Hey, Pawtectors! 🐾❤️
Did you know your voice can be a kindness superpower?
Yep — even when you’re simply reading a book!
Grab a favorite story, find a furry friend (or your favorite stuffed animal!), get comfy and start reading. You might think you’re just sharing a story, but something pretty amazing can happen along the way.
When kids read to animals, everybody wins.
Animals get the comfort of a calm, friendly voice. Kids get to practice reading without worrying about making a mistake. And together, you get to share one of those quiet little moments that helps kindness grow. 🌱
And if you’re able to read to an animal at a shelter or rescue? Your voice may bring some extra comfort to an animal waiting for a family of their own.
🌱 YOUR KINDNESS MISSION
Grab a book. Grab a buddy. Read together!
Your reading buddy could be:
🐾 Your dog, cat or another pet
🐾 A grandparent’s or friend’s pet
🐾 An animal at a rescue or shelter that has a reading program
🐾 Or even your favorite stuffed animal!
No pet required. Kindness works anywhere.
THE WIN-WIN OF READING TO ANIMALS
What Animals Get 🐾
🌱 The sound of a calm, friendly voice
🌱 Comfort and companionship
🌱 Positive time with people
🌱 Mental stimulation and enrichment
🌱 A chance to build trust and feel safe
What YOU Get 📚
🌱 A reading buddy who won’t correct you
🌱 More confidence reading aloud
🌱 Practice using your voice
🌱 A chance to slow down and connect
🌱 Another way to practice your kindness superpower
That’s the Pawtectors kind of WIN-WIN. ❤️
NOW…WHAT SHOULD YOU READ? 📚
We’ve rounded up some animal-filled book picks for Pawtectors of different ages.
Pick one that sounds interesting, find your reading buddy and start your next storytime adventure!
PRESCHOOL (ages 3–5)
🌱 KINDNESS MISSION for Little Pawtectors
Choose a story and “read” it to your pet or stuffed buddy. Can’t read all the words yet? That’s okay! Look at the pictures and tell your buddy the story in your own words.
Book Picks:
🌱 The Stray Dog — Marc Simont
A story about helping an animal who needs someone to care.
🌱 Can I Be Your Dog? — Troy Cummings
A funny, sweet story about a dog searching for the place where he belongs.
🌱 May I Pet Your Dog? — Stephanie Calmenson
Learn kind and safe ways to meet and approach dogs.
🌱 A Home for Bird — Philip C. Stead
A gentle story about friendship and helping someone find their way home.
🌱 Lost and Found Cat — Doug Kuntz & Amy Shrodes
A true story about a family’s love and determination to find their beloved cat.
🌱 Please, Puppy, Please — Spike Lee & Tonya Lewis Lee
A playful story about patience, responsibility and life with a puppy.
🌱 Mogie: The Heart of the House — Kathi Appelt
Meet a very special dog who knows just when someone could use a little comfort.
ELEMENTARY (ages 6–10)
🌱 KINDNESS MISSION for Pawtectors
Read to your pet or another animal and imagine the story from their point of view.
Would your dog be as brave as Winn-Dixie?
Would your cat be as loyal as Charlotte?
Which character would your animal buddy want to meet?
Book Picks:
🌱 Because of Winn-Dixie — Kate DiCamillo
Friendship, healing and one unforgettable rescued dog.
🌱 The One and Only Ivan — Katherine Applegate
A powerful story about animals, friendship, courage and speaking up for others.
🌱 Buddy Unchained — Daisy Bix
A story about a dog whose life changes when people choose to help.
🌱 Charlotte’s Web — E.B. White
A classic story about loyalty, friendship and standing by someone you love.
🌱 Shiloh — Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
A story that asks some big questions about protecting animals and doing what’s right.
🌱 Rescue and Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship — Jessica Kensky & Patrick Downes
The true story of a service dog and an extraordinary friendship.
🌱 Owen and Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship — Isabella Hatkoff
An amazing true story of an unlikely animal friendship.
MIDDLE SCHOOL (ages 11–13)
🌱 KINDNESS MISSION for Pawtectors
Pick a book and pay attention to the choices the characters make.
Where do you see kindness, courage, responsibility or compassion?
And here’s the bigger question:
What would YOU have done?
Book Picks:
🌱 A Dog’s Life: The Autobiography of a Stray — Ann M. Martin
See the world through the eyes of a stray dog searching for safety and belonging.
🌱 Wild Rescuers series — StacyPlays
Adventure, animals, teamwork and protecting the natural world.
🌱 The Elephant in the Garden — Michael Morpurgo
A remarkable story about courage and protecting an elephant during wartime.
🌱 Stay: The True Story of Ten Dogs — Michaela Muntean
Inspiring stories about rescue, resilience and second chances.
🌱 The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents — Terry Pratchett
A clever, funny adventure filled with choices about friendship, responsibility and doing what’s right.
🌱 The Great Elephant Rescue — Nicola Davies
A story of people taking action to protect wildlife.
🌱 Pax — Sara Pennypacker
A moving story about the powerful bond between a boy and a fox.
HIGH SCHOOL (ages 14–17)
🌱 KINDNESS MISSION for Humane Heroes
Choose a book that makes you think differently about animals or our relationship with them.
As you read, ask yourself:
What does this story make me notice?
What does it make me question?
Could it inspire me to do something differently?
That’s where reading becomes more than a story. It can become action.
Book Picks:
Homer’s Odyssey — Gwen Cooper
An uplifting memoir about resilience, love and an extraordinary blind cat.
Animals Make Us Human — Temple Grandin
Explore what animals need to feel safe, comfortable and emotionally well.
A Street Cat Named Bob — James Bowen
The true story of a cat, a human and the friendship that changed both of their lives.
The Call of the Wild — Jack London
A classic story of survival, instinct and adaptation.
Watership Down — Richard Adams
An adventure exploring courage, leadership, community and survival.
Marley & Me — John Grogan
A funny and moving story about life, family and one unforgettable dog.
We Bought a Zoo — Benjamin Mee
A family’s unexpected journey into caring for animals and rebuilding a zoo.
ONE BOOK CAN PLANT A SEED 🌱
You don’t have to organize a giant project to make a difference for animals.
Sometimes kindness starts with something much smaller.
One book.
One voice.
One animal.
One quiet moment of connection.
And every time you learn more about animals, notice what they need, or choose to treat them with compassion, you’re growing one of the most important Pawtector superpowers of all:
KINDNESS. ❤️
So grab a book. Find your buddy.
Your next Pawtectors adventure is only a page away. 📚🐾
DOWNLOAD The Entire Book List here (PreK thru HighSchool):
PAWS-PAGES-PURPOSE – Reading Builds Animal Kindness Booklist (PreK-12th grade)
🌱 WHERE KINDNESS SUPERHEROES GROW
At The Pawtectors Kindness Club, we turn kids’ love of animals into action.
Through hands-on Kindness Missions, creative adventures, service projects, and meaningful experiences, kids discover ways to help animals while growing something pretty incredible in themselves — kindness, compassion, responsibility, confidence, and the belief that they can make a difference.
Because we don’t teach kindness — we help it grow. 🌱
Discover The Pawtectors Kindness Club →
Follow along for more kindness in action: Instagram @pawtectorsprogram | Facebook @pawtectorsprogram
