Reddit mentions: The best children dog books

The library is a great resource for books to educate young children about animals, especially dogs and cats. I work with dogs and cats and it is really scary to see how some kids who are afraid of animals react when they are afraid (screaming, crying, running) which only excites the animal further, encouraging the behaviors that the child is so afraid of. I like this book to explain how to act around strange dogs, but there are so many that are great!

Maybe consider getting her a stuffed kitty (bonus points if it looks like yours!) and having her 'take care' of it? My daughter is also 4 and she has a robotic kitty that purrs and moves, something like that could help ease her into the idea.

Do you clip your cats nails? That would maybe ease her mind a bit. I also sometimes advise my clients about Soft Paws, they are little nail caps that you can get in fun colors that slide over the nail and either eventually fall off when the adhesive wears down, or you simply clip them off. A lot of groomers will do them for a pretty minimal fee. She may feel more comfortable knowing that there is no possible way for the kitties to scratch her.

Of course a therapist would also be beneficial, to find out what is causing the fear and to help her work through it.

Some help:

Maybe Yes, Maybe No (LINK)

by Dan Barker

In today's media-flooded world, there is no way to control all of the information, claims, and enticements that reach young people. The best thing to do is arm them with the sword of critical thinking.

Maybe Yes, Maybe No is a charming introduction to self-confidence and self-reliance. The book's ten-year-old heroine, Andrea, is always asking questions because she knows "you should prove the truth of a strange story before you believe it."

"Check it out. Repeat the experiment. Try to prove it wrong. It has to make sense." writes Barker, as he assures young readers that they are fully capable of figuring out what to believe, and of knowing when there just isn't enough information to decide. "You can do it your own way. If you are a good skeptic you will know how to think for yourself."

Another book is "Me & Dog" by Gene Weingarten.

And Born With a Bang: The Universe Tells Our Cosmic Story : Books 1, 2, 3

Here Comes Science CD + DVD

The Magic of Reality by Richard Dawkins

Bang! How We Came to Be by Michael Rubino.

Grandmother Fish: A Child's First Book of Evolution
Grandmother Fish, free in PDF form online

Also:

Greek Myths – by Marcia Williams

Ancient Egypt: Tales of Gods and Pharaohs – by Marcia Williams

God and His Creations – by Marcia Williams

"I Wonder" by Annaka Harris

"From Stardust to You: An Illustrated Guide to The Big Bang" by Luciano Reni

"Meet Bacteria!" by Rebecca Bielawski

See also Highlights for Children - this has materials for younger children.

Atheism books for children by Courtney Lynn

"It Is Ok To Be A Godless Me", "I'm An Atheist and That's Ok", "I'm a Freethinker", "Please Don't Bully Me" and "I'm a Little Thinker" etc.

Courtney Lynn has a couple more for grown ups as well.

Grandmother Fish, free in PDF form online

A child's first book of evolution.

15 Holiday Gift Ideas for Secular Families

Bedtime Bible Stories by Joey Lee Kirkman - for mature teens only

Coming up: TINY THINKERS is a series of books introducing popular scientists to children, by telling their stories as if the scientists themselves were kids!

I devoured the Magic Treehouse series when I was younger. I thought it was so great that they went to all these cool places (and they were very easy to read chapter books, so I flew through them!) :)

Edit: I ran a Reading Buddies program at the local library and a couple of our younger readers really liked them because the writing style is simple, but interesting. There are new words, but nothing terribly difficult and since the main characters are the same throughout, it's easy to follow :)


In terms of other books, I thought all of these were great:

1. Dr Seuss
   
2. Shel Silverstein
   
3. Alexander
   
4. Amelia Bedelia
   
5. Frog and Toad
   
6. Henry and Mudge
   
7. Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus
   
   Those were all pretty popular with my kids (and with me)! :)

I loved these giant bricks so much at that age! Superfun for basic stacking as well as advance building.

Should probably wait a bit on this one, but Cootie is the best game ever for the preK & K crowd. Another classic game is Memory.

