We love animal books. Kids love them. But sometimes you can have too much of a good thing. Are you tired of main characters who are dogs, cats, bears, bunnies, elephants, mice, dinosaurs, unicorns…?
Ready to read about animals that aren’t usually featured in picture books? Have we got some recommendations for you!
- Naked mole rat – Sweetie by Andrea Zuill. Sweetie is awkward, even for a naked mole rat, and her hobbies and interests aren’t mainstream. Can she find a friend who gets her? And maybe even likes to do the same things she does? A friendship tale featuring a lovably unique character.
- Sloth – Jasper and Ollie by Alex Willan. Jasper, a fox, is impetuous and quick. Ollie, a sloth, is thoughtful and s-l-o-w. This is a story of best friends who are complete opposites. And it’s hilarious. There is also a sequel: Jasper and Ollie Build a Fort.
- Platypus – Eee-Moo! by Annika Dunklee. When a lost platypus egg rolls into a farm and hatches, it thinks it’s an emu. Its animal friends decide to help Eee-Moo reunite with its fellow emus. A classic case of mistaken identity.
- Emu – Edward the Emu by Sheena Knowles. Edward decides he doesn’t want to be an emu anymore. So he travels through the zoo deciding which animal he would like to be. But what will he do when he finds out who replaced him in his enclosure? An entertaining rhyming story; the follow-up, Edwina the Emu, is just as funny.
- Prairie dog – The Great Fuzz Frenzy by Susan Stevens Crummel. When a tennis ball bounces into a prairie dog burrow, they are enamored with the bright green fuzz. A great fuzz frenzy erupts. Will the fight tear apart their happy little town? Verdict: more books need to feature these adorable rodents!
- Wombat – Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French. A dig-happy wombat with a serious craving for carrots disrupts a family’s life. Uproariously written from the wombat’s perspective. Originally published in Australia, there is an entire series to enjoy.
- Badger – Tidy by Emily Gravett. A rhyming tale about Pete, a badger who likes everything so neat that he brushes and bathes his fellow forest creatures and vacuums up falling leaves. He tidies up the forest until there is no forest left. Did he go a bit too far?
- Snail – Escargot by Dashka Slater. Who knew that snails could be so cute? Escargot is a charming snail (“Bonjour!”) who needs the reader’s help to get to the delicious salad at the end of the book. And maybe then the reader will decide that snails are their favorite animal? The first in a series of 3 books.
- Bats – Bats at the Library by Brian Lees. It’s Bat Night at the library, and bats swarm in to read and enjoy books … in their own bat ways, which of course includes mischief! A charming addition to the Bat Book series, which started with Bats at the Beach. All the Bat Books are delightful; this one happens to be my favorite.
- Pangolin – I am NOT a Penguin: A Pangolin’s Lament by Liz Wong. Poor pangolin keeps trying to explain who he is, but the other animals keep getting confused. He’s got scales … like a snake? A long tongue … like a frog? He can roll up in a ball … like an armadillo? What’s he got to do to make himself understood?
- Quokka – Don’t Hug the Quokka! by Daniel Errico. Quokka may be super cute, but he does NOT want a hug. An entertaining book about consent and respective personal boundaries featuring a lovable character.
This could easily be a longer list. There are more books featuring unusual animals: narwhals, llamas, yaks, aardvarks…
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