Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl
Thank you to P.S. I Love Books for submitting this theme.
Here are ten books about animal companions that are based on true stories. They make me wish I could have a pet!
1. Marley and Me: Life and Love With the World’s Worst Dog by John Grogan
2. Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron
3. Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl by Stacey O’Brien
4. A Lion Called Christian: The True Story of the Remarkable Bond Between Two Friends and a Lion
by Anthony Bourke
5. Modoc: The True Story of the Greatest Elephant That Ever Lived by Ralph Helfer
6. Justin Morgan Had a Horse by Marguerite Henry
7. A Seal Called Andre by Harry Goodridge
8. In Search of Lost Frogs: The Quest to Find the World’s Rarest Amphibians by Robin Moore
9. Mexican Mutts Tequila Pups & Chili Dogs: True Stories of the Dogs of Mexico by David Gordon Burke
10. The Big Squeal: A True Story About a Homeless Pig’s Search for Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness by Carol Alexander
Do you all have pets? What types of pets do you wish you could have?
I’m always especially curious about stories about people who form relationships with animals other than dogs and cats.
Same!
I’ve always wanted a goat, personally! Goats make great characters in books, too.
Here is my TTT: https://thissideofstoryland.blogspot.com/2025/05/top-ten-tuesday-books-with-animal-main.html
A goat would be a cool pet!
oh wow neat, based on real animals, loving this.
https://wordsandpeace.com/2025/05/27/top-ten-books-with-animals/
Thanks. 🙂
We do not have pets. I am allergic to cats and we have tried to have a dog, it just hasn’t worked out.
We have the same reason for not having pets!
I think Marley and Me would probably break me if I read it right now. Hitting way too close to home! You’ve shared such a variety of animals—I’m impressed! Great post 🙂
Aww, sending you a virtual hug if you want one.
I saw the Marley and Me film years ago! I always forget some of these movies are inspired by books. All I really remember about it is, the dog is SO cute. 😉 Thanks a bunch for visiting my list this week!
It’s adorable for sure!
Love that you found so many animal companion books based on true stories! We have a dog and I love her fiercely, but I’ve actually always been more of a cat person… unfortunately my husband’s allergic to cats so I’ll have to live through books about bookish cat companions 🙂
Thank you. Sorry to hear about your husband’s allergy!
I think I may have read the Morgan Horse book way back in the day? I remember that when we got our first horse (when I was in high school) I did a bunch of research into the various breeds, but it was long enough ago that I remember very little about what books I considered vs. which I actually read.
Oh, cool!
What did you think of Wesley the Owl and Me? I was going to list it and then decided to leave it off the list since I read my review of it and mentioned “No one in book club liked it.” Though I actually have a happy memory of that club meeting, so shouldn’t that count for points?
I haven’t actually had a chance to read it yet! But, yeah, that should totally count as points. 🙂
I’ve read/enjoyed 1-3 and 6. Nice list
Cool! And Thanks.
I love books that tell true stories.
Pam @ Read! Bake! Create!
https://readbakecreate.com/animal-farm-ten-books-with-animals-on-the-cover/
Same. 🙂
These all sound really sweet and heart-warming.
Thank you.
Aw I loved the Marley & Me movie but real life stories about dogs hit so hard that I tend to avoid them haha. I read Modoc when I was a kid and I remember really liking the book. In Search of Lost Frogs sounds really interesting :).
That’s understandable. 🙂
Marley and Me made me bawl my eyes out.
Same!
Love that these are all based on true stories.
🙂
Nice list! I haven’t read any of these, but I do remember hearing about Christian the lion and seeing a video about him. Here is our Top Ten Tuesday. Thank you!
Cool!