Welcome to the Bed and Biscuit

Grandpa Bender is a veterinarian who runs the Bed and Biscuit, a boardinghouse for various types of animals. Helping him run the business are former borders, rescued animals that Grandpa adopted as part of his family: Gabby, a Vietnamese mynah bird who has been with Grandpa for 10 years and sometimes answers the phone when Grandpa is busy; Ernest the pig, who has his own shower and a wonderful brain that can help him find things when no one else can; and Milly, a cuddly, red-gold cat that Grandpa wears like a scarf. In this often humorous tale they coexist happily until Grandpa brings home a mysterious guest, with whom he starts to spend all of his time. Who is this guest that fits in a breadbox? Will life with Grandpa ever be the same again? Recommended for grades 2-3.

Just For Elephants

This beautiful and poignant story really captures the attention of the reader as the former circus elephant is taken from a zoo to an elephant sanctuary to begin a new life. It is a heartwarming story of an elephant reunion and really provides an in depth understanding of the social and family structure of these huge animals. The book provides a little information at the back about the Elephant Sanctuary which is located in Tennessee. The book was put out by the creator of the sanctuary and while many of the pictures are very good, there are two that could be a little clearer.
There are downloadable teacher resources available from the sanctuary website and an elecam
www.elephants.com
3rd grade and up

Oink by Margie Palatini

Oink by Margie Palatin; illustrated by Henry Cole; Simon and Schuster
Thomas and Joseph are sloppy, lazy, dirty, and Happy pigs, but duck, hen and rabbit complain that the pigs are disgraceful, untidy, and lazy. Hen suggested they paint, but hen did most of the work. Rabbit wanted them to improve their diet, harvest and eat fresh vegetables, but rabbit had to do all the work. Duck told them they needed to dig a hole for a pond to bath in, but duck did most of the digging. The hens, rabbit, and duck worked all day, they were exhausted from the hard work, proud of their accomplishments, then realized the pigs were not so dumb after all! The watercolor, ink and pencil illustrations add to the humor of this book.