Juvenile Fiction

In a compelling story, movingly illustrated, the issue of animal abandonment is brought to life. Maggie, a pregnant lab mix, is left behind in her people's deserted house. Discovered by the realtor, Maggie is brought to the pound where her puppies are born. When Jeff, a fourth-grader, reads a newspaper story about Maggie's puppies being adopted while Maggie is not, he learns from his teacher that Maggie will be euthanized if no one adopts her. This knowledge galvanizes Jeff and his classmates to successfully plan and petition their town council to build an animal shelter. Maggie is given her second chance—taken to the new town shelter, where she is eventually adopted. Maggie's Second Chance is based on the true story of Texas fourth-graders who founded an animal shelter in their town. The final page offers factual comprehensive information on how to help abandoned dogs.

Nancy Furstinger, the author of nearly one hundred books, many about animals, is also an editor at two children's book publishing houses. She shares her home with three rescued dogs (including Jolly—the real Maggie) and six rescued house rabbits.

Joe Hyatt is the illustrator of Buddy Unchained, an award-winning picture book used in schools and libraries around the country. He has a career painting portraits of dogs that was inspired by the portrait he made of his yellow Labrador retriever, Nola. Hyatt lives in California with his three rescue dogs, Nola, Turtle, and Holiday.

Winner of the Humane Society of the United States Youth KIND Award, best children's picture book of the year, 2009

"From the touching cover illustration to the playful depictions of Dakota on the endpapers, this empathetic tale of a puppy-mill dog will resonate with animal lovers."— School Library Journal

After rescue, Dog No. 241 finds herself in a warm, secure foster home, with a woman named Emma who names her Dakota. Eventually, a young girl, Sweetie, who is recovering from a misfortune as deep as Dakota's own, adopts Dakota and they become partners in recovery.

2007 Winner, Humane Society of the US KIND Award, Best Children's Picture Book of the Year

2007 Winner, ASPCA HENRY BERGH AWARD, best Children's Picture Book in the Companion Animal category

“Buddy Unchained is a deeply moving look at a dog abandoned and adopted. The story is simple yet of vast importance, and at the end we want nothing more than to make sure that all the Buddys of the world are loved and cared for like this patient, easy-to-please pup.”— Janet Leimeister, Events Manager, The Capitola Book Store

“Buddy Unchained is a valuable tool in teaching the message of compassion and empathy toward animals.” —Lisa Desjardins, Vice-President, Aroostook Animal Welfare Awareness Group

“I wanted to say how much my nephew and I have been enjoying Buddy Unchained. He asks me to read it twice in a row each time and the wonderful and moving images make such an impression on him. I can see it in his eyes, facial expressions and comments. I would like to commend firstly, the artist’s sensitive and expressive drawings which truly came from the heart. And I would like to commend Gryphon Press for their dedication to the voiceless. I am only now learning more about Gryphon Press and will certainly consider further purchases. More importantly, it has inspired me even more so to become involved in saving animals in need.”--Catherine Ciarrocchi, book buyer

"The Gryphon Press's inspiring books bring education about empathy and the human-animal bond to children in the form of beautiful fictional picture books. These books have become an integral part of our humane education library program, since they provoke thoughtful dialogue about responsible pet care among our young participants. " --Lauren Briskin, Interim Humane Education Coordinator, Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society

One day, KokoCat, a well-loved housecat, sees an open door, a chance to escape her pleasant life, to explore an exciting world outdoors. Once outside, she finds that life is more frightening and less enjoyable than she bargained for. Hungry, lost, and alone, KokoCat takes shelter under a dumpster and dreams of her former life inside. In vibrant images, KokoCat’s story shows the reader that keeping a domestic cat indoors is better both for the well being and longevity of the cat as well as for the birds and wild animals on which a cat preys. The book’s final page for parents and adults offers important information, provocative questions, and tips to increase young readers' awareness of this important animal health and welfare issue.

Lynda Graham-Barber’s abiding passions for writing and animals have intermingled for four-decades, as children’s book editor, writing teacher, author of thirteen books, and animal rights advocate. The author, who holds an MFA in writing for children from Vermont College, lives in a small stone cottage, which she helped build, situated on 160 wooded acres in the Northeast Kingdom, Vermont, with her artist husband David and their rescued dog Biscuit.

Nancy Lane has been an award-winning illustrator for the last twenty years. Her picture books include Call the Horse Lucky and A Home for Dakota (both from The Gryphon Press). She lives in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York with her family and her rescued dog and cats.

