Reading Quest is back for 2025! Looking for reading inspiration? We’re recommending some of our favourite books about wild creatures which you can read on your quest this summer – all free to borrow with your library card!
Reading Quest starts on 19 July. You can sign up at any library. Find out more about Reading Quest.
The Ugly Five
Julia Donaldson
Who’s that singing on the Savannah? It’s the top-five ugly animals in Africa! The wildebeest, warthog, vulture, hyena and marabou stork swagger proudly across the Savannah, rejoicing in their ugliness – and delighting their babies, who think they’re perfect just the way they are.
Inspired by the real-life Ugly Five safari animals, Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s picture book is a jubilant celebration of animals who are often rather unloved. The funny, heart-warming rhyme is a joy to read aloud, while bold, comical illustrations bring the Savannah spectacularly to life.
You’re Called What?!
Kes Gray and Nikki Dyson
Ice Cream Cone Worm. Monkeyface Prickleback. Pink Fairy Armadillo. You’re called WHAT?! Welcome to the Ministry of Silly Animal Names where all the creatures have one thing in common: they want to change their names. A unique and rip-roaringly funny, tongue-twisting story full of weird and wonderful real creatures and facts at the end that will amaze.
Rabbit’s Bad Habits
Julian Gough and Jim Field
Bear wakes up early from hibernation. If she can’t sleep, then at least she can make a snowman. Rabbit has never made a snowman, but he definitely wants to make one that’s better than Bear’s. But with an avalanche and a hungry wolf heading his way, Rabbit soon realises that it might be nice to have a friend on your side. A tale of friendship, gravity, and just a little bit of poo.
Gorgeously illustrated and with a classic feel, this is a brilliantly funny story of a rabbit and a bear who discover that things are always better when they’re shared with a friend.
Bug World
Minna Lacey and Rossella Trionfetti
There are probably twenty quadrillion ants in the world – that’s a lot! But most people have no idea about the tiny creatures scuttling, flying, wriggling or burrowing around us. This beautifully illustrated flap book gives the reader a glimpse into the fascinating world of bugs – brilliant butterflies, bugs that live in water, tropical bugs high up in rainforest trees, ones that burrow deep underground and even those that only come out at night.
The Last Zookeeper
Aaron Becker
The Earth has flooded. The only signs of humankind are the waterlogged structures they left behind. Peeking out from the deluge are the remnants of a zoo, home to rare and endangered animals, survivors of long neglect. In ‘The Last Zookeeper’, a master of the wordless form imagines a futuristic Noah’s Ark in a luminous sci-fi parable for our changing world.
The Midnight Fair
Gideon Steer
A wordless picture book about the secret life of animals. Far from the city, but not quite in the countryside, lies a fairground. When night falls, and the fair is empty, something unexpected happens. Wild animals emerge from the trees, a brave raccoon pulls a lever, and the rollercoasters and rides explode back into bright, neon life. Now it’s time for the woodland creatures to have some fun.
Grimwood
Nadia Shireen
After a run-in with the scariest street cat in the Big City, fox cub siblings Ted and Nancy flee for Grimwood, expecting to find refuge in the peaceful countryside. Instead, they are met with thieving eagles, dramatic ducks, riotous rabbits and an absurd game called Treebonk!
While Ted quickly falls in love with his wacky new neighbours, Nancy thinks they’re all bonkers. But she soon discovers that, as kooky they are, the animals of Grimwood always look out for each other. Now Nancy must ask herself an important question: yes, Grimwood may be weird, but could it also be home?
Skunk and Badger
Amy Timberlake and Jon Klassen
The first time Badger saw Skunk, he thought, ‘puny’, and shut the front door. There was simply too much slick in this Skunk’s stripe. Too much puff in his tail. Also, there’d been that grin, and the way he’d stuck out his paw as if he had been looking forward to meeting Badger. Badger knew what to make of that. He shut the door before the fellow got any ideas. But Skunk is Badger’s new roommate, and there is nothing Badger can do about it. When Skunk bursts into Badger’s life, everything Badger knows is upended. Tails are flipped. The wrong animal is sprayed. And why-oh-why are there so many chickens? ‘Skunk and Badger’ is a beautiful reminder that sometimes opposites are destined to be the best of friends.
Pax
Sara Pennypacker
Pax was only a kit when his family was killed and he was rescued by ‘his boy’, Peter. Now the country is at war and when his father enlists, Peter has no choice but to move in with his grandfather. Far worse than leaving home is the fact that he has to leave Pax behind. But before Peter spends even one night under his grandfather’s roof he sneaks out into the night, determined to find his beloved friend. This is the story of Peter, Pax, and their journeys back to each other as war rampages throughout the country.
Where Did They Go?
Emily Bornoff
Where has the polar bear gone? Where did the lemur go? Can you find them? In this spotting book from printmaker and illustrator Emily Bornoff, search for endangered animals in jungles, in deserts and on the ice. Bornoff’s lovely patterns and the playful hide-and-seek elements make this a charming, interactive title and it also has a fascinating non-fiction element; every animal in ‘Where Did They Go?’ is endangered.
The Wild Robot
Peter Brown
When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is alone on a remote, wild island. She has no idea how she got there or what her purpose is – but she knows she needs to survive. After battling a fierce storm and escaping a vicious bear attack, she realises that her only hope for survival is to adapt to her surroundings and learn from the island’s unwelcoming animal inhabitants. As Roz slowly befriends the animals, the island starts to feel like home – until, one day, her mysterious past comes back to haunt her.
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