The need to reduce the pressure on animal shelters and the rise of individuals and families fostering animals has gotten a lot more attention in recent years. And that has led to more animal fostering in books, both fiction and nonfiction. Are you ready to meet some animal rescue heroes, both fictional and real? Many of these are great reads if you or someone you know is curious about animal fostering or seriously considering it. And, of course, animal lovers will be instantly hooked as soon as they crack the covers.
Binky under Pressure (Binky, #3) by Ashley Spires
Binky is not a fan of the new foster cat, Gracie, that comes to visit his space station. He plots to get rid of her until he realizes she's there with a very important mission. (And in case you haven’t met Binky before, in the first book in this graphic novel series Binky found an application for F.U.R.S.T. (Felines of the Universe Ready for Space Travel) in the bottom of his kitty food. Since then he's been in intense training to become a licensed Space Cat. He's dedicated to fighting alien invaders (which humans call bugs) and exploring space (all areas outside of house), and protecting the house (aka space station) from alien invaders.)
Target Readers:
Graphic Novel Fans, Cat Lovers, Humor Fans, Reluctant Readers, Middle Grade Readers
Borrowing Bunnies: a Surprising True Tale of Fostering Rabbits by Cynthia Lord, photos by John Bald, ill. by Hazel Mitchell
Cynthia Lord shares her experience fostering two rabbits (and the surprise baby rabbits one of them gave birth to) until they were ready to go to their forever homes.
Target Readers:
Bunny Lovers, Animal Lovers, Families Considering Getting a Rabbit, Families Interested in Fostering, Nonfiction Fans, Picture Book Readers
A Boy Called Bat (A Boy Called Bat, #1) by Elana K. Arnold, ill. by Charles Santoso
Meet Bixby Alexander Tam (called BAT). Bat has autism, but he has learned how to function in public...mostly. He still has problems understanding emotions, and he still gets upset sometimes when things aren't a certain way. Readers will get to understand Bat better as they watch him care for, get attached to, and plot how to keep a baby skunk his veterinarian mother brings home. The skunk's mother was pregnant and killed in an accident, but Bat's mom was able to save the kit. It is super tiny when they first start to care for it, and a bit of work. But Bat loves animals. He loves to learn about them and knows all sorts of things about them. His mother says that after four weeks they'll need to give the kit to a rescue shelter, but Bat is bound and determined to find a way to keep the kit.
Target Readers:
Animal Lovers, Skunk Lovers, Autistic Character Fans, Biracial Character Fans, Wildlife Rehab Fans, Lower Grade Readers/Middle Grade Readers (this book is right on the border between the two interest levels)
Kitten Lady's Big Book of Little Kittens by Hannah Shaw
Hannah Shaw (aka the Kitten Lady) introduces kids to how she takes care of kittens through fostering. She gives a little overview of a kitten's growth and development, and some of their biggest needs. In the back of the book is further information about how kids can get involved in fostering with their families or helping those who do foster. Kitten Lady has another book for adults with LOTS of details on kitten fostering called Tiny But Mighty.
Target Readers:
Cat Lovers, Animal Lovers, Families Interested in Fostering, Nonfiction Fans, Curious Readers, Lower Grade Readers
Kitten Trouble (Bad Kitty, #12) by Nick Bruel
The neighborhood next door has some major unrest going on and Bad Kitty's family has decided to take in some of the kittens from there. Bad Kitty is not happy about this. She decides to go live with Uncle Murray instead, but a dream helps her gain a little more compassion for the displaced kittens.
Bruel has crafted a humorous Bad Kitty story about fostering with obvious parallels (well, at least obvious to adults) to the plights of refugees and displaced people. It's really quite clever. This is a very kid-friendly way to make the issues of displaced people understandable to kids and they'll have fun reading too.
Target Readers:
Cat Lovers, Animal Lovers, Those Looking for Approachable Refugee/Displaced People Stories for Kids, Graphic Novel Fans, Humor Fans, Lower Grade Readers
Moto and Me: My Year as a Wildcat’s Foster Mom by Suzi Eszterhas
While living on Masai Mara wildlife reserve in Kenya, wildlife photographer Suzi Eszterhas was asked by the rangers if she’d like to serve as a foster mom for a serval kitten hopelessly separated from its mother during a wildfire. The baby serval wouldn’t be a pet, the goal would be for her to raise the little wildcat to be able to live on its own in the wild. Suzi took on the task and tells readers how she raised Moto to be a wild serval, explaining about serval life along the way, and providing lots adorable photographs of Moto as he grew up with her. Suzi shares enough you get the picture that this wasn’t a job she took lightly, it was definitely demanding, though it had perks, and also that it involved a fair amount of research and knowledge to do well. It’s a realistic look into wildlife care as well as providing some great scientific info on servals, and lots of adorably cute photos.
Target Readers:
Animal Lovers, Those Studying African Animals, Photography Buffs, Wildlife Rehab Fans, Curious Readers, Those Suffering from a Lack of Cuteness in Their Lives, Curious Readers, Lower Grade Readers/Middle Grade Readers
Truman the Dog (My Furry Foster Family, #1) by Debbi Michiko Florence, ill. by Melanie Demmer
Kaita and her family are going to start fostering animals. The first foster animal they take care of is Truman. Truman is cute and Kaita soon learns to love him. But he can also cause trouble. Will they be able to find a forever family just right for Truman? There are currently 7 other books in this series featuring a wide array of animals that people can keep as pets.
Target Readers:
Animal Lovers, Contemporary Fiction Fans, Families Interested in Fostering, Asian American Character Fans, Lower Grade Readers
The Vanderbeekers to the Rescue (Vanderbeekers, #3) by Karina Yan Glaser
The Vanderbeekers' Mom finds out her baking business is going to be featured in a magazine and they have to get their brownstone ready for a photoshoot. They had great plans to get the sprucing up done well before the end of spring break shoot, but spring break is now here and not a drop of paint has been dabbed. The kids know they have to do something. While they try to find a cheap paint source, other issues rear their ugly heads. Issues in the form of a very grouchy health inspector who is ready to shut down their Mom's business as soon as he sees the family pets. The kids manage to get a 2nd inspection scheduled for the day before the photo shoot, but they have to figure out what to do with their pets by then. And then stray animals start showing up on their doorstep in a flood. How are they going to save Mom's business, spruce up the house, save these homeless animals, and survive the week?
Target Readers:
Feel Good Story Fans, Family Story Fans, Community Helping Story Fans, Contemporary Fiction Fans, NYC Area Setting Fans, Animal Lovers, Foodies, Middle Grade Readers
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