Have some construction paper, brown paper bags (I cut the bottoms off, then down one seam and use the backside as kraft paper), markers, and crayons. Even the 2 year old can rip paper up and stick it to contact paper to make fun collages! Bonus, no need for scissors!

And please don't forget books! Board might be best for the little girl, but if she's not an eater/tearer, then go ahead and get paper or hard backs. Rikki Tikki Tembo, a Seuss collection, Where's Spot, some Eric Carle, Carl, Richard Scarry, Jamberry, and some Little Golden Books ought to be a good start! Protip: Thrift shops have tons of books for kids in great condition.

Not Afraid of Dogs might be very relevant, about a boy who overcomes his fear of dogs when he discovers a visiting dog is afraid of thunderstorms.

Little Dog Lost is a sweet book based on a true story of a dog's rescue at sea, with a very happy ending!

Good Dog, Carl is an almost wordless story told in beautiful illustrations about a dog left in charge of the baby while the mom goes out, and all the mischief they get into together. The dog is a big rottweiler, so the depictions of his gentle interaction with the baby might be especially helpful. There are also a bunch of sequels (Carl Goes Shopping, Carl's Birthday, etc).

Officer Buckle and Gloria is a hilarious story about a police officer whose safety talks are made entertaining by the silly antics of his police dog (not portrayed as scary at all).

Martha Speaks is a classic, about a talking dog who saves the day (if rather unrealistically!). I believe there have been a few sequels written as well.

Excellent Ed is another very silly story about a dog trying to figure out what he does best.

In terms of early readers, the Biscuit series features the adventures of a cute puppy, and there are TONS of them. Henry and Mudge also features a dog, at a slightly higher reading level.

If you're looking for true stories told in photos, Tuesday Tucks Me In is told from the perspective of a service dog to an Iraq veteran, and Tarra and Bella is a true story about a dog who befriends a lonely elephant.

May I Pet Your Dog is a great book that teaches kids how to safely meet a new dog (holding out your hand to sniff, etc). Probably not the best to start with, since it does mention unfriendly dogs and what to do if you encounter them, but once you work up to meeting some dogs this might be helpful.

Lastly, though it's not about dogs specifically, Fraidy Zoo is a fun book about a girl who is afraid of the animals at the zoo and how her family creatively helps her overcome her fears!

I LOVE MY BABY! She is the light of my life, the hardest job I have ever had, but by far the most rewarding. Every time we go to the library she runs to the Clifford the big red dog doll, its huge, I wanted to get her one but they are pricey so I would like to get her the books to have for keeps, like this one. She is almost 16 months and this is such a fun age! Thanks for the contest :)

>I don't read them much anymore we just go through the books naming off what things are.

Friendly advice: Read the stories more often. She'll eventually get bored with the noun game. If she primarily sees books as just a series of pictures, rather than a coherent story, she might lose her love of books when she outgrows the noun game. Your best bet is to mix the nouns in with a regular storytelling. Read a few pages, point out a random noun, read a few more, etc. You can do it with any book, but some are particularly good for this type of reading.

>She loves everything to do with dogs and it's her favorite word to say, so we go through a lot of her books finding all of the dogs.

Great book. Just trust me:
http://www.amazon.com/Digging-Est-Dog-Beginner-Books/dp/0394800478

A book (or a few books) are nice. You could go with some traditional story books, or learning books. My daughter loves looking at books. These are some of her favorites:

http://www.amazon.com/First-100-Words-Bright-Baby/dp/B000F7BPCU/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312305286&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Animal-Book-casebound-Board-Books/dp/0312511078/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312305354&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Biscuit-Alyssa-Satin-Capucilli/dp/0064442128/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312305382&sr=1-7
(there are lots of "Biscuit" books, this is just one)

Another suggesting is LeapFrog's Violet. It's a toy (I know your bro said no toys), but I have to tell you that my daughter LOVES Violet. You can program her to know your niece's name and say it and sing songs with her name in it. You can change the songs that are played, Violet's "favorite" colors, foods, etc to match with whatever your niece is into at the time and so much more. My daughter (22 months) goes through phases where she's literally attached at the hip with the thing. Here's a link: http://www.amazon.com/LeapFrog-19157-My-Pal-Violet/dp/B001W35I8I/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312305595&sr=1-1

