If you have an animal, whether it be a dog, cat, horse, rabbit, or anything else, you can use literature to help you bond with your furry (or feathery, or scaly) friend. You can find books about your animal, or use literature to apply to your animal.

Naming Your Animal Using Literature

For example, “Call of the Wild” by Jack London, inspired many families to name their dogs “Buck.” The animal that we have does not at all resemble the one in the book. But we love him a lot. 

Another way around you can take the animal that you have and look for whatever literature look at the geography where your dog came from. For example, when we had an Australian Cattle Dog, we learned a lot about not only Australia food geography and climate because of the way that she was bred to live there happily. And that affected how she lived here in our home. One of our favorite read-aloud book is “Hank the Cowdog.”

Types of Literature You Can Use 

There are all sorts of books out there that can help you learn more about your animal and connect with them on a deeper level. Here are some examples: 

• Biographies- If you have a horse, for example, reading Black Beauty by Anna Sewell can give you a whole new perspective on what it’s like to be a horse. 
• Fiction- As mentioned before, Call of the Wild is a great example of this. It can help you see things from your animal’s point of view and understand them better. 
• Nonfiction- There are all sorts of nonfiction books out there about animals. You can learn about their history, ecology, physiology- anything! This type of book is great for if you want to learn more about why your animal acts the way they do. 
• Poetry- Poetry can be a great way to connect with your animal on an emotional level. If you have a dog who loves going on walks with you, reading poems about nature can help solidify that bond between the two of you.