Just another little girl who loved horses...

If "Animal Protagonist" is an LC Classification, I've really been missing out. Here goes!

Horses -
How about Blitz: the story of a horse? That really got me as a kid. And of course, Black Beauty and The Black Stallion. Oo, My Friend Flicka and Thunderhead! Very dramatic.

Dogs, Cats -
Incredible Journey makes me cry, ditto for Where the Red Fern Grows...Sounder. What about Lad of Sunnybank and other Terhune books about his goshdarn collies? Also, there's a long out-of-print book called Junket, about an airedale. Farley Mowat's The Dog Who Wouldn't Be. Maybe Steinbeck's Travels with Charley, though that's mostly about, you know, Steinbeck and America.

Pocket Pets -
Changed forever by Ms Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. Watership Down. A Squirrel of One's Own was a little disappointing. (Perhaps because squirrels make interesting-yet-uncontrollable pets?) I could really do with a narrative about sugar gliders, or jirds, or something else small, beady, and exotic.

Birds -
A Quail in the House. That Quail, Robert. I'm sure there's a book about a pet crow out there somewhere; I need it!

Forest Critters -
I still haven't read The Yearling, I'm afraid. But I did read Paddy: a naturalist's story of an orphan beaver over and over again. I've just discovered Raccoons are the Brightest People. Perhaps there's a book about fox cubs, or moose calves... There may even be a book about orphan otters, but I'm stilll looking.

Veterinarians Amuck -
Anyone aside from James Herriot? I did read a pleasantly surprising book called Zoo Vet not too long ago.

Any suggestions on this semi-embarrassing topic? It's all about the nostalgia, I think. And the strength of character it takes to read Lad of Sunnybank Farm on the train.

I don't actually like animal books very much, but I remember in elementary school we had to read different themes of books each month and one was an animal book. I read Silverwing, written about a bat, for the animal category and loved it! I even went on to read the rest of the trilogy which was just as good.

I don't care for books in which the animals actually talk, however I loved Jean Craighead George's non-fiction book "The tarantula in my purse : and 172 other wild pets." These are stories of her time spent as a wildlife rehabilitator - something I've wanted to do since childhood.

I've always been a sucker for talking animal books. And non-talking animal books, for that matter. Fiction or nonfiction, doesn't matter.

Current favorites include the Hermux Tantamoq series by Michael Hoeye, the Redwall series by Brian Jacques, and Susan Wittig Albert's Beatrix Potter mystery series.

As a child I loved all the Black Stallion books, and anything by Marguerite Henry. I read quite a few books about raccoons: Frosty, a raccoon to remember, Rascal, Where the Red Fern Grows. Pretty much everything by R. D. Lawrence, esp. the wolf books like Secret go the wolves, etc.

Watership Down, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, Charlotte's Web, A Cricket in Times Square -- I'm sure there are others I just can't remember. I read lots of books about people who rehabilitated and/or raised wild animals in their homes, anything about horses ...

More than half the books I always end up reading have either talking animals or the main character has an animal companion. (Horses mainly) My favorites so far;
The Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West and it's sequel Piper at the Gate. Its just like Watership Down but with horses.
Green Rider, Rider's First Call, and The High King's Tomb are all very good; about a messenger and her horse.
I am the Great Horse - The story of Alexander the Great told from his horse's point of view. Also Traveller, The Grey Horse, Three Hearts and Three Lions, Blood Red Horse, Sweet William: Memoir of Old Horse, Valorian, Dark Horse (Tsr Books), Dilvish, the Damned, The Prince of Ill-Luck, and Arrows of the Queen are all filled with horses. Sweet William and Traveller are just like Black Beauty.
Other than horse stories;
The Sight, and it's sequel Fell; are both very epic- about a pack of wolves. And, by the same author- Firebringer; another big epic about deer. Etc.=
Wolf Brother, Dogsong, Nemesis, East, Blood and Chocolate, The Wolf Experiments, Changer, A Companion the Wolves, Path of Fate, and Wabi: A Hero's Tale.

Also; I've just read my new all time favorite book- it's called Virginia Gentleman, by Mary Barnes. I can't find it listed on librarything but if you can find it, it's soooo good. About a girl and her horse.