• Winner of The Humane Society of the US Youth KIND Award, best children's picture book of the year
  
• Honor Book, ASPCA Henry Bergh Award, Fiction, Companion Animals
  

Dog No. 241 lives in a crate in a cold, dark barn that is stacked with hundreds of other caged dogs in a puppy mill breeding operation. She has never known human companionship, exercise, or decent care. One night, rescuers arrive and take her and the other dogs away to lead new and happier lives. Soon, despite her fears, she finds herself in a warm, secure foster home, being bathed and groomed and loved by a young woman named Emma. At first, she is too frightened to respond; all she wants is to return to the familiar dark.

Eventually renamed Dakota, she learns to love and trust Emma, and her foster home becomes a friendly haven. But then a new challenge arrives in the person of a young girl, Sweetie, who is recovering from a misfortune as deep as Dakota’s own. Sweetie and her parents come to look at Dakota as a possible pet. Initially, Sweetie rejects hairless little Dakota, but later she returns to offer Dakota a home, and Emma recommends her for adoption. With Emma’s reassurances, Dakota goes to her forever home to become Sweetie’s true partner in recovery.

Jan Zita Grover, author of North Enough: AIDS and Other Clear-Cuts (1997) and Northern Waters (1999), both from Graywolf Press, has worked in canine rescue since 1973, specifically with discarded puppy mill breed dogs. Dakota is modeled on one of Jan’s own rescued dogs, Pixie.

Lauren is angry with her father for having their dog Scout spayed, dashing her hopes of having the fun of raising puppies. To show Lauren why they made the decision not to breed Scout, Lauren's dad takes her to visit a large animal shelter. Seeing the hundreds of dogs waiting for rescue, many with little hope of finding a home, Lauren comes to understand why they spayed Scout: there are too many dogs and too few homes for them. The realistic, captivating art features shelter dogs. The final page of the book offers information for parents and other adults about pet overpopulation and the importance of spaying and neutering.

Jeanne Prevost's previous title, It's Raining Cats—and Cats! won the ASPCA Henry Bergh Award for Best Children's Picture Book and a Humane Society of the US Youth KIND Award. Prevost is an elementary school teacher who has worked as a medical assistant for a veterinary hospital.

Amelia Hansen is the illustrator of award-winning the Gryphon Press titles It's Raining Cats—and Cats!, Are You Ready for Me?, and At the Dog Park with Sam and Lucy, as well as nineteen other books.

Ms April & Ms Mae is a finalist for Foreword Magazine’s 2009 Book of the Year.

Lively, charming art illuminates this zesty modern fable. Ms. April loves her field and forest, pond and hill. When widespread land development forces animals from their rural homes, Ms. April invites them to live safe and protected on her land.  With Ms. Mae, a resourceful fox (and her closest friend), she shelters the animals until the day she falls ill and greedy enemies seize the moment to invade her land, bulldozers poised. At this moment of peril, Ms. Mae steps in to match wits with their adversaries.

In this book, Karen Dugan asks: "What would an intelligent animal do if her relatives and their homes were threatened? As human beings, we’d call the police, go to court, or fight a war. But in these pages I suggest another way. I am talking about the possibility of civility to all, of walking as gently as possible upon this earth."

Karen Dugan speaks to the kinship of beings and the need for a secure home for all creatures.

Karen Dugan, author and artist, has published twenty previous books, many of them prizewinners (Reading Rainbow selection winner; Skipping Stone Honor Award; Winner, Scientific American Young Reader’s Book Awards—Multicultural; Winner, International Reading Association; and Honor, Notable Children’s Book of the Year). Her most recent title is Mazes & Labyrinths (Lankford / HarperCollins, 2007). A graduate of the Parsons School of Design, she lives a rural life in North Attleboro, Massachusetts.

Getting a dog can be a wonderful moment in a family’s life—or the beginning of a bad situation for everyone. In Are You Ready for Me? engaging text and colorful, detail-filled pictures describe the responsibilities and joys of dog ownership in the lives of two children. A dog and a pup waiting to be chosen at an animal adoption center pose questions that show what it will mean to bring a dog into one’s family.

The book’s final page offers a We Are Ready to Have a Dog Contract with questions to check off; children and parents together will be able to decide whether they really are ready. A link to The Gryphon Press website offers bonuses, including a Ready for Dog Ownership Certificate and even an award certificate for children who are mature enough to realize that they and a dog are not a good match at this point in the child’s life.