Another idea is to get one of those Hallmark recordable books and record yourself reading a story to your niece. I did that for my daughter's 1st birthday (there's a little dedication section too) and my husband did one for Christmas. Here's another link: http://www.hallmark.com/online/in-stores/storybooks/recordable-storybooks/

All of these things are $30 and under, so hopefully you can find something to fit your budget. :)

Brown Bear is our bedtime book - J kisses all of the children when we get to that page (well it's an open mouth "ahhhhhh" slime). We tapped along to the rhythm to keep him interested when he was little and still does this :) And I like llama llama red pajama (but none of the other books in the series). What A Wonderful World is also pretty.

If you have a dog, this book is awesome: https://www.amazon.com/Color-Dog-Matthew-Van-Fleet/dp/1481449869

I gifted DoodlesAndSuch cuz I loved the stuff on their wish list and stole some for my own. Which leads to stocking stuffer: stickers! Those are doggy stickers (who doesn't want doggy stickers?!) but they have lots of them for under $2! I'm keen to the art ones cuz they're such a great way to introduce kids to art :)

I've been here about 1 monthish?? Sorry, I'm terrible with time, lol.

I think everyone can relate to your 10 year old.

I find wonder and beauty in that, everything is cycles. We are part of something (many things) bigger than us. From the water cycle to the microbiome. We just don't understand the web of these relationships. I find some meaning in trying.

Can you design a mostly closed loop fish tank or terrarium? Ferment or bake things to eat?
We don't understand the life in a square inch of soil.

This book is great,but maybe too young for her:

https://www.amazon.com/Me-Dog-Gene-Weingarten/dp/1442494131?SubscriptionId=AKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q&tag=duckduckgo-d-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=1442494131

Physicist funeral:

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=you+want+a+physicist+to+speak+at+your+funeral&atb=v107-1ma&tappv=android_5_1_0&t=ddg_android&iax=images&ia=images

There is only ever the meaning we create. Something is only sacred if you make it so.

I've been trying to come up with my own "sacred" traditions.

I see real value in different states of mind. I think they are even easier to achieve with honesty instead of dogma; large groups, drums, etc.

All hail Discordia

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discordianism

All life as we know it so far is based on one operating system and consciousness is a poorly rendered hallucination of reality.
We've started talking about entropy whenever my son says "forever". In a few years I hope he'll grok.

Now that I don't drink Cosmos/Carl Sagan Mr. Rodgers and the ISS live feed make me feel better.

I absolutely loved The Firebringer Trilogy. I rarely see it and nobody knows what I'm talking about when I mention it.

Another book series I absolutely love is The Gateway Trilogy. It's hard to find these books and the third one isn't out yet, but I am waiting patiently.

This third trilogy is one I used to hear a lot about, but recently I've noticed people have either completely forgotten or don't know what I'm talking about. Protector of the Small. I love this series so much and love other series by Tamora Pierce. I am really surprised these books didn't get more popular. I could read her books all day.

I think this is a great contest. Thanks for doing it! I get back into the Christmas spirit when I hang out with my god-children. They are both under 5 years old and it's always fun to see, and be reminded of, the wonder of Christmas through their eyes. So, I would love to get a Christmas book to read to them and then gift them! Plus it's under $2.50!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/054521596X/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=Q9VL1TD6CI1O&coliid=I1LRUVBHLW3NP

Hmm...books I liked as a kid...well, apparently they tended to involve animals, and mostly realistically drawn ones. Here's a few:

Good Dog, Carl.

Stellaluna.

The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses.

Fritz and the Beautiful Horses. I liked horses, what can I say.

How to Hide an Octopus. This one is fun because it shows you each animal and then you have to find it camouflaged in the environment. Very colorful, light on words, if I remember correctly.

