We’ve picked the best books for compassionate kids and parents alike. Check out our ultimate list of animal-friendly books below. You’re sure to love them!
Animal Rescue
With this interactive book, kids can become animal-rescuing heroes! Turn the transparent pages to move animals from bad situations to places where they’re happy and free.
Baa Humbug
In this book about being an individual, Baa Humbug is a sheep with a mind of his own. He doesn’t follow the herd, and he teaches us that it’s OK to be different.
Before You Were Mine
A little boy imagines what life was like for his new dog before he adopted him from an animal shelter. This book serves as a great reminder to treat animal companions with the respect that they deserve and to give them lots of love.
Benji Bean Sprout Doesn’t Eat Meat!
Benji “Bean Sprout” is just like any other boy, except for one thing: he doesn’t eat meat. Follow him as he visits interesting animals at an animal sanctuary and discovers why he’s a vegetarian.
Black Beauty
Black Beauty’s story begins when he’s a handsome, lively young horse without a care in the world, running and playing in the meadows with his mother and other horses. But his life changes when he’s sold to people who don’t always treat him kindly. Through his struggles and pain, we learn that horses – and all animals – deserve to be treated with kindness.
Blueberries for Sal
A human mother and her little girl go up the mountain to pick wild blueberries to preserve for the winter. At the same time, a bear mother and her little cub go up the other side of the mountain in search of blueberries to eat before winter comes. See what happens when the two mothers find that their little ones have changed places!
The Boy Who Loved All Living Things
This is an imaginary childhood journal of historical figure Albert Schweitzer, in which “he” tells how his animal friends taught him to be kind to all living beings.
The Boy Who Loved Broccoli
Baxter loves broccoli, and it gives him superpowers! He does good deeds and persuades other people to eat broccoli so that they can be superheroes, too.
Buddy Unchained
Buddy the dog was left chained outside without clean water or enough food. Follow his story, from when he was a sad “outdoor dog” to when he was adopted into a loving home.
A Change of Heart
This book tells the story of a young calf born on a factory farm. He’s taken away from his mother so that her milk can be given to humans – not her own baby! His story is a gentle reminder that cows – and all other animals – love their families and that the dairy industry ruins that family bond.
Charlie to the Rescue!
When Charlie the chicken learns that animal farms are dangerous places for the animals forced to live there, he’s determined to rescue his new friends at Bradley’s Farm – where they’re in danger of being killed so that humans can eat them. 💔 Follow him on his journey as he learns what he must do to keep his friends safe.
Charlotte’s Web
Charlotte’s Web is the most famous animal-friendly children’s book of all time. Wilbur the pig knows his life is at risk when he discovers that he’s supposed to become the farmer’s Christmas dinner. That is, until his friends – Fern the girl, Templeton the rat, and Charlotte the spider – decide to help him.
The Chicken Gave It to Me
Narrated by a chicken on a farm, this book explores why it’s wrong to use animals for food as well as the hopes that all living beings share.
Courageous Conner
This is a rhyming story about a calf who’s been taken away from his mum so that the milk that’s meant to feed him can be used by humans instead. This book helps kids understand that calves don’t want to be separated from their mums – just like they wouldn’t want to be separated from their own mum.
Dave Loves Chickens
Dave is a lovely monster from far, far away who doesn’t understand why humans eat animals.
The Day I Met a Little No-Fin
Follow the story of Phillip, a fish who lives in the ocean with his family and friends and gets scooped out of the ocean by a “thingamabob” and thrown into a water-filled bucket with a bunch of fish he doesn’t know. Already terrified of humans (or “no-fins”), he begins to fear them even more as a result of being captured by one. Later, he meets a little “no-fin” who helps him get home and shows him that not all humans are bad.
Elephants of Thailand: The Smiling Elephant
Children and adults alike can learn compassion and courage from elephants. This is a true story of how elephants in captivity suffer.
An Elephant’s Story
An Elephant’s Story is a tale of a young girl who has a magical connection with an elephant while visiting a sanctuary and realises that she can hear his thoughts. She hears that he was used to entertain people and give rides to tourists, and she learns why it’s important to have compassion for all animals.
Fiona Finds Love
Like so many other stray cats, Fiona faces the dangers of life outdoors on her own: speeding cars, sickness, hunger, and the cold. Will she beat the odds and find a better life for herself and her babies? Cats deserve our love and care – and they have so much of both to give back. This book will help readers understand why cats belong indoors and should never be forced to live a dangerous, lonely life outside.