Are You Ready for Me? is a book that every dog-loving family will want to own. Parents and grandparents will enjoy giving the book as a delightful way to lead up to both the exhilarating moment of adoption and a lifetime of mutual happiness.

Claire Buchwald, author of four children’s picture books, including Max Talks to Me (The Gryphon Press, 2007), has a PhD in communications and works to promote children’s creativity.

Artist Amelia Hanson has illustrated twenty previous titles, including At the Dog Park with Sam and Lucy (The Gryphon Press, 2006).

Alex and his dog Max are true friends—the kind that share each other’s excitement, comfort each other when they are sad, wait together when parents are away, and have fun wherever they are. Alex is learning that every good relationship is a two-way street. By observing and listening to his dog, by sharing good times and bad, he and Max are earning each other’s love and devotion. Parents will appreciate the information about animal communication and the dog-child bond that they will find at the end of Max Talks to Me. Children will want to share Max and Alex’s adventures and friendship over and over as they read the gentle, engaging story and look at the beautiful illustrations.

Author Claire Buchwald lives with her husband, three children, dog, and cat in Bloomington, Minnesota. The author of The Great Mitzvah-Go-Round (ArtScroll, 2002), co-written with her husband Larry Bogoslaw, and The Puppet Book (Plays Inc., 1990), Buchwald is currently completing a nonfiction book on the power of imagination, reading, and pretend play in children’s lives. Buchwald, who has a PhD in communication from the University of California, San Diego, believes that children deserve the finest of writing because they are complicated, intelligent, full of questions, and strongly connected to the powerful capacities of imagination and awe.

Artist Karen Ritz is the illustrator of Daddy’s Song by Leslea Newman (Henry Holt and Company, spring 2007) and forty other award-winning children’s titles. She has been a full-time illustrator of books and magazines since 1989 and teaches classes for teachers and librarians about visual language and the art of children’s books. Her art for Kate Shelley and the Midnight Express appears as an animated feature on public television’s Reading Rainbow.

"Attractive, realistic paintings invite readers to look into Buddy's eyes and experience his emotions."—School Library Journal

This Spanish-language edition of our popular title Buddy Unchained brings Buddy's experience to a new audience. Buddy, happy in a new and loving home, tells the story of his former life of neglect and abuse, and his rescue by a family that cares about him.

Winner of the 2007 Best Children's Picture Book of the Year Humane Society of the United States' KIND Award and ASPCA Henry Bergh Award. Buddy Unchained has not only won awards but has been recommended by teachers, librarians, and humane societies across the country.

There are dog parks in all but three states, and an increasing number of the nation’s 65 million dog owners are discovering their various pleasures.

In this first-ever children’s book about dog parks, dogs Sam and Lucy eagerly take part in a dog fiesta of movement and fun, running off-leash, free to cavort, to meet and greet, to leap and chase.

The final page has information for those adults who haven’t yet been to one about what to expect at a dog park and how to create a new one.

“This easy-going book tells kids what they will have to do to turn their dog into a happy and fun pet, and also how to care for it in the right way. It is a useful and pleasant ‘reality check’ for all kids who are begging to have a dog of their own.”—Stanley Coren, author of many dog books, including How Dogs Think and Why Does My Dog Act That Way?

“A guide to responsible care and inspiring compassion and understanding, this book will benefit all young readers—and all dogs.”—Dr. Michael W. Fox, veterinarian, syndicated columnist, and author of many dog books

Getting a dog can be a wonderful moment in a family’s life—or the beginning of a bad situation for everyone. In Are You Ready for Me?, engaging text and colorful pictures show two children at an animal adoption center, trying to decide if they are prepared to care for a dog for its entire life.

There’s a contract at the end of the book for parents and kids to check off. An online kit is available to those who want more information about living with a dog.

Claire Buchwald is an educator and the author of four children’s picture books, including Max Talks to Me (The Gryphon Press, 2007).

Artist Amelia Hansen has illustrated twenty previous titles, including At the Dog Park with Sam and Lucy (The Gryphon Press, 2006) and It’s Raining Cats—and Cats! (The Gryphon Press, 2009).

“The horrific overpopulation of cats is one of our country’s most tragic animal problems. Let us hope that this charming book will help guide readers to the obvious solution, spay/neuter.”—Bob Barker, founder of The DJ&T Foundation and former host of The Price Is Right 

• Winner of the ASPCA Henry Bergh Award for Best Children's Picture Book, Fiction, Companion Animals
  
• Honor Book, The Humane Society of the US Youth KIND Award, children's picture books

When Jim and his mom return home from the vet with Molly the cat after her surgery, Jim asks, “Why did we keep Molly from having kittens? I like kittens!” In this delightfully illustrated imagined journey into the future, Jim’s mom shows the many ways that Molly’s (and her kittens’) potential for multiplying would change their lives—and not for the better!