The Story of Jumping Mouse. This one had just the slightest amount of creepy. But it was just the right amount I could handle, and it made the book kind of intriguing? I believe it's based on a Native American folk story.

Have her meet some nice well-behaved Rotties, they are such sweethearts. Does she know that they were originally a cattle-herding breed and not an "attack dog" breed? Just like a nice collie or corgi.

You can always break out the big guns.

When you look into those soulful, confident, big brown eyes and wonder if the dog is smarter than most people, the answer is yes, trust it's judgment.
Don't let that dog baby sit ever.
https://www.amazon.com/Good-Dog-Carl-Classic-Board/dp/0689807481#reader_0689807481

Where the Sidewalk Ends was one of my favorite books as a kid. I wish I still had it, I've never been able to find it for my kids. My mom sold my copy on a yard sale once when I was a teenager because I'd apparently outgrown it :( It's on my kids' Book Wishes wishlist!

Some of my kids' favorites are Frog and Toad, Clifford the Big Red Dog and anything by Dr. Suess :)

[Under $4] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0312510780/ref=aw_ls__6?colid=2AM7TAQQA7P2I&coliid=I35U7SHGRVNUKV)

[Under $3] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0307021343/ref=aw_ls__5?colid=2AM7TAQQA7P2I&coliid=I1XA4R3BFFGRLS)

I don't have anything under $2 except for digital, which I CANNOT SEE THE PRICE OF ON MOBILE because Amazon hates me.

These are both books for my niece. I want her to be a reader like me. So far, she LOVES books.

Thanks for the contest!!

Carl is a very good dog.

Lol no it's a series of kids books where the only words are "take care of the baby while we're out" at the beginning then "Good dog, Carl" at the end. I always thought they were hilarious... Like seriously how has no one ever called CPS on these people??
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0689817711

This is the Doggies book by Sandra Boynton. It's awesome, as in it's not horribly mind-numbing for parents to read with the babies. All her stuff is great.

Regading the first part of the quote about dogs thinking that their owner is a god, Washington Post columnist Gene Weingarten (two time Pulitzer winner) wrote a children's book with that concept as its theme. It's called "Me & Dog". It's been described as the first atheist children's book, just released a few months ago. (Weingarten is an outspoken atheist.) It's pretty good. I got it for my 2 year old son and I would recommend it to other atheist parents.

Me & Dog

So cute!

Have you seen any of the Carl books?

http://www.reddit.com/r/Rottweiler/comments/1fbhyc/x_post_from_rpics_fucking_carl/

http://imgur.com/a/taKhK

http://www.amazon.com/Good-Dog-Carl-Alexandra-Day/dp/0689817711

http://www.amazon.com/Carls-Afternoon-Park-Alexandra-Day/dp/0374311048/ref=la_B000AP7VNE_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1370106286&sr=1-2

I love this one because it is apparently set at San Diego's Balboa Park/San Diego Zoo.

Anyway, I think Carl books should be issued with every Rott Pup. Just sayin.

This Clifford's Christmas book would really make my day because I would really love to give it to my nephew for Christmas! :)

The dog ate my homework!

Recommendation here for Stephanie Calmenson's excellent book May I Pet Your Dog?:The How-to Guide for Kids Meeting Dogs (and Dogs Meeting Kids). It's a great little picture-book style book by an established author that really lays out the protocol in a way kids and dog-naive parents can understand.

Here are all the local Amazon links I could find:


amazon.co.uk

amazon.ca

amazon.com.au

amazon.in

amazon.com.mx

amazon.de

amazon.it

amazon.es

amazon.com.br

amazon.nl

amazon.co.jp

amazon.fr

Beep bloop. I'm a bot to convert Amazon ebook links to local Amazon sites.
I currently look here: amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca, amazon.com.au, amazon.in, amazon.com.mx, amazon.de, amazon.it, amazon.es, amazon.com.br, amazon.nl, amazon.co.jp, amazon.fr, if you would like your local version of Amazon adding please contact my creator.