The Great Pig Escape
During their long drive to the market, Bert and Ethel’s pigs mysteriously disappear. Kids can have fun finding them hidden in the pages that follow.
Gwen the Rescue Hen
Gwen has spent her whole life stuck in a cage, unable to do anything a hen likes to do, just so that humans can use her for her eggs. But when a tornado turns her world upside down, she and her new friend, Mateo, are both able to do all the fun things they want.
The Happy Tale of Two Cats
One cat is happy, with a loving human and a safe home. The other cat isn’t so happy – she’s often yelled at, just for being herself. Follow their journeys and find out how their paths cross. This book discusses how some cats suffer – and how to make sure kitty companions are happy and healthy.
Harmony on the Farm
Harmony loves spending time at her grandparents’ house. They have a lot of land with many different farmed animals. But while shopping for groceries after visiting them, she makes a connection between the animals who end up on her plate and the animal friends who live on her grandparents’ farm.
Hetty and Harriet
A young hen and her slightly older, wiser friend look for the perfect home.
Hobbes Goes Home
Hobbes Goes Home is the heart-warming true story of a little brown dachshund whose mother takes him to the local animal shelter to save him from unkind people. Read about Hobbes’ experiences at the shelter, his dreams of finding a new family, and the man who changes his life forever! Whether you’re a kid or just a kid at heart, you’ll love this book.
Hope: A Pig’s Tale
Hope, a young piglet born on a factory farm, is injured and left to die – until some kind folks come to her rescue. She’s taken to an animal sanctuary, where she gets to play and have fun.
How the Little Fox Saved Her Coat
This story is about a little fox who goes to town to tell children her story about the way foxes – like her and her family – are hunted for their fur. She is met with love and affection, and the children promise to protect her as well as other animals, like minks and rabbits, by never wearing fur. It’s the beginning of a long friendship and some positive action from humans to protect animals.
How to Eat a Rainbow
Find out how to make healthy treats, snacks, and drinks in this book of magical recipes.
How to Heal a Broken Wing
Everyone passes by an injured pigeon lying on the ground – except Will. He takes the bird home so that he and his mum can nurse him back to health and get him flying again.
Hubert the Pudge
Hubert is a pudge, and pudges can never grow up, because they’re sent to the abattoir and turned into ready meals and other greasy foods. He goes on a mission to save his fellow pudges and teach a farmer a lesson in compassion.
Hunter and His Dog
A hunter tries to teach his new dog to hunt ducks, but the dog doesn’t want to. Instead, he takes care of injured ducks. When the hunter learns what his pup is doing, he realises that hunting is wrong.
I’m a Supervegan
Meet Elizabeth, a compassionate, caring, kind, and brave supervegan. In this story, we learn that sometimes, like Elizabeth, we might be unsure of ourselves, but with the help of our family and friends, we can understand just how awesome we truly are and how super we are to animals by being vegan.
JJ the American Street Dog
Maya’s parents are about to buy her a dog when her uncle gives her one he found on the street. At first, her parents don’t want to take in the homeless pup – but they grow to love him and learn that rescuing dogs is a great thing to do.
The Lady and the Spider
A spider’s peaceful life on a lettuce leaf is disturbed when a woman picks it to eat. This story reminds us how much our actions can affect animals’ lives and the environment.
Lena of Vegitopia and the Mystery of the Missing Animals
Lena of Vegitopia and the Mystery of the Missing Animals is a fairy tale about one brave little girl who stands up for her animal friends and helps rescue them from being eaten.
Libby Finds Vegan Sanctuary
Libby, a turkey who is to be killed for a festive meal, finds her way to a sanctuary. There, she’s free to spend the rest of her life doing the things she loves – like being with her new friends and enjoying the sunshine.
The Littlest Things Give the Loveliest Hugs
Read about the sweetest bug hug, the cutest fox cuddle, and the gentlest elephant embrace you could ever imagine.
Love Me Gently
Love Me Gently is a kids’ guide to caring for canine companions. Learn about showing animals (especially dogs) love, compassion, and kindness. And read about the real-life problems a boy and his newly adopted puppy have – until they work them out together.
The Lucky Tale of Two Dogs
One dog has a happy and safe home, but another one isn’t so lucky. Follow these two pups’ journeys and find out how their paths cross. Learn about the not-so-lucky lives of unwanted dogs and discover ways to help dogs, such as by adopting them instead of buying them and by keeping them inside (never chained up).
