If you are a dog person you know that they hold a special place in your heart and family. We are dog people, and my kids will be quick to tell you how much they loves dogs which is why we read a lot of dog books. Over the years I’ve collected a long list of books about dogs that you can read to your dog lover or share with your preschool class. If you aren’t a dog lover maybe these books will change your mind! There are so many great books about dogs it was hard to limit the list, but I hope that you enjoy our favorite dog books.
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Individual Books About Dogs
Bark George by Jules Feiffer
Bark George is one of Little Bit’s favorite dog books; we have checked it out at the library many times. George is a puppy that does not bark but instead moos, quacks and makes other animal noises instead of barking. This is a silly and fun story that we have read over and over.
Doggone Dogs! by Karen Beaumont
Doggone Dogs is another favorite at our house. This is a zany and crazy story of a group of dogs that are out of control and on the run from their owner. The story has a great rhyming pattern and the illustrations are very silly.
A Perfect Place for Ted by Leila Rudge
The Perfect Place for Ted is a new favorite for Little Bit, she loves this sweet story of Ted who decides to find his perfect place. Ted tries several different places before finding the perfect place for him.
Snow Dog, Sand Dog by Linda Joy Singleton
Snow Dog, Sandy Dog is the story of Ally who wants a dog more than anything. The only problem is that Ally is allergic to dogs. So she creates dogs for every season to play with that she is not allergic to. Little Bit and I loved this book and how Ally used her imagination to create a dog out of snow, flowers, sand and leaves.
Gaston by Kelly DiPucchio
Gaston looks a little different from his mom and siblings, but he likes to do things the way they do. Gaston works hard to be a proper pooch; he sips, he yips, and he walks with grace. When Gaston meets a family of dogs that look just like him at the park he is not sure where he belongs.
What is Your Dog Doing? By Marilyn Singer
What is Your Dog Doing? Is a rhyming book that list all the things that your dog might be up to, “Dog shedding, dog sledding.” The illustrations are bright and colorful and filled with dogs.
Extraordinary Jane by Hannah E. Harrison
Extraordinary Jane is an ordinary dog who tries to fit into her extraordinary circus world. Little Bit and I enjoyed this story of a dog who wants to be special and unique but discovers that she is in her own way.
Homer by Elisha Cooper
Homer is a sweet dog who loves to lie on the porch and watch his family, owners, go and come. I love this sweet story of how the dog was happiest just staying on the porch while everyone came and went.
The Umbrella by Ingrid & Dieter Schubert
The Umbrella is a wordless story of a dog that finds an umbrella on a windy day and takes an amazing trip around the world. The illustrations for this book are beautiful and tell a fun story. I loved how different animals help the dog on his trip.
Pugs in a Bug by Carolyn Crimi
In Pug in a Bug a group of pugs takes a rhyming trip to a dog parade. This is a great book for rhyming and counting as the dogs all begin to pile into the bug.
Stick! By Andy Pritchett
Stick is the story of a dog that is looking for a friend to play stick with him. I love the colorful and simple illustrations and how the story is told with one or two words on each page.
Dog’s Colorful Day by Emma Dodd
Dog’s Colorful Day is a great book for little dog lovers to practice colors and counting. Throughout the day dog gets messier and messier and collects colorful spots on his fur.
Dog vs. Cat by Chris Gall
What happens when a cat and dog share a room? Get ready for Dog vs Cat. Little Bit loved this book and all the silly pranks they pull on each other.
Say Hello to Zorro! By Carter Goodrich
Say Hello to Zorro tells the story of Master Bud who has a set routine that is sent into a tail spin the day Zorro is brought home. I loved this story of two different dogs and how they learn to love each other.
Dog in Charge by K. L. Going
Dog in Charge is a story of the day Dog is left in charge of five troublesome cats. This is a silly story that has a twist ending, a fun read for sure.
Number One Sam by Greg Pizzoli
Sam in Number One Sam is a race dog that is always number one. What happens when he isn’t number one? This is a great book for reminding kids that even if you are not first you are still a winner.
Time For Bed, Fred! By Yasmeen Ismail
In Time For Bed, Fred it is bed time and Fred does everything but go to bed. Little Bit loves this story and all the messes that Fred makes on the way to bed.
Pick a Pup by Marsha Wilson Chall
In Pick a Pup Sam is picking a dog out and can’t wait to find the perfect one. The illustrations are sweet and the rhyming text make a great book for dog lovers.
Dog by Matthew Van Fleet
Dog is a great multi-concept book to teach your kids about everything from synonyms to opposites.
Doggies by Sandra Boynton
Bark and count along to your favorite pups in this adorable book Doggies.
Can I Be Your Dog? by Troy Cummings
In the heartwarming book Can I Be Your Dog?, you kids will love reading about how this adorable dog sends letters hoping to get adopted.
