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Texas Humane NetworkTexas Humane Network
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  • HOME
  • About
    • Mission
    • Board of Directors & Staff
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
  • Humane Education
    • Junior Advocate Program
    • Humane Curriculum
    • Humane Library Project
    • Humane Library Reading List
    • Humane Movies for Kids
    • Critter Camps
    • School Visits
    • Teaching Kids to be Kind to Animals
    • Tethering Toolkit
  • Animal Topics
    • Animal Cruelty
    • Animal Cruelty & Mass Shootings
    • Animal Fighting
    • Animal Hoarding
    • Breed Bans
    • Companion Animals
    • Cross-Reporting of Abuse
    • Dangers of Dog Chaining
    • Disaster Planning for your Pets
    • Puppy Mills
    • Roadside Zoos
  • News & Events
    • Upcoming Events
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    • Request a Speaker
    • Latest News
  • Donate

Humane Library Project

Home You Can HelpHumane Library Project

What is the Humane Library Project?

THN’s Humane Library Project aims to source the best literature for children and young adults on animal welfare and then donate these books to Texas school districts with high instances of abuse and neglect to help them learn about animals and develop empathy. An important lesson in empathy is that animals are living beings and should be treated with respect and compassion. Teaching children how to care for animals correctly, with love and care, is an excellent way for our young people to develop empathy and prepare to be fantastic pet owners in the future. This project’s impact is far-reaching; empathy promotes moral intelligence, and morally intelligent people make decisions that benefit both themselves and the people around them.

Scroll down for a list of recommended books for your own Humane Library at home! 

Interested in donating toward a Humane Library? Contact us at info@texashumanenetwork.org

DONATE NOW

Humane Library Project News & Events

Texas Humane Legislation Network Donates “Humane Libraries” to 10 Dallas-Area Elementary Schools

DALLAS – December 15, 2017 – The Texas Humane Legislation Network today announced it will be donating “humane libraries” this holiday season to 10 Dallas Independent School District elementary schools.

At a “Humane Library” dedication this morning at Dorsey Elementary School, THLN Board President Shelby Bobosky said her organization worked with DISD to identify under-served schools that generally had smaller libraries. The goal behind these libraries is to teach children about the humane treatment of animals.

“There is a well-documented link between childhood cruelty to animals and violent behavior as an adult,” said Bobosky. “Our hope is that humane treatment will lead to the development of empathy, which we know can be taught at a young age.”

Bobosky added that pet adoption rates can tend to be higher around the holidays, when children tend to ask for puppies and kittens. “We hope these books will help children of all ages learn that pets are forever, and the responsibilities of pet ownership are great.”

THLN Texas Humane Network Humane Library Program
Texas Humane Network Humane Library Program Dallas Texas

The 10 elementary school library recipients are: William Anderson, John Ireland, Edward Titche, John Runyon, JQ Adams, AW Blanton, Julius Dorsey, William A. Blair, Richard Lagow, and Nancy Moseley.

THLN Executive Director Laura Donahue said the DISD donation of “humane libraries” is serving as a pilot program that could be expanded to other Texas cities and elementary schools in the future.

Book titles that are part of the humane library collections include “Are You Ready for Me?” and “The Forgotten Rabbit”, books about pet ownership and its responsibilities, and “Buddy Unchained,” about a severely neglected dog who lives his life on a chain. The organization is delivering dozens of books to each of the 10 schools, and each collection contains a mix of picture books for younger children and chapter books and nonfiction books for older children.

“These libraries are intended to share stories about how to treat animals—don’t pull tails or tease, that sort of thing—but they also teach much more important life lessons about bullying, humanity, and our interconnectedness with all creatures,” Donahue added.

Confirmed attendees for the humane library dedication include: Daniel Clayton, chief of staff for Rep. Toni Rose; DISD Trustee Jaime Resendez; and THLN board president Shelby Bobosky and executive director Laura Donahue.

The Texas Humane Legislation Network endorses the following books to help teach children about the humane treatment of animals.  There is a well-documented link between childhood cruelty to animals and violent behavior as an adult and our hope is that humane treatment will lead to the development of empathy, which we know can be taught at a young age.  These books are a great gift for elementary school children in your life.

Texas Humane Network Humane Library Program Dallas Texas

TEXAS HUMANE NETWORK

HUMANE LIBRARY

Love Is
By Diane

Slow Down for Manatees
By Jim Arnosky

A Friend Like You
By Tanja Askani

Buddy Unchained
By Daisy Bix

Before You Were Mine
By Maribeth Boelts

Max Talks to Me
By Claire Buchwald

Are You Ready for Me?
By Claire Buchwald

A Turkey for Thanksgiving
By Eve Bunting

May I Pet Your Dog?
By Stephanie Calmenson

Little Dog Lost
By Mônica Carnesi

Pick a Pup
By Marsha Wilson Chall

Piper
By Emma Chichester Clark

Always Blue for Chicu
By Karen Dugan

Ms. April & Ms. Mae: A Fable
By Karen Dugan

Step Gently Out
By Helen Frost

Maggie’s Second Chance
By Nancy Furstinger

The Forgotten Rabbit
By Nancy Furstinger

“Let’s Get a Pup!” Said Kate
By Bob Graham

Kokocat, Inside and Out
By Lynda Graham-Barber

A Home for Dakota
By Jan Zita Grover

Call the Horse Lucky
By Juanita Havill

When Anju Loved Being an Elephant
By Wendy Henrichs

Hey, Little Ant
By Phillip M. Hoose

Molly the Pony: A True Story
By Pam Kaster

Little Pink Pup
By Johanna Kerby

Polly and Her Duck Costume:
The True Story of a Little Blind Rescue Goat
By Leanne Lauricella

