7 Dog-Themed Books To Add To Your Summer Reading List
Get some tissues, too.
There’s nothing I love more during the summer than a good book. It doesn’t matter if it’s meant for kids or if it’s YA or contemporary fiction — I just want to read. It’s the long, slow days of summer that make you feel like books are the ultimate companion, and when you mix in a dog theme? Well, you’re about to romanticize every bit of your summer.
Dogs might as well be the symbol of summer Americana. Spending all day outside exploring, lazy days by a body of water, long walks with an ice cream cone... a dog by your side just makes them all the more idyllic. And that’s why I love a dog-themed book for summer.
If you want that sticky-sweet, warm summer feeling, too, these seven books are perfect for getting in the mood. Some may be categorized as children’s books, but that doesn’t make them any less lovely to read. Read them on your own, as a family, or have your kids read them so you can all discuss later. Just read them this summer.
My Dog Skip
I specifically remember buying My Dog Skip to read one summer and it feeling like the ultimate slice of Americana. Set in the 1940s, the story of a little boy and his best buddy will delight you. It’s the kind of sweet story that romanticizes all of the things we’ve always loved until you want to live your own sweet, slow, enchanting life with a pup.
The Art of Racing in the Rain
If you’ve ever wondered what your dog’s thinking all day as they grow from puppy to family dog to senior canine, then you want to read The Art of Racing in the Rain. Enzo believes he’s more human than dog, and this story of all the things he sees — from joy and love to tragedy and betrayal — will make you wonder what your own dog is carrying inside of them at all times.
A Dog’s Purpose
W. Bruce Cameron is known for his books about dogs, but A Dog’s Purpose might be one of the best. The story follows a pup named Bailey as he moves through life, reincarnated over and over among different people, making some remarkable connections as the humans in the story grow and age. It will really get you in your feels.
Where the Red Fern Grows
Of course you’re going to sob in this one! I’m so sorry, but Where the Red Fern Grows is an absolute classic and must-read (and re-read, honestly). Billy has been waiting his whole life to have two best friends, and now he’s got them with his pups Old Dan and Little Ann. The descriptions of the Ozarks in this book as the threesome run around and have adventures will get you in your feels, but it’s the real story waiting inside that will crack your heart wide open.
Because of Winn-Dixie
I read Because of Winn-Dixie to my three girls a couple of summers ago, and they still talk about Opal, Gloria Dump, and, of course, Winn-Dixie. The story of a girl living in a new town, missing her mother, and searching for something to hold onto will make you hug your own dog tight around the neck.
Shiloh
It’s easy to say you’d “do the right thing,” but sometimes that’s harder than you realize. In Shiloh, when Marty befriends a dog and realizes the pup is being abused and neglected, he knows the “right” thing to do is to get him some help... but what if the “right” thing to do means going up against someone scary with a gun? What if the “right” thing to do means stealing a dog? This is a story of friendship, love, and so much courage.
How to Steal a Dog
It’s a common theme for a dog to save you from sadness, but what if finding a dog — and its reward money — could save you, too? In How to Steal a Dog, Georgina is desperate for a new life after her father leaves and her family is evicted. When she sees a reward poster for a missing pup, she decides that stealing the “right” dog might be just what she needs to save herself and her family. What could possibly go wrong?
