Animal Stories

When a new family moves onto Edgar Road, Alfie and George can't wait to welcome them - especially when they discover they have a cat, too! But when one little misunderstanding gets blown out of proportion, the street is suddenly at war! As the snow starts to fall, Alfie and George have their work cut out for them to bring the street back together. But can they use their festive spirit to reunite everyone in time for Christmas?  Book 5 of series.

Stories and animals have long travelled the same routes. Through our heritage of charming, quirky and profound tales, you will find yourself re-acquainted with Britain's wondrous fauna. Find out how hedgehog ended up with spines and what makes him scuttle so fast, discover how pigs saved a prince from leprosy and why the wealthy lord was so intent on capturing the black fox. Sharon Jacksties' wonderful book combines traditional stories, little-known zoological facts and true anecdotes to create a treasure trove of stories for animal lovers of every kind.

Set on Dartmoor, this is the story of a fox reared with a fox-hound, an unusual pairing who become friends against all the odds.

When Bertie's owner passes away, he has to learn the ways of a stray dog on the streets of war-torn London. Luckily he has the help of new friends both on two legs and four, but Bertie doesn't expect to find love again in the arms of one special little boy. When a second chance of happiness is threatened, Bertie knows he needs to do whatever he can to protect it, no matter what dangers lie in his path!

Bertie is all alone: his beloved sister and fellow beagle Molly has been adopted, leaving him behind. But when Bertie is taken in by the Green family, it seems he's finally found a place to call home. Yet he swiftly realises that the kind and loving Green family is in crisis. After a tragedy two years ago, they've never recovered - and as Christmas approaches, grief is pulling them apart.

Never has a four-legged friend been more in need - and brave, warm-hearted Bertie must rise to the challenge. Can he find Molly and bring the Green family back together again...all in time for Christmas Day?

Buster became famous after defending himself against a goose, which belonged to the Queen, in St James's Park. He discusses this in his diaries along with a dog's joy at owning a human.

In Yukon, Canada, during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush, strong sled dogs were in high demand. Buck is stolen from his comfortable home in California and sold into service as a sled dog in Alaska, where he is forced to fight to survive and dominate other dogs. Sold to a group of inexperienced gold hunters, he is eventually saved by John Thornton, with whom he forms a deep bond.

Edgar Road used to be full of people who barely said a word to one another. Then Alfie came along - a big, grey ball of fur who changed the lives of every family he met and brought a community together. But now a new family have moved into Edgar Road, and they, more than anyone else, need Alfie's help. Can he bring light to their darkest times? Or is it already too late to stop them from falling apart?  Book 2 of series.

In 1970 a special field-study by the Ministry of Agriculture suggests that the incidence of bovine TB can be blamed on badgers. An extermination policy becomes official and the badgers must move on in search of "Elysia" or die. Their journey is long and dangerous and many die on the way.

A book for dog lovers, this story is written in the form of letters from an older dog to a young pup advising the youngster on how to achieve a well-trained owner and a comfortable life.

A young puppy becomes separated from his mother and is left to struggle in the wild. He becomes wild himself, fighting off the hunting dogs and struggling to outwit the fox. Then a man befriends him and slowly begins to gain his trust.

Nelson is the one-eyed canine companion of Bill and Noggy and he acts as their guardian, accompanying them to the cinema and theatre. When his real owner, Uncle Gus, returns from sea, Nelson becomes the proud drinking companion of his master, which leads to the ensnaring of Uncle Gus by the officious local spinster.

Surprised to find himself reborn as a golden-haired puppy after a tragically short life as a stray mutt, Bailey's search for his new life's meaning leads him into the loving arms of eight-year-old Ethan. But this life as a family pet is not the end of Bailey's journey. Reborn as a puppy yet again, Bailey wonders - will he ever find his purpose?

A charming collection of stories about dogs.

This is the story of an incredible journey, filled with adventure, tragedy and love. Based on little-known true events of the Second World War, it tells the tale of a herd of elephants, used by a young English schoolteacher to rescue a band of orphans in Burma and transport them to the safety of India.

We meet Spin, a kitten rescued from the recycling bin, whose simple needs teach an anxious father how to parent his own human baby; a colony of wild cats on a holiday island shows a young boy not to stand in nature's way; a family is perplexed by their cat's devotion to their charismatic but uncaring father; a woman curses how her cat constantly visits her at night; and an elderly cat, Kota, hatches a plan to pass into the next world as a spirit so that he and his owner may be together for ever.

The story of a Skye terrier’s love for his master Auld Jock, a hill farmer. For fourteen years after Auld Jock‘s death little Bobby made his home near the old man s grave in the cemetery in Greyfriars Kirkyard. He was loved and cared for by the local people who were touched by the bond between the dog and his master.

This is a story of foxes. The ridgeback hound, Sabre, has a score to settle with a small red fox that once outwitted him. Meanwhile humans are coming closer to Trinity Wood, with bulldozers, guns and dogs.

