Budding book and animal lover Ava Elizabeth Albertine catches up on animal-related literature. Photo courtesy of Kim Ward.
1:21pm | We’re in the midst of the dog days of summer, which, according to Merriam-Webster, falls between early July and early September. Dogs and their humans loll around in the yard or at the beach, and cats inexplicably seek out the most sun-drenched areas of the yard or the hot carpet. July with the festivities associated with it is about to pass into August, and although no celebratory days occur in the last full month of summer (unless you want to include Friendship Day and Women’s Equality Day, which we found on a random online calendar), there’s still plenty to do in Long Beach and everywhere else.
Around this time, though, kids are starting to get squirmy from all the unstructured time, and so we’ll segue into the actual intent of the article: summer reading for kids. Since we write a pet column, we want to suggest our favorite kids’ books about animals and those of our favorite independent book purveyors in Long Beach.
Sean Moor, owner of Gatsby Books , 5535 E. Spring St., 562-208-5862
“I read Charlotte’s Web when I was just beginning to read chapter books, and I now read it to my daughter. It was a pivotal book for me. When I first read it, I thought of concepts that I’d never before thought of, like vegetarianism—whether we should eat animals. The last line of the book is especially meaningful: ‘It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both.’”
Charlotte’s Web (E. B. White) barely needs an introduction. The focus of this classic is the true meaning of friendship—across species and in the undying sense. Wilbur the pig and Charlotte the spider are two of fiction’s most memorable and immortal characters. All ages.
Kelsey Davidson, bookseller, Apostrophe Books, 4712 E. Second St., 562-438-7950 
“I like The Warrior[s] Series, about [a] clan of wildcats and a domestic cat named Rusty who comes to join them and is the bravest of all of them. They are fun fast-paced reads, very entertaining and have a lot going on in them. There are six books in the series, so it’s great to finish one and pick up another. I have two at home, but I don’t think either one is a warrior.”
The Warriors Series (Erin Hunter, a pseudonym for authors Kate Cary, Cherith Baldry and Tui Sutherland) has spawned an interactive website, a manga edition, 3-D trading cards and everything else a modern fantasy series can produce. The plots are intricate and the characters are many. For ages 9–12, but Potter-happy adults find it enjoyable as well.
Shea Gauer and Sé Reed, co-owners of {open}, 2226 E. Fourth St., 562-499-OPEN
Shea: “One of my all time favorite kids’ books about animals would have to be Zippy the Chimp. I inherited a love of monkeys from my grandpa (which I’ve now passed on to my nephew), and this book was one of our favorites. I just love the photo of Zippy dressed like a cowboy and wearing roller skates. Makes me laugh every time.”
Zippy was an actual chimpanzee who was popular when we were kids (the Howdy Doody era). We didn’t read Zippy the Chimp (Lee Ecuyer), but we remember him roller-skating around on TV. If you’re looking for this book, Shea undoubtedly could tell you where to find a copy. For very young children and equally nostalgic Baby Boomers.
Sé: “Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry! It’s a charming little story about the wild ponies of Assateague Island that I read over and over growing up. Not only is it one of those rare animal stories that doesn’t end tragically, but having grown up in Southern California, the story’s setting on the small islands off the East Coast also fascinated me.”
Sé pretty much summed it up. The Newbery Award-winner tells the tale of a boy living on an island off Virginia who took part in capturing wild horses living on an island. The boy wanted a pony of his own; the story tells of how this came to be. Information on the Web said that it was based on a true story. For ages 6–9 and all wild horse (or a horse of any type or color) lovers.
Judy and Kate
Judy’s favorite animal book to read to her grandkids and enjoy herself is The Shelter Dog (Christine Davis). The book touches upon two areas of “animal -welfare reality” that engaged her emotions long ago and that she identifies with: senior dogs who need rehoming—especially the ones in animal shelters, as with her adopted babies Razi and Lucky—and bringing awareness of shelter animals to the public. The book also allows young children—and for that matter, us senior children— to use the gift of imagination while combining the reality that all ages need to give and receive love. Intended for young children, but Judy recommends it to everyone, regardless of age.