It’s Raining Cats—and Cats! will appeal to kids and adults with its delightful, detailed art that encourages looking through the book many times. This is the first children’s picture book to show, vividly and humorously, the importance of neutering. Animal groups and vets will praise it, since spaying and neutering are at the top of their agenda, not only to keep animal populations in check, but to avoid killing millions of unwanted, homeless animals every year.

Author Jeanne Prevost is an elementary school teacher who has also worked as a medical assistant for a veterinary hospital; trained puppies for Guiding Eyes for the Blind; and raised chickens, ducks, a goat, and numerous dogs. It’s Raining Cats—and Cats! is her first children’s book.

Amelia Hansen is the illustrator of The Gryphon Press titles Are You Ready for Me? and At the Dog Park with Sam and Lucy, as well as nineteen other books exploring the connections between people, animals, and the earth.

Hens are smart, savvy, and like to cuddle, as Aaron describes in this picture book about his relationship with his best friend, a Rhode Island Red hen he names Margaret.

Award-winning artist Amelia Hansen's delightful illustrations and author Sandy De Lisle's charming text engage young readers with the full range of responsibilities and joys of raising backyard hens. Aaron tells the story of how his family interacts with their six adopted hens, not just in chores like keeping the chicken coop clean, but playing with, petting the hens, and tucking them in at night. When their mother bakes a birthday cake for his brother, Aaron makes sure that the eggs come from Margaret.

Young readers learn that hens recognize people they've met, can tell time and solve problems, as well as learning that hens require ongoing care after they stop laying eggs. The final page of the book lists additional resources for adults.

Sandy De Lisle is making her debut as a children's picture book author. Sandy has worked as a public school teacher and currently as senior manager of content development for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).

Amelia Hansen is the award-winning illustrator of It's Raining Cats and Cats!, Are You Ready for Me?, It's Raining Pups and Dogs and At the Dog Park with Sam and Lucy, all Gryphon Press titles, as well as nineteen other books exploring the connections between people, animals, and the earth.

Surrounded by his cat and furry toy animals, Noah wonders aloud, "Why do you get to have fur coats, but I don't?" In his dream that night, Noah learns how vital each animal's fur coat is to its survival and happiness. Each fur-bearing animal is shown in its appropriate habitat.

Through light-hearted, engaging, and informative interactions, Friends in Fur Coats tackles the difficult topic of why using animal fur is inherently inhumane. Children learn in vivid detail what makes each animal’s fur unique, as well as other facts special to each animal.

The vibrant illustrations and language illuminate and stress the beauty and vitality of real fur-bearing animals while making a connection to children’s beloved plush toys as stand-ins for animals that need their protection and care.

Claire Buchwald is the author of four children's picture books, including the Gryphon titles Max Talks to Me and Are You Ready for Me.

Sarah Buchlaw is making her debut as an author.

Rebecca Evans has illustrated nine previous children's books, including Someday I'll Fly.

With its compelling color illustrations and evocative descriptions, The Forgotten Rabbit tells the tale of Bella the rabbit as she makes a giant leap from neglected Easter bunny to cherished animal companion.

A baby rabbit is chosen as an Easter present, but is soon forgotten by the family’s children as they pursue other activities. Her cage is moved outside, and she is rarely tended. As winter comes, she grows weak with hunger and curls into herself to disappear. Then, one night a girl called Rosalita takes her out of her cage, telling her that she has a new home, one in which she will never again be forgotten. Enjoying love, care, and a new name—Bella—she takes to the fun of agility lessons. Bella wins first prize in a rabbit agility contest—jumping with joy into the always-loving arms of Rosalita.

Written so that children five and up can immediately grasp the point, this children’s picture book gives honest but charming insights into the proper care of a rabbit as a companion animal. The story is suspenseful, moving, and, in the end, joyful. The active language will delight children while helping them build vocabulary skills.

Nancy Furstinger is the author of nearly one hundred books, including another Gryphon Press title, Maggie’s Second Chance.

Nancy Lane has illustrated twenty-seven books in twenty-five years, including the Gryphon Press titles A Home for Dakota, Call the Horse Lucky, and KoKoCat, Inside and Out.