I just stumbled upon this a minute ago online and have never read it myself, but you might like to check it out. It sounds cute at any rate: https://www.amazon.com/Me-Dog-Gene-Weingarten/dp/1442494131

[The babies and doggies book] (http://www.amazon.com/Babies-Doggies-Book-John-Schindel/dp/0544444779/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1457742837&sr=8-1&keywords=babies+and+doggies+book) is super cute!

I'm Ron Burgundy?

This is the cheapest

But this one is more exciting! I love puppies!

Keep studying! You've got this! Motivation!! :P

I'll Always Love You killed me because my dog was my best friend when I was little.

These were really popular when I was a kid and they are first grade reading level. You have to remember that kids books are short because they are working with the attention span of the typical child that age. I loved these books and I was reading at a senior level in third grade.

But the kids' books about Carl are the BEST!

I disagree. Religious indoctrination of kids is pretty messed up and it’s important to not only their lives but society as a whole to educate them about reality as early as possible.

OP, you are definitely taking the right approach in my mind. Not really sure what is age appropriate for an eight year old tbh, but Me & Dog seems to fit what you are looking for: https://www.amazon.com/Me-Dog-Gene-Weingarten/dp/1442494131

https://www.amazon.com/Good-Dog-Carl-Classic-Board/dp/0689807481

First thing I thought of when I saw this! It's the real life Carl from my favorite book as a child. :)

Edit: link. Not sure I linked that right...

Our oldest is 6. We are starting to get into that territory, too. She actually came home from school back in December and said she wanted to be Jewish like her friend... so Christmas could last 10 days face palm.

Two books we have liked thus far:

Me & Dog

Annabelle & Aiden: The Story of Life

I'm old school. So it's either The Pokey Little Puppy or The Monster at the End of this Book. Neither of which are probably the right reading level for a toddler but they're still my two favorite books for little ones.

I'll Always Love You

My mother read it to me and I'll read it to my kids.

Reminds me of this here children's book that I used to have: I'll Always Love You

I'll Always Love You written and illustrated by Hans Wilhelm

Little Golden Books were always my favorites. I had a TON of them when I was growing up. The Poky Little Puppy is one I had. For these though, you can probably find a thousand of them at any used book/thrift store for cheaper than Amazon.

oh wow, I'm getting Good Boy Carl flashbacks!

We just got this one for our 8 month old. Omg is it amazing! Color Dog https://www.amazon.com/dp/1481449869/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_wIw7AbEMS85D0

Give your kid the chance to process these sad emotions now as a way to practice handling grief as an adult.

Two wonderful books that helped my kids last year when we had to put our dog down (my kids were almost 7):

Lifetimes https://www.amazon.com/Lifetimes-Beautiful-Explain-Death-Children/dp/0553344021

Saying Goodbye to Lulu https://www.amazon.com/Saying-Goodbye-Lulu-Corinne-Demas/dp/031604749X (warning, I could not get through this one without crying but it was good to model my grief)

I am invested in finding this series now. Lol Any chance it might be Nightgate Trilogy? https://www.amazon.com/Night-Gate-Gateway-Trilogy-Book/dp/0375830170

Hey...we have that book. Our toddler loves it. https://www.amazon.com/Doggies-Boynton-Board-Sandra/dp/0671493183

reminds me of my favorite book when I was a kid... "The Digging-est Dog"

Or those Carl children's books :)

Made me think of this series of children's books about Boomer the dog :)

I've always wanted to name a mastiff Mudge after the Henry and Mudge series...learned to read with those books, haha.

Speaking of nanny-dogs... Not a pit bull but another dog that gets a bad rap being a complete love bug: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0689817711/ref=redir_mdp_mobile

There's a whole series!! Guess who's buying them all for her baby? This guy!

I feel like I realized that when I was about 3-4 reading a book. I think it was http://www.amazon.com/Officer-Buckle-Gloria-Caldecott-Medal/dp/0399226168

We also like Me and Dog- https://www.amazon.com/Me-Dog-Gene-Weingarten/dp/1442494131/ and Older than the Stars- https://www.amazon.com/Older-than-Stars-Karen-Fox/dp/1570917884/

That's the premise behind the children's picture book Me & Dog by Gene Weingarten. I recommend it.

