Animals and What They Can Mean to Us

In this episode, Picture Book Peeps members Christine J. Ko and Wendy Goldstein talk about animals, particularly domesticated ones such as dogs, and what they mean to us.

Wendy is the author-illustrator of Oscar’s Blue Bandana which is inspired by her own Havanese dog Oscar and his adventures in training to become a service animal.

Whether we have pets or other domesticated animals in our own homes or not, they play a big part in our lives from how we interact with them in public to how we produce much of our food.

We hope you enjoy this episode and the recommended list of books and resources below!📚📚

Picture books have always historically used animals for a reason because they’re not threatening to the kids. Yet, the messages they’re sending to the kids are important themes for children to understand. — Wendy Goldstein

Further Reading📚:

Kids:

Oscar’s Blue Bandana by Wendy Goldstein

Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne illustrated by Ernest Shepard

Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile by Bernard Waber

Cranky Chicken by Katherine Battersby

100 Mighty Dragons All Named Broccoli by David LaRochelle illustrated by Lian Cho

The Scariest Kitten in The World by Kate Messner illustrated by MacKenzie Haley

How to Get Your Octopus to School  by Becky Scharnhorst illustrated by Jaclyn Sinquett

Pig and Horse and The Something Scary by Zoey Abbott

Adults:

Our Dogs, Ourselves: The Story of a Singular Bond by Alexandra Horowitz

Being a Dog: Following the Dog into the World of Smell by Alexandra Horowitz

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

What is A Dog?: A Memoir by Chloe Shaw

Resources:

Dog Cognition Lab

American Kennel Club - Canine Good Citizen

American Kennel Club - Therapy Dog Program

New York Therapy Animals

Oscar Tales - Adventures of Oscar, Wendy’s Therapy Dog

Have a book for us that isn’t listed above? Or is there a topic that you want us to explore on a future episode? Leave a comment below. Thanks for listening!