Good Places

“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.”
–  Anatole France, French novelist

Everything on a Horse

Hobbie, Holly. Everything but the Horse. New York: Little, Brown, 2010.
Holly and her family move to the country. They have cats and ducks, geese and chickens. They even have a dog.  But they do not have a horse.  And a horse is what Holly longs for when she wakes up on her birthday. Cheerful full-page illustrations help tell a heart-warming story based on the author’s childhood. [Birthdays; Country life; Farm life; Horses]

More stories based on recollections: HERE

I Want a Dog

Khalsa, Dayal Kaur. I Want a Dog. Toronto: Tundra Books, 2002, c1987.
May desperately wants a dog. But her parents will not get her one. So she gets a roller skate, ties it to a leash and sets off on a walk. Lively, full-page illustrations help tell this humorous story, the winner of various awards including the Governor General’s Award and Best Children’s Book of the Year, NYPL. [Dogs; Humorous stories; Imagination; Pets]

More stories with strong female protagonists: HERE

“It is good people who make good places.”
– Anna Sewell, Black Beauty