Top Ten Tuesday #56: Animals in Books

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

April 27, 2021: Animals from Books (these could be mythical, real, main characters, sidekicks, companions/pets, shifters, etc.)

When I think animals in books my mind instantly jumps to the Serendipity series of children’s books by Stephen Cosgrove and illustrated by Robin James. They are beautiful, some pages deserve to be framed and put on the wall. I’m always on the look out for these out of print books at thrift stores and used book stores. When I have a couple dozen of them it’s by no means a complete collection. Here are ten Serendipity books I’m still looking for.

Ten Serendipity Books I Still Need

Nitter Pitter – Nitter Pitter, a horse, never went and played with the other horses because he thought he was better looking then them. Vanity can cost you friends. 

Crickle-Crack – A sweet young squirrel named Squeakers is scampering through the forest when he comes upon a dangerous Crickle-Crack tree. He knows he should stay away, but curiosity gets the best of him. Squeakers learns the hard way that some things are best left alone. 

Poppyseed – Join the whimsical characters in this beautifully illustrated tale that teaches youngsters how to deal with the challenges of their world, providing them with positive solutions to difficult problems.

Jalopy – In this children’s book language is used as a barrier. Jalopy, a little burro, wanted to go to Tummy Bay to see what it was like. When he got there he couldn’t understand the pigs because the were speaking pig latin.

Sooty Foot – A wonderfully wild horse called Sooty Foot stops to play with a ragtag tomcat named Rusty. The cat, using friendship as bait, captures the heart of this little filly and then tricks her into doing all of his chores. 

Kartusch – The Furry Eyefulls are so busy trying to see everything beautiful, that they can’t even enjoy it! It takes a little blind snake named Kartusch to help them really experience the beauty of their surroundings.

Little Mouse on the Prairie – Tweezle the mouse never laughs or smiles-she’s too busy working to prepare for winter while the other mice frolic and play. But Tweezle and her friends help one another-she shows them the value of hard work while they teach her that laughter can make work more fun!

Sniffles – Sniffles, an ostrich, ruins her credibility with the other animals at the oasis by her wild exaggerations of the truth.

The Puddle Pine – Three Serendipity beavers in, The Puddle Pine, are faced with a problem. There is only one mighty Puddle Pine tree left. Will they preserve the tree or will they chop it down? Readers will learn that even though the forests of the past may pass away, there will always be new growth to follow. 

Dragolin – Short, plump, and unable to breathe fire like the other dragons, Dragolin is in despair until he learns the importance of believing in oneself.