The Magic Finger
The Gregg family loves to hunt, but the little girl who lives next door thinks hunting is horrible. After she pleads with the Greggs to stop but they refuse, the angry girl uses her magic finger to turn them into birds. Before they know it, they’re living in a nest – and their troubles have just begun.
Maverick and Me
This is the story of an abandoned puppy who’s found on the side of the road and taken to a pet supply store. Then, at an adoption event, he meets the new best friend of his dreams: a little girl named Scarlett.
Mitch Spinach and the Smell of Victory
Mitch Spinach receives a message: help the school principal find the missing key to the trophy case. Using his great sense of smell and vegan brainpower, Mitch solves the mystery of the lost key.
Mitch Spinach and the Tree House Intruder
Mitch Spinach gets a message from his sister, Molly: someone broke into their awesome tree house. Can the kids catch the intruder and help a classmate who’s being bullied at the same time?
N Is for Nutrition: Rhymes by the Alphabet
Discover all the healthy nutrients we can get by eating fruits, veggies, nuts, grains, herbs, and more! This rhyming alphabet book definitely has the power to persuade people to go vegan.
The Not-So Crazy Cow
Despite being treated with kindness in her homeland of India, a cow longs to explore the world, so she packs her bags and sails to Europe. When she gets there, she’s neither greeted nor shown the same kindness she was shown in India, and she starts to get homesick. This is a funny rhyming story, but it also presents an important question: who is crazy here – the cow or those who treat her as though her life doesn’t matter?
Our Farm
The animals of Farm Sanctuary write poems and rhymes about being rescued from factory farms and given a second chance at life.
Perfect the Pig
Because Perfect the Pig can fly, he’s kidnapped by a greedy entertainer, and his friend Olive must rescue him.
Plants Feed Me
In this book, you’ll find information about planting fruits, vegetables, and grains in a garden and what parts of the plants you can eat. Through its informative text and beautiful illustrations, this book shows how everyone can eat vegan.
Raju: The Elephant Who Cried
Kids of all ages will enjoy the story of Raju, the elephant who cried tears of joy as he was freed from a lifetime of captivity and hardship. This book shows what some elephants are forced to endure so that humans can use them for entertainment. Raju’s story helps us understand why we should have compassion for all animals.
Rosebud: A Princess … Finally!
This is the story of an abandoned dog who must run away from coyotes but who finally finds a loving home.
Santa’s First Vegan Christmas
During the festive season, read a story of love, peace, and compassion. Santa’s First Vegan Christmas suggests a different way to celebrate Christmas. It shows that Santa is kind to all animals as well as to all humans. This is the very first vegan children’s book about Christmas, and reading it may just become a new family tradition. Buy it, and colour in the activity sheet!
The Secret Life Of Mitch Spinach
Mitch Spinach seems to be an ordinary boy, but his classmates begin to suspect that something is different about him after they see him drinking mysterious smoothies made of fruits and veggies and reading notes written in code from his lunchbox. The truth is that his smoothies give him superpowers!
Sprig the Rescue Pig
Things aren’t looking good for Sprig, who is packed into a lorry with lots of other pigs. But with one big leap, he’s on an adventure to a place where pigs really shouldn’t be and to meet his new best friend, Rory. Both Sprig and Rory realise that pigs deserve to be in a large open space with others of their kind – at a sanctuary, where they can be free and get the care they deserve.
Steven the Vegan
Steven the Vegan helps kids explain to their friends why they eat vegan. On a school field trip to a local farm, Steven tells his friends why he sees animals as friends rather than food and shows them where their food comes from.
The Story of Ferdinand
Ferdinand is a peaceful bull who enjoys smelling the flowers and lying under a tree. Unfortunately, men who are looking for the “biggest, fattest, meanest bull” for the bullfights in Madrid think he’s exactly the one they want after they see him get upset about being stung by a bee!
The Super Crazy Cat Dance
In this fun tale, cats of all shapes, sizes, and colours fill a little girl’s world and inspire her to create a crazy dance.
The Super Duper Dog Park
Welcome to the Super Duper Dog Park, an awesome amusement park where dogs get to ride bikes, fly kites, and enjoy an unforgettable day.
That’s Not My Momma’s Milk
Meet all different types of animal mums and their babies and learn why each mum’s milk is for her own baby – not for humans.
That’s Why We Don’t Eat Animals
This book shows how animals live in nature compared to how those raised for food are treated on factory farms – helping us understand why eating animals is wrong. It also shows how to live without using animals and raises issues for kids and their parents to discuss together.