Sarah Brown, niece of Velvet, the heroine of National Velvet, comes to England to live with her aunt after she is orphaned in a car accident. She discovers a talent for riding and, with her aunt’s encouragement, sets out to fulfil her ambition to ride for England in the Olympics and win gold.

This is a book about vulnerable animals and the humans who interact with them. And it's about us. Our pasts and our present, and the way we see the world. It's about the triumph of hope, our infinite capacities to endure and to love - and how we survive through the tales we tell.

Most of all it's a story of homecoming told through a gorilla called Einstein who comes to us with a remarkable secret. He can communicate with humans through sign language. Interviews With An Ape is a work of imaginative daring, written with a direct simplicity yet deep insight. A novel of beginnings and endings, destruction and restoration, its many voices will linger long in the memory and in the heart.

Kate's carelessness brings her trouble, but her friendship and love for a horse called January Queen leads to a new career.

The story of Peter Brown, a small boy who is changed into a stray cat and befriended by Jennie, a tabby, who teaches him how to cope in his new life.

Life is tough and cheerless for Billy Casper, a troubled teenager growing up in the small Yorkshire mining town of Barnsley. Treated as a failure at school, and unhappy at home, Billy discovers a new passion in life when he finds Kes, a kestrel hawk.

Billy identifies with her silent strength, and she inspires in him the trust and love that nothing else can, discovering through her the passion missing from his life.

Barry Hines' acclaimed novel continues to reach new generations of teenagers and adults with its powerful story of survival in a tough, joyless world.

The story of a child and a horse, who are both rather wild, but who come to an understanding of each other.

A wild and gripping novel about one woman's quest to reintroduce wolves to the Scottish Highlands at any cost

Inti Flynn arrives in the Scottish Highlands with fourteen grey wolves, a traumatised sister and fierce tenacity.

As a biologist, she knows the animals are the best hope for rewilding the ruined landscape and she cares little for local opposition. As a sister, she hopes the remote project will offer her twin, Aggie, a chance to heal after the horrific events that drove them both out of Alaska.

But violence dogs their footsteps and one night Inti stumbles over the body of a farmer. Unable to accept that her wolves could be responsible, she makes a reckless decision to protect them. But if the wolves didn't make the kill, then who did? And can she trust the man she is beginning to love when he becomes the main suspect?

Propulsive and unforgettable, Once There Were Wolves is the spellbinding story of a woman desperate to save her family, the wild animals and the natural world she loves, at any cost.

The story of Bob, the last and greatest of the Grey Dogs of Kenmuir and outright winner of the Shepherd's Trophy.

Novice vet, Paul Mitchell, relates some of the hilarious escapades he experiences while working at Prospect House Veterinary Hospital. Throughout his adventures, Paul is loyally supported by Beryl, the elderly one-eyed receptionist, and Lucy, the junior nurse - together with whom he shares this merry-go-round of mayhem.

Brought up by Brock the badger after being abandoned by his human parents, Nab undertakes the quest for the Faradawn, the three magical grains guarded by the Elflords of the Mountains, Forests, and Seas, which will help establish a new order of innocence and peace.

Redwall Abbey, tranquil home to a community of peace-loving mice, is threatened by the evil, one-eyed rat warlord Cluny the Scourge and his battle-hardened horde of predators.

Cluny is certain that Redwall will fall easily to his fearsome army but he hasn't bargained for the courage and strength of the Redwall mice and their loyal woodland friends...

In the Land of Sinna the fight for survival never ends and now there is a new threat, which menaces all the animals in the valley. Will they come together to save the valley and themselves?

The moving story of a young grey seal off the coast of Wales, showing how he gains his independence and some of the hardships he has to face, including finding his friend caught in a fisherman's net.

On the outskirts of Tokyo, in a neighbourhood crossed by a commuter railway, local cats weave their way through the lives and homes of their owners as they navigate difficult times. A cat named Chobi sends silent messages of courage to a young woman, willing her to end a faltering relationship; a gifted artist fatally misunderstands her boss's enthusiasm for her paintings; a manga fan shuts herself away after the death of her friend, while her cat Cookie hatches a plan to persuade her outside; a woman who has dedicated her life to a distant husband learns a lesson in independence from her cat. 

A book written, supposedly from a cat’s point of view, on how to train your humans and to manipulate them to do exactly as you want. A must for cat lovers!

This book marks a return to the world of rabbits. The tales include adventures of the mythical rabbit hero and stories about Hazel, Fiver and Bigwig.

The comfortable bachelor world of the River Bank is thrown into turmoil by the arrival of a formidable female character, who seems to win Toad's heart. His long-suffering companions Mole, Ratty and Badger must do all they can to save the infatuated Toad from himself.

This anthology features a selection of animal stories, bearing every trademark token of wit with which Saki has enthralled generations of readers. In the title story, a short-sighted dinner-party guest introduces a talking cat to the diners, inadvertently revealing gossip and pushing fickle characters into the limelight – in the process undermining the common perceptions of grandiose and genteel high society.