Amy lives and breathes horses, but all her horses are in books or in her head. So when she goes on a picnic with her friend Hannah's family, Hannah thinks Amy is imagining things when she says she heard a horse neigh nearby. But then Hannah hears a neigh, too! What's a horse doing in the park? With a little help from Mona at the Rainbow Street Shelter, Amy makes sure the horse is safe and sound. She almost hopes the owner never turns up, so that she could keep visiting the pony. . . .
Logan is moving from the farm to the city. He'll miss all the things he's leaving behind, but at least he has Bear. He loves Bear more than anything else in the world—because Bear is his dog. Hannah lives in the city. What she wants, more than anything else in the world, is a dog of her own. At the Rainbow Street Shelter, Logan and Hannah find a talking parrot, an old black Labrador, a three-legged goat, a puppy that looks like a peanut—and a Surprise that just might be the best thing in the world.
Buster isn't fluffy or pretty like other cats—he's a crazy orange cat with attitude. And Mr. Larsen is the exact right person for him. Every morning Buster and Mr. Larsen sit on their porch in the sun, and every morning Josh sees them when he walks to school. When Mr. Larsen goes to the hospital and Buster goes missing, Josh and his family look for that crazy cat everywhere. But if Buster turns up, Rainbow Street Animal Shelter will have to help him find another home. That's when Josh and his family realize that—sometimes—life can choose a pet for you.
Sam wants a pet for her birthday, but her mom and dad have already said that their apartment is too small for a cat or a dog. A trip to Rainbow Street Shelter to look at the smaller animals can't hurt, though! At the shelter, Sam finds the perfect pet for her, a fluffy black guinea pig named Henry. But she can't help noticing how happy her little brother is when he's reading to Nelly, the Rainbow Street dog. Why can't he read like that when he's in school? Nelly looks happy, too. Sam starts to wonder . . . can a dog go to kindergarten?
C. S. Lewis was a British author, lay theologian, and contemporary of J.R.R. Tolkien. The Horse and His Boy is the fifth book in The Chronicles of Narnia series of seven books.
Mona's uncle Matthew works in a circus, and he always gives pretty great birthday presents. But when Mona turns eight, he gives her something better than juggling balls or stilts—a baby lion cub! His note says that the cub's mother couldn't care for it properly, and he knows Mona and her grandparents can help. Mona names the lion Kiki, and at first Kiki is like any other kitten. As she grows bigger and bigger, though, Mona realizes that Kiki needs a home which will allow her to be the wild animal she was born to be. Fans of the Rainbow Street Shelter books will love reading about how the shelter started and how its owner, Mona, has always loved animals—starting with an adorable baby lion.
A Lost Lady is a novel by American author Willa Cather, first published in 1923. It centers on Marian Forrester, her husband Captain Daniel Forrester, and their lives in the small western town of Sweet Water, along the Transcontinental Railroad. However, it is mostly told from the perspective of a young man named Niel Herbert, as he observes the decline of both Marian and the West itself, as it shifts from a place of pioneering spirit to one of corporate exploitation. Exploring themes of social class, money, and the march of progress, A Lost Lady was praised for its vivid use of symbolism and setting, and is considered to be a major influence on the works of F. Scott Fitzgerald. It has been adapted to film twice, with a film adaptation being released in 1924, followed by a looser adaptation in 1934, starring Barbara Stanwyck. A Lost Lady begins in the small railroad town of Sweet Water, on the undeveloped Western plains. The most prominent family in the town is the Forresters, and Marian Forrester is known for her hospitality and kindness. The railroad executives frequently stop by her house and enjoy the food and comfort she offers while there on business. A young boy, Niel Herbert, frequently plays on the Forrester estate with his friend. One day, an older boy named Ivy Peters arrives, and shoots a woodpecker out of a tree. He then blinds the bird and laughs as it flies around helplessly. Niel pities the bird and tries to climb the tree to put it out of its misery, but while climbing he slips, and breaks his arm in the fall, as well as knocking himself unconscious. Ivy takes him to the Forrester house where Marian looks after him. When Niel wakes up, he's amazed by the nice house and how sweet Marian smells. He doesn't't see her much after that, but several years later he and his uncle, Judge Pommeroy, are invited to the Forrester house for dinner. There he meets Ellinger, who he will later learn is Mrs. Forrester's lover, and Constance, a young girl his age.
Nim lives on an island with her father, Jack, a marine iguana called Fred, a sea lion called Selkie, and their friend Alex Rover, the adventure writer. Nim's island is the most beautiful place in the world, and she wouldn't swap live anywhere else. When Jack invites a group of scientists to visit, they bring their children as well. But two of the scientists have plans other than studying algae... By the time Nim discovers what they really want, and what they will do to get it, the children are in grave danger. And so is the island! Nim must choose between saving a natural treasure and saving someone's life.