This Is Freedom: Rayna’s Story
Katy, a girl who loves seeing elephants in the circus, gets to meet an elephant named Rayna after a circus show one day. When Katy realises that the animal is chained up and covered with injuries from being struck over and over again so that she’ll perform tricks for the performances, she learns that a circus is no place for an elephant. She then makes it her mission to spread the word about the unhappy animal. With the help of a large community, Katy is able to set Rayna free.
This Is Me (Officer’s Pig Tales)
This story is about an outcast piglet who leaves the farm where he lives to find his real home – a place where he really belongs. He travels along a river, into a jungle, and across the ocean until he lands on the beaches of Florida. After exploring all that Florida has to offer on land, he decides to go for a swim in the ocean and is saved by someone he believes is a mermaid … but is she?
The Three Little Pigs Save the Earth
When a hungry wolf knocks on three happy vegan pigs’ door one day, a series of surprising events results in a peaceful vegan Earth.
Toro: A Calf’s Tale
Toro is a bull calf who makes an amazing escape from a factory farm. His story shows us that animals in the dairy industry live short and miserable lives.
The True Adventures of Esther the Wonder Pig
When Steve and Derek adopted a mini-pig named Esther, they had no idea that she would turn out to be not so small after all. When her new family saw just how big and wonderful she really was, they fell in love – and their lives changed forever. Follow the family on this real-life adventure!
A Turkey for Thanksgiving
Mr and Mrs Moose invite their animal friends for Thanksgiving, but Turkey doesn’t show up. What the terrified bird doesn’t realise is that they want him as their guest, not their dinner! He hides, and his friends try to find him.
‘Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving
The day before Thanksgiving, eight boys and girls take a field trip to a turkey farm and are shocked to find out that Farmer Nuggett plans to kill all the birds for Thanksgiving dinners.
An Unordinary Lion
One day, a lion hurts his leg while hunting for prey. While he’s lying there helplessly, he starts to look at other animals differently – taking note that many who eat only plants are still large, fast, and strong. Being hurt also helps him reconsider his way of life, and he begins to feel empathy for other living beings – and wants to make a big, compassionate change by going vegan.
Valen the Vegan Dinosaur
Valen is hungry but doesn’t know what to eat. Follow along as he asks all his plant-eating friends what they munch on – and finds out that he’s a vegan dinosaur!
Vegan Is Love
This book explains that being vegan means being kind and taking action for animals, including those used for experiments, entertainment, and food.
Vegan Lunch Box
With 130 vegan recipes and food suggestions, this is the perfect book to inspire you and your family to create great vegan lunches.
Vegan Lunch Box Around the World
This book features 125 vegan recipes and foods from around the world, providing ideas for even the fussiest eaters, and includes nutritional and allergy information.
Victor’s Picnic
When plant-eating animals share their food with Victor at a picnic, he enjoys lots of snacks and learns what to eat in order to stay healthy.
Victor, the Vegetarian
Victor wants to save his two lambs after he finds out that his father wants to eat them, so he runs away with them into the woods.
The Way I Love You
Enjoy the story of a girl and her dog in this adorable and super-easy read.
What’s In Your Lunch Box?
Sheeba encourages her friends at school to eat healthy, plant-based food, and she gets some help from a cosmic cow who explains how animals used for food suffer. The two teach the children to garden and to have compassion for animals everywhere.
When Anju Loved Being an Elephant
Growing up in the forest with her family on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, Anju loved being an elephant. That all changed when she was taken and sold to an American circus that forced her to spend years travelling around the country to entertain crowds.
Where Does Dinner Come From?
This book features a little girl who’s curious about where the food in her vegan meal comes from. Follow every ingredient from the table back to the farm, plant, or tree it came from. And if her dinner looks super-yummy, use the recipes in the back of the book to make the same meal with your family.
Who Cares About Animal Rights?
Want to learn more about the animal rights movement? This book explains why using animals for food, experiments, and other purposes is wrong.
Whose Coat?
Aurora wants to buy a coat, but she won’t buy one after the shop assistant tells her that the fur the coats are made of came from animals. The assistant says that the animals don’t need their fur any more. Aurora goes into the forest to find out if this is true and ends up teaching the assistant a lesson in animal rights.
The Wild Reveler
This book is for anyone who’s interested in wild horses. It’s about a herd of mustangs rescued by the Wild Reveler – and their fight to survive.
