPIECE asked a range of topical experts and influencers for their favorite fiction and nonfiction animal books. You’ll find a gorgeous graphic novel about an endangered species, a magical children’s classic, immersive memoirs, and more. Our hunch is that if you’re a creature lover, you’ll add at least one of these books to your current reading list!
- 1.
Apollo Publishers (2024) Book: The Vet at Noah’s Ark: Stories of Survival from an Inner-City Animal Hospital by Doug Mader
Recommended by: Dr. Andy Roark, MS
“Take James Herriot, put him in inner-city Los Angeles in the early 1990s, and have him work on snakes, lions, and birds instead of farm animals—that’s Doug Mader’s story,” says Roark, founder of the Uncharted Veterinary Conference. “Doug is among the nicest, most brilliant doctors I’ve had the good fortune of meeting in veterinary medicine. He’s both an expert in exotic animals AND a fantastic storyteller.”
[Roark is a veterinarian at Travelers Rest Animal Hospital in SC. Along with founding the Uncharted Veterinary Conference, he hosts the podcast, The Cone of Shame, all about life in Veterinary Medicine.]
- 2.
Lyons Press; New edition (2018) Book: Illumination in the Flatwoods by Joe Hutto
Recommended by: Fred Kaufman
“I’m sure you won’t recognize this title and the story is wholly unique, but this book was the basis for the Emmy® Award-winning PBS NATURE documentary, My Life as a Turkey,” says Fred Kaufman, executive producer of the natural history series. “Wildlife artist and naturalist Joe Hutto wrote about his experience as a wild turkey mother, raising the birds from birth to maturity through a process called imprinting. Once the baby turkeys hatched from their shell and saw Joe, they immediately bonded and wouldn’t leave his side. He learned their language, recognized individual personalities, and observed extraordinary behavior. Over the course of a year, there was one revelation after another, until an unexpected and dramatic ending reminded us of the unpredictably of nature.”
[Kaufman is Executive Producer, PBS NATURE. The documentary film series is a production of The WNET Group and has been honored with 21 Emmy Awards, three Peabody Awards, and the first honor ever given to a program by the Sierra Club.]
- 3.
Magnetic Press, Illustrated edition (2015) Book: Love: The Tiger by Frédéric Brrémaud and illustrated by Federico Bertolucci
Recommended by: John R. Platt
“I read a lot of books about wildlife, but few have moved me as deeply as this magnificently illustrated graphic novel,” says Platt, an award-winning environmental journalist. “Told entirely in watercolors, with not a word to be found, Love: The Tiger follows a day in the life of an aging tiger as he wanders the jungle, looking for prey and coming up empty-pawed at every step. ‘We wanted to show nature as it is—beautiful and cruel at the same time,’ Brrémaud told me. ‘It was a reaction to many documentaries that humanized animal behavior.’
“The natural world of the graphic novel is a bit of a fantasy—it depicts an untouched space that doesn’t exist in the world anymore, and the tiger encounters species from around the world, not just his own habitat—but the book carries a critical conservation message that has already helped in tiger-protection efforts around the world.”
[Platt is editor of The Revelator, a news and ideas initiative of the Center for Biological Diversity. His work has appeared in Scientific American, Audubon, and numerous other magazines and publications.]
- 4.
Scholastic, Inc. (1974) Book: Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
Recommended by: Marc Brown
“Charlotte’s Web is a little miracle of a book that I didn’t discover until I was sixty-six years old,” says Brown, the author/illustrator behind both the Arthur children’s books and animated series. “It draws you in immediately with one of the best opening lines of any book, ‘Where’s Papa going with that ax?’ E. B. White casts a spell on the reader as he unfolds this beautiful story of friendship and love. A perfect book about our imperfect world.”
[Brown’s Arthur books have sold over 65 million copies. The Arthur series on PBS Kids has been acknowledged with six Emmy® Awards.]
- 5.
Bay Back Books; Reprint edition (2001) Book: Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat
Recommended by: Sy Montgomery
“This book is among those that inspired me to embark on a career of studying and chronicling the lives of animals,” says naturalist and journalist Montgomery. “As a child, I loved his earlier account of life with his dog, Mutt, in The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be. His later and most famous title Never Cry Wolf affected me deeply. The book is a dramatic portrait of a scientist whose findings turn him into an activist on behalf of the animals he studied. Presented as nonfiction, later, some of his accounts were decried as untrue; but Mowat was true to matters of the heart. Like James Herriot, he lived the exhortation of St. Francis of Assisi: ‘Not to hurt our humble brethren is our first duty to them, but to stop there is not enough. We have a higher mission: to be of service to them whenever they require it.’”
[Montgomery is the author of over 30 books for adults and children. Her latest is Of Time and Turtles: Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell.]
- 6.
Crown; Reprint edition (2002) Book: Close to Shore by Micahel Capuzzo
Recommended by: Chris Poole
“I highly recommend this recounting of shark attacks on the New Jersey coast in the summer of 1916,” says Poole, better known as ‘Cat Man Chris’ to his 600K Facebook followers. “Not much was known about sharks 100+ years ago, and the book combines detailed historical descriptions along with great storytelling. To this day, nobody really knows what species of shark(s) were responsible for the spate of attacks both in the ocean and miles up the Matawan Creek, but they were the beginning of sharks’ bad reputation and also claimed to be inspiration for Peter Benchley’s Jaws.
“The book is unique in documenting a time in history when a creature that’s been around for millions of years suddenly becomes top of mind. I was so fascinated by this history that while in New Jersey at a cat convention, I had to visit the town, check out the location for myself, and pay respects to the victims.”
[Poole is a lover of wild and domesticated cats alike, owner of Facebook-famous kitties Cole and Marmalade, and passionate about cat rescue.]
- 7.
CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (2019) Book: White Fang by Jack London
Recommended by: Martin Kratt
“As a kid who loved animals, when I read White Fang, it gave me such an exciting glimpse into the lives of wild animals that I remember it to this day,” says Kratt, a zoologist and nature show host. “Written from the perspective of a wolf pup, the story shows the challenges of his life in the wild and with the impact of human activity. White Fang presented a way of seeing things from the animals’ viewpoint that fascinated and inspired me. Even today, as I go on adventures in the creature world, I look around and wonder what the animals are going through in their daily lives and with their struggle for survival in this ever-changing world.”
[Kratt, along with his brother Chris, is co-creator of the children’s TV series, Zaboomafoo and Wild Kratts on PBS Kids.]
- 8.
Penguin Publishing Group (2022) Book: Horse by Geraldine Brooks
Recommended by: PBS Books Readers Club
“In this fictional title weaving between three time periods, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author reimagines an actual history-making racehorse and the people around it,” says the new PBS Books Readers Club. “The true history is centered on the stallion Lexington, celebrated in the mid-1800s for its many victories on the track. The thoroughbred’s trainer was an enslaved man named Jarret, one of many Black horsemen of the period with a highly valued expertise, yet no personal agency. The story Brooks creates reveals the tender connection between the young man and the promising bay foal he nurtured. Despite the fear, uncertainty, and suffering Jarret endures, his bravery and love for his companion help Lexington become the most incredible racehorse you’ve never heard of.”
[The new PBS Books Readers Club made this animal-inspired title its premiere selection in January 2024. The Club is a digital-first series and online hub connecting book lovers to today’s most important authors and PBS personalities.]