Kate always liked Howard the Duck, but he was too anthropomorphic to be considered an animal. Recently, she had the pleasure of meeting author Peg Kehret, an award-winning author of children’s mystery books and thrillers, many of which feature animals. Ms. Kehret is an animal advocate and volunteer, and so her themes are no surprise. Kate took a couple of her books home, one of which is Don’t Tell Anyone. It concerns a colony of feral cats living in a field that is scheduled to be bulldozed for an apartment building. The young heroine, Megan, is determined to save the cats, and the book turns into a neat thriller that includes a particularly icky villain and a connecting side story about a young woman’s part in a fatal car accident. The best part of the book, of course, is Ms. Kehret’s ability to convey animal welfare issues without being didactic or using her characters as mouthpieces. For ages 9–12 and, of course, anyone older.
A number of animal welfare organizations have suggestions for animal-related reading, among them the Humane Society of the United States’ Humane Education Children’s Literature Index and the ASPCA online store’s age-level list . If you know any children who enjoy reading aloud or need a nonjudgmental audience for oral reading, Animal Care Services’ Pet Literacy Program is just the ticket. The cats and dogs are sooooo sweet the way they listen, and you may decide that a certain member of the literally captive audience might do well in your living room, listening to Charlotte’s Web….
Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside a dog, it’s too dark to read.
~Groucho Marx
Pet Projects
July 27, PETA Opening Day Demonstration against Ringling Bros. Cruelty
Reading is a wonderful leisure activity during the summer and anytime, so pick up a copy of Water for Elephants (Sara Gruen) and read it before Wednesday (or rent the movie if you don’t read fast) and then head for Anaheim and PETA’s protest of Ringling Bros.’ inhumane treatment of baby elephants and the torments they’re put through in order to learn tricks. 11:45 a.m.–1 p.m., Honda Center, 2695 E. Katella Ave. in Anaheim (meet at the intersection of South Douglass Road and East Katella). Click here for more information.
Aug. 13 and 21, ACS Low-Cost Pet Clinic
The next low-cost animal clinic will be held at Martin Luther King Jr. Park, 6301 Myrtle Ave., from 10 a.m. to noon. A state licensed veterinarian from the Southern California Veterinary Vaccine Clinic will be onsite to provide the shots, including feline and canine rabies and all dog- and cat-specific diseases. Residents can process their license renewals onsite. Click here for the full schedule and details, and here for a full listing of prices.
Aug. 21, SCART Annual Pet Fair
The Surf City Animal Response Team will hold its sixth annual Pet Fair in the Park. The event will continue from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Long Beach Marine Stadium Park. Featured will be disaster information as it relates to pets, vendors, pet products, pet foods, opportunity drawings, low-cost dog and cat vaccinations, microchipping and a best disaster-ready dog contest. All proceeds go directly into supporting SCART’s response to disasters as well as training and educating the public.
SCART is a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization founded to respond to animal needs, assist other agencies during a local or national disaster or crisis, educate the public in disaster preparedness for animals before, during and after a crisis. SCART also assists local and national agencies by responding to a crisis with trained volunteers. For more information, click here.
Volunteers Needed for FOLBA Pet Appreciation Fair and WALK
Volunteers are needed for the Friends of Long Beach Animals Pet Appreciation Fair and WALK for the Animals to take place Oct. 8 in Eldorado Park. Help is needed in such areas as registration, entertainment, vendors, exhibitors, food, logistics, sponsors, parking, signage, first aid, pet contests, goodie-bags and the WALK itself. For information, e-mail [email protected]. Register online to participate in the event, win great prizes and help fund spay/neuter and humane education in Long Beach.
Virtually Pets
Maya