Animals

Ransome, Sims, and Jefferies were three astonishing chickens! So exceptional were they that they were to become a legend to future generations at Foxearth Farm. Not only could they fly out of the reach of foxes, but they found a way of defeating even the most crafty of attacks.

Harmony Parker thought animals much nicer than people, and saw everyone she knew as some non-human species. Her father, for example, was most definitely a bald-headed Sea Lion, her mother a tubby, fussy Pouter Pigeon, and her tiresome older sister a Siamese cat.

Sophie's cat, Tom, has surprised them all by producing four kittens. There are more animals to come in the year that Sophie hits six, finds a new farming ally, and makes a triumphant entrance into the sporting arena. A charming story about Sophie, her animals, and her life on the farm.

Farmer Tubbs takes a real shine to one particular pig, so much so that he can't bear to send him to market with the other young pigs. Soon Ace is befriended by the farmyard animals including Nanny the goat and Clarence, the cunning white cat. Together they help Ace to find his place in the farmhouse, ousting Megan, the farmer's aristocratic corgi, from her queenly seat - the best parlour char.

Lubber the dog and Squintum the cat join forces with a racing pigeon and a pretty young Irish setter to search for Lubber's home. All he can remember is that he lives in a cottage below a hillside on which is carved a white horse.

When Teresa Tamworth gives birth to only one female piglet in her litter, it causes a sensation among the animals at the Rare Breeds Survival Centre. Young Triffic's independent and boisterous ways soon arouse the disapproval of the others.

Smasher is always getting into trouble, whether it's chasing chickens, chewing up Mrs. Buzzard's slippers, or breaking all her china. Now she wants to get rid of him. Can Farmer Buzzard find a way to save him? Or is Smasher in the doghouse...for good?

Harry Holdsworth had never heard of his Great-Uncle George until he inherited the old man's most cherished possession: an African Grey parrot named Madison. Harry's first reaction was one of dismay. Who wants a big pet bird - one that could live for another 40 years?

Stand and deliver! Young Tod Golightly is off to find fame and fortune as a highwayman, with help from his four unlikely accomplices: Matilda the wise old donkey, Digby the mastiff, Loudmouth the magpie and a strong-smelling ferret called Evil. A daring robbery makes Tod the terror of the Great West Road, but the Bow Street Runners are hot on his trail...

The dodos are leading idyllic lives on an island in the Indian Ocean. The date was AD 1650 and soon there would be no dodos anywhere at all on earth. Beatrice and Bertie are happily planning their wedding bliss and thinking of all the dodolings they would produce, unaware of the dangers lurking offshore in the anchored ship.

Miss Slade is a recluse who lives in a caravan with lots of animals. A group of children befriend her and she begins to mingle again. After an accident the children's parents take her to hospital and her home is robbed with amazing results.

The story of a girl who tries to satisfy her yearning for a dog by introducing an imaginary Great Dane called Henry to the house. Her wish comes true and she is allowed a real Henry - but there's more than a hint that old Mrs Garrow, with her cackling laugh and black cat, may have been involved.

Bone and his sister, Squirrel, are stray dogs born in a shed. Left mother-less as puppies, the two dogs survive together for a while, but are soon wrenched apart, and Bone must now go on, alone.

Charlie is a boy who has suffered a terrible loss. And, as he's healing with the help of his dog, another tragedy occurs.

A puzzling photograph, a box filled with faded toy horses, and a single fractured memory are all that Maya has left of her mother. In Grandmother's house in California, she lives like a captive, tethered by Grandmother's rules: no talk of her mother, no friends, no foolishness of any kind...until a shocking event changes everything.

Gary Paulsen has owned dozens of unforgettable and amazing dogs. In each chapter he tells of one special dog, among them Cookie, the sled dog who saved his life; Snowball, the puppy he owned as a boy in the Philippines; Ike, his mysterious hunting companion; Dirk, the grim protector; and his true friend Josh, a brilliant border collie.