The Pigeon Wants a Puppy by Mo Willems
If your kids have been begging you for a dog, they’ll appreciate this funny story The Pigeon Wants a Puppy.
National Geographic Kids Look and Learn: Dogs by National Geographic Kids
This fun and interactive National Geographic Kids Look and Learn: Dogs is full of eye-catching photos and fun for your kids!
National Geographic Kids Everything Dogs by Becky Baines
If you are looking for the perfect book for your little dog lover, you can’t go wrong with National Geographic Kids Everything Dogs.
Dog Book Series
Charlie: the Ranch Dog by Ree Drummond – The book series about Charlie the Ranch Dog incudes many different adventures on the ranch where he lives. The books are based on the Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond’s dog.
Charlie the Ranch Dog: Charlie’s Snow Day
Charlie the Ranch Dog: Where’s the Bacon
Charlie the Ranch Dog: Charlie Goes to the Doctor
Charlie the Ranch Dog: Charlie Stuck in the Mud
Charlie the Ranch Dog: Charlie’s New Friend
Charlie and the Christmas Kitty
Marley by John Grogan – Marley is a lovable and wild dog that is always on the go. The Marley books are fun to read and there are books themed for different holidays.
Marley and the Great Easter Egg Hunt
Marley the Dog Who Ate My Homework
Marley: A Thanksgiving to Remember
Marley and the Run Away Pumpkin
And many more!!
Carl by Alexandra Day – Carl is a sweet dog series that has beautiful pictures. This is a great series for little ones who have a dog that is their best friend. Carl’s Birthday was featured on our Birthday book list.
Dog Loves…. by Louise Yates – Dog Loves series includes three books about counting, books and drawing. Dog Loves to Draw was featured on our Art: Drawing and Painting book list.
LaRue by Mark Teague – LaRue books are told through letters that LaRue writes about his adventures. The books are very funny, creative and great for talking about letter writing.
Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters from Obedience School
Detective LaRue: Letters from the Investigation
LaRue Across America: Postcards from the Vacation
Harry by Gene Zion – Harry is a classic series that takes Harry to different places and on different adventures. The book series is listed below.
I hope that you found a few new dog books. What is a favorite dog book that you enjoy?
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Save time and get right to the playful learning with our printable lesson plan sets. Each set includes over 30 playful learning activities related to the theme, and we’ve provided different versions for home preschool families and classroom teachers so all activities are geared directly toward your needs.
This set includes active hands-on learning ideas and the following printables:
1) Small Pets Number Cards (0-35)-4 sets with different animal options for math and calendar activities.
2) Large Pets Number Cards (1-10)
3) Pet Picture Cards
4) Pet Picture and Word Cards
5) Pet or Wild Animal Sorting Mat and Cards
6) Pet Letter Puzzles
7) Pet Roll and Graph Mats and Cubes (2 versions in both color and black and white)
8) I Have a Pet Emergent Reader (3 versions)
9) Feed Your Pet Math Game (3 game boards in color and black and white, 6 game cube variations for differentiation)
10) Sight Word Squawk Word Cards
11) Pet Theme Color Matching Activity Mats and Game Pieces
12) Beginning Sound Sort (/a/, /p/, /e/, /t/)
13) Shape Pet Food Sorting Mats
GET YOUR LESSON PLANS
Also available on Teachers Pay Teachers.
More Resources for Little Book Lovers
The best way to encourage a love of reading is to provide kids with many opportunities to engage with a wide variety of books that are of interest to them. That’s why we share so many books lists on Fantastic Fun and Learning. We want to make it easy for you to find great books your kids will love. Over the years we’ve also discovered some helpful tools for connecting kids and books.
Digital libraries are one very handy way to do this. Epic! is one of our favorite online libraries. It’s full of over 25,000 books, learning videos, quizzes and more for kids 12 and under…and it’s free for educators. Click here to learn more and sign up.
Book Boxes are another fun way to get kids excited about reading. What kid doesn’t love to get a special delivery in the mail?! The crew over at Bookroo finds the best little known books that you won’t already have in your library, and they send them to you each month. Take a peak inside a Bookroo Box here.
Book-Based Activities are also a lot of fun for kids. Jodie over at Growing Book by Book has saved us all a ton of time and created a full year of Book-Based Activity Calendars so that you can extend the fun with a special book each week.
Amy Porter
My son loves books about dogs after we recently adopted a chocolate lab from our local shelter! I also enjoy reading them with him. I have to recommend a book *second in the series* about Michael and his dog, Doug. It’s called “D-Pug in New York” by Janie Nugent. The book has fantastic illustrations and really promotes the importance of friendship, teamwork and community. It’s a really special series and I think it would fit in very well with this list.
Shaunna
Amy,
Thanks for sharing your suggestion with us!
Regards,
Shaunna