Books about animals for young readers

One day, an elephant offers a baby a ride through the town, and the set off on a great adventure.

Glorious two-dimensional illustrations in soft sponge-prints bring the animals to life and encourage counting without the need for words. This is a book to treasure.

Sloth lives in the rainforest with pumas, bats, monkeys and many more animals. Sloth’s fellow creatures can’t understand why he is so quiet, so slow and so lazy.

Follow an adorable baby penguin and its parent as they search for the perfect place to sleep in this interactive, lift-the-flap board book. 

An all-time favourite that introduces different colours through simple text, presented in a satisfyingly repetitive pattern.

This hilarious rhyming story follows Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy, as he sets off for a walk in town

Follow the cartoon-style adventures of two monkeys. One of them has a banana and the other one wants it – but what is the magic word?

With its gruff hero, vibrant, strong colours, bold design and spare text, this story about looking beyond appearances has a satisfying punchy simplicity and jazzy feel.

A little fish has stolen an equally small bowler hat from a much bigger fish. Hiding himself in the weedsm, he is confident he won’t be discovered – but the big fish is on his trail…

Hairy Maclary is lucky enough to be given a big juicy bone by the butcher, Samuel Stone. This does not go unnoticed by all the other dogs who decide to follow him.

‘Do you want to be my friend?’ Asked just once, this simple question starts a little mouse’s journey through this almost wordless picture book, seeking the perfect companion.

Zoo keeper Bob McGew calls in poo expert Hector Glopp when an iguana poops a big lime green poo.

At the end of Edward Lear’s much loved poem, the happily married Owl and the Pussy-cat are dancing hand-in-hand on the edge of the sand… but what happened next?

A classic picture book with whimsical, textured illustrations exploring some basic philosophical questions and offering reassurance that it’s ok to follow your own path in life.

This is a lovely discussion book for children who have an interest in animals and the natural environment.

What really happened to the three little pigs and the big bad wolf? Find out the truth in this hilarious picture book.

Can Dapple the fawn help his mother? Will Olive the otter find her mother again? Two charming animal stories in one volume, with dyslexia-friendly font and gorgeous, soft illustrations. 

When Farmer Hogget wins a piglet at the fair, he is amazed that Fly, his sheep-dog, welcomes him as one of her own pups.