Hello, Baby Beluga
By Darrin Lunde

Me… Jane
By Patrick McDonnell

South
By Patrick McDonnell

Lola Gets a Cat
By Anna McQuinn

Lucky Ducklings
By Eva Moore

Sparrow Girl
By Sara Pennypacker

‘Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving
By Dav Pilkey

It’s Raining Cats–and Cats!
By Jeanne Prevost

It’s Raining Pups and Dogs!
By Amelia Hansen

Scrawny Cat
By Phyllis Root

V Is For Vegan: The ABCs of Being Kind
By Ruby Roth

Each Living Thing
By Joanne Ryder

The Family of Earth
By Schim Schimmel

Kitten Lady’s Big Book of Little Kittens
By Hannah Shaw

Hero Cat
By Eileen Spinelli

Granny Gomez & Jigsaw
By Deborah Underwood

Tails Are Not for Pulling
By Elizabeth Verdick

Don’t Lick the Dog: Making Friends with Dogs
By Wendy Wahman

Harry & Hopper
By Margaret Wild

The Underneath
By Kathi Appelt

The One and Only Ivan
By Katherine Applegate

Audrey (Cow)
By Dan Bar-el

The Magic Finger
By Roald Dahl

Because of Winn-Dixie
By Kate DiCamillo

Saving Marty
By Paul Griffin

Hoot
By Carl Hiaasen

Saving Lilly
By Peg Kehret

Moon Bear
By Gill Lewis

One White Dolphin
By Gill Lewis

The Nine Lives of Travis Keating
By Jill MacLean

Shiloh
By Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Pax
By Sara Pennypacker

Paint the Wind
By Pam Munoz Ryan

Endangered
By Eliot Schrefer

Black Beauty
By Anna Sewell

Wringer
By Jerry Spinelli

Charlotte’s Web
By E. B. White

Rescuing Rover: Saving America’s Dogs
By Raymond Bial

Step Right Up:
How Doc and Jim Key Taught the World about Kindness
By Donna Janell Bowman

Tarra & Bella:
The Elephant and Dog Who Became Best Friends
By Carol Buckley

Follow the Moon Home: A Tale of One Idea,
Twenty Kids, and a Hundred Sea Turtles
By Dan Bar-el

Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, Marine, & a Miracle
By Major Brian Dennis

Koala Hospital
By Suzi Eszterhas

Moto and Me: My Year as a Wildcat’s Foster Mom
By Suzi Eszterhas

Orangutan Orphanage
By Suzi Eszterhas

Sea Otter Rescue
By Suzi Eszterhas

Our Farm: By the Animals of Farm Sanctuary
By Maya Gottfried

City Chickens
By Christine Heppermann

Can We Save the Tiger?
By Martin Jenkins

Animals Welcome:
A Life of Reading, Writing, and Rescue
By Peg Kehret

Shelter Dogs: Amazing Stories of Adopted Strays
By Peg Kehret

World Without Fish
By Mark Kurlansky

Saving Yasha:
The Incredible True Story of an Adopted Moon Bear
By Lia Kvatum

Elephant Journey:
The True Story of Three Zoo Elephants and their Rescue from Captivity
By Rob Laidlaw

No Shelter Here: Making the World a Kinder Place for Dogs
By Rob Laidlaw

On Parade:
The Hidden World of Animals in Entertainment
By Rob Laidlaw

Saving Lives and Changing Hearts:
Animal Sanctuaries and Rescue Centers
By Rob Laidlaw

Wild Animals in Captivity
By Rob Laidlaw

Rachel Carson and Her Book That Changed the World
By Laurie Lawlor

Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina,
Friendship, and Survival
By Kirby Larson

Allowed to Grow Old:
Portraits of Elderly Animals from Farm Sanctuaries
By Isa Leshko

Animal Heroes: True Rescue Stories
By Sandra Markle

Waiting for Ice
By Sandra Markle

Sergeant Reckless: The True Story of the
Little Horse Who Became a Hero
By Patricia McCormick

Leopard & Silkie:
One Boy’s Quest to Save the Seal Pups
By Brenda Peterson

Jasper’s Story: Saving Moon Bears
By Jill Robinson

Jimmy the Joey:
The True Story of an Amazing Koala Rescue
By Deborah Lee Rose

That’s Why We Don’t Eat Animals: A Book
About Vegans, Vegetarians, and All Living Things
By Ruby Roth

Vegan Is Love: Having Heart and Taking Action
By Ruby Roth

Tiny but Mighty: Kitten Lady’s Guide
to Saving the Most Vulnerable Felines
By Hannah Shaw

Do Unto Animals:
A Friendly Guide to How Animals Live,
and How We Can Make Their Lives Better
By Tracey Stewart

The Watcher: Jane Goodall’s Life with the Chimps
By Jeanette Winter

How Full Is Your Bucket?
By Tom Rath and Mary Reckmeyer

The Stray Dog
By Marc Simont

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