The Literary World Without Animals? I shutter to think.

Books that are also movies

Old Yeller by Fred Gipson and Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls? (Just the titles make me cry.)

Jack London’s, White Fang takes us on quite an emotional journey.

Based on L. Frank Baum’s book series, The Wizard of Oz was an annual Easter family event in our home. Toto, accompanying Dorothy on her journey, played a crucial part in Dorothy’s role. (“I’ll get you my pretty, and your little dog, too.”)

The Thin Man, a comedy mystery from 1934, was based on a novel by Dashiell Hammett, about a rich couple who solves crimes, occasionally with help of a Wire Fox Terrier.

Steven King’s Pet Cemetery included Winston Church.

Yes, yes. Of course, the Harry Potter series with its owls, three-headed dogs, hippogriff, cats, and a rat. Am I forgetting something?

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I’m drawn to books where animals are part of the plot, such as: (The following descriptions taken from https://Amazon.com)

All the White Spaces: A Novel by Alley Wilkes (2022) https://www.amazon.com/All-White-Spaces-Ally-Wilkes-ebook/dp/B09842JZSM/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3FGHEMN24O0XO&keywords=all+the+white+spaces+ally+wilkes&qid=1660521826&y

Something deadly and mysterious stalks the members of an isolated polar expedition in this haunting and spellbinding historical horror novel set in the wake of the First World War. I don’t know if I’ll be able to finish this one—the sled dogs!

Whiskers in the Dark by Rita Mae Brown (2019)

Death stalks the Blue Ridge Mountains as a centuries-old mystery resurfaces and murder mars the lead-up to an annual beagle competition, in a thrilling tale from Rita Mae Brown and her feline co-author Sneaky Pie Brown.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon (2004)

Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. And he hates the color yellow. The improbable story of Christopher’s quest as he investigates the suspicious death of a neighborhood dog makes for one of the most captivating, unusual, and widely heralded novels in recent years.

Zoo City by Lauren Beukes (2016)

 Set in a world where murderers and other criminals acquire magical animals that are mystically bonded to them.

Dog on It by Spencer Quinn (2009) (Series includes To Fetch a Thief and A Fistful of Collars)

Told from the perspective of a dog named Chet, it’s a light-hearted mystery about Chet and his down-on-his-luck owner, Bernie.

The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide (2014)

“…a lovely meditation on writing, mortality, pet/human connections and a peaceful life.

I am a Cat by Natsume Sōseki

Written in 1904-1906, this satirical novel is from the perspective of a stray cat who comments on Meiji society. It’s considered a classic in Japanese literature. “A nonchalant string of anecdotes and wisecracks, told by a fellow who doesn’t have a name, and has never caught a mouse, and isn’t much good for anything except watching human beings in action…” —The New Yorker

Visit Goodreads for books where the POV is that of an anthropomorphic voice, such as, My Otter Half by Michelle Schusterman 

What are your favorite fictional stories with animal-pet interactions?

Does the protagonist in your current WIP have an animal sidekick?