This is a new book that's been getting a lot of attention lately.

It's about a kid and his dog, and how, from the dog's perspective, his owner (the kid) is God.

If your daughter is old enough to not destroy regular books, this is the one to get:

http://www.amazon.com/Clifford-Collection-Norman-Bridwell/dp/0545450136/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1407180853&sr=8-3&keywords=clifford

I like "Me & Dog" a lot. Hits the right skeptic notes without being overtly anti-religious.

https://www.amazon.com/Me-Dog-Gene-Weingarten/dp/1442494131

I also had those books, yes. :p

Formatting messed up because I'm on a phone: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0689817711

I'll always love you I recently reread it and was crying alone in my parent's basement.

Shouldn't it be Good Dog Carl?

Nope, it's Doggies by Sandra Boynton

Umm, here is a non-referral link.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006MHOFA6/

Officer Buckle & Gloria?

https://www.amazon.com/Officer-Buckle-Gloria-Caldecott-Medal/dp/0399226168

Me and Dog

Your dad's rottie was Good Dog Carl!

Also, you could buy a couple of copies of "May I Pet your Dog?" and give them away in the neighborhood.

http://www.amazon.com/May-Pet-Your-Dog-How/dp/0618510346

Try Me & Dog by Gene Weingarten

It's Called Good Dog Carl. You can get it on Amazon.

My kid is 3 and we've been reading her this already:

http://www.amazon.com/Me-Dog-Gene-Weingarten/dp/1442494131

"Me & Dog"

It will make more sense to your 5 year old, though.

It isn't this, is it?

IT'S GOOD DOG CARL!!

It reminds me of this book I read when I was little Henry and Mudge

CROCHET THIS FOR ME

I just went looking for under $5 thing too, and since we are twins here is what I added this weekend.

Metallic Sharpies I know it's an add-on, but there are multiple vendors.

Also The Poky Little Puppy

reminds me of this childhood book. ah, memories.

Wait, you let an unknown dog this size with no known history of illness and behavioral issues just climb up into your car and sit with your daughter? Dude, you need to read this book: link. ಠ_ಠ

I really liked The Monster at the End of this Book, The Poky Little Puppy, Persnickety, Corduroy, Where the Wild Things Are, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, The Rainbow Fish, The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, The Stinky Cheese Man, Miss Nelson is Missing, Go Away Big Green Monster, Harold and the Purple Crayon, Stone Soup, Frog and Toad, Sideways Stories from Wayside School, and, of course, every Dr. Seuss book.

I bought this book in anticipation of having the "god" discussion with my daughter in the future.

I certainly wouldn't give your son arguments or reasoning against the existence of god; if he tries to use those with an adult they will confuse him with apologetics.

I would start by explaining that, although we know much about the world, there are still questions to which we don't have the answers. Sometimes things about the world are hard to understand, and people look for a reason behind things that happen for no reason at all.

Religions and gods are things that people use make sense of the world, and find reasons for things happening. It can be scary to live in an unfair world where bad things can happen to you even if you don't deserve it. Some people believe in a god; a powerful being that cares about people, protects them, helps them, and gives them rules to live by. To them, it makes the world less scary and gives them a purpose in life. Not everybody thinks that a god exists, and not everybody agrees what that god would be like. You will hear many different stories from people who believe in gods, and everybody is going to think they are right. When you listen to these stories, you should decide for yourself whether or not you want to believe it. However, don't listen to the bad people who try to scare and threaten you into believing their story.

When my son was born, almost 16 years ago, someone gave this book to us. I think we read it once and sold it at a yard sale.

It is a freaking creepy as hell book.

We also got this weird ass book which was promptly binned.

That being said my kid's favorite books were "The Wheels On the Bus", anything by Eric Carl, Dr Seuss, Winnie The Pooh, Goodnight Moon, Miss Spider's Tea Party and a few more that I can't think of right now.