Here are 78 books that Big Wolf and Little Wolf fans have personally recommended if you like Big Wolf and Little Wolf. Book DNA is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Book cover of They All Saw a Cat

Regina Linke Author Of Little Helper

From my list on picture books that have more layers than cake.

Why am I passionate about this?

When I first started to teach my son how to be a good person, I came face-to-face with the question of what “goodness” even meant to me. Living in Taiwan at the time, I started studying what Chinese philosophy had to share on the topic, and I started drawing and writing stories that would make certain concepts easier for young readers to explore with their grown-ups. Parables and fables have long been engaging tools to convey morals and values. Though the values may change over time, I find the format to still be a wonderful tool to explore some of life's biggest questions.

Regina's book list on picture books that have more layers than cake

Regina Linke Why Regina loves this book

I think empathy is such a doozy to convey without sounding preachy, and even more difficult for young children to grasp when their cognitive development might not be up to the task.

So, I love how Wenzel invites the reader to look at the same cat from different perspectives, like a mouse, a fox, a bird, and even the cat itself. How we perceive the world and ourselves depends on so many things that each perspective can be vastly different from one another, and each perspective is also valid. 

By Brendan Wenzel ,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked They All Saw a Cat as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

They All Saw A Cat by Brendan Wenzel - New York Times bestseller and 2017 Caldecott Medal and Honor Book

"An ingenious idea, gorgeously realized." -Shelf Awareness, starred review
"Both simple and ingenious in concept, Wenzel's book feels like a game changer." -The Huffington Post

The cat walked through the world, with its whiskers, ears, and paws . . . In this glorious celebration of observation, curiosity, and imagination, Brendan Wenzel shows us the many lives of one cat, and how perspective shapes what we see. When you see a cat, what do you see?

If you and your child…


If you love Big Wolf and Little Wolf...

Book cover of A Foot is Not a Fish!

A Foot is Not a Fish! by Cornelia Maude Spelman,

In a time of alternative facts and the loss of a shared sense of reality, A Foot is Not a Fish playfully illustrates the difference between what is true and what is not through absurd fun comparisons that every child—and parent—will instantly understand.

This book playfully illustrates common truths by…

Book cover of Where The Wild Things Are

Regina Linke Author Of Little Helper

From my list on picture books that have more layers than cake.

Why am I passionate about this?

When I first started to teach my son how to be a good person, I came face-to-face with the question of what “goodness” even meant to me. Living in Taiwan at the time, I started studying what Chinese philosophy had to share on the topic, and I started drawing and writing stories that would make certain concepts easier for young readers to explore with their grown-ups. Parables and fables have long been engaging tools to convey morals and values. Though the values may change over time, I find the format to still be a wonderful tool to explore some of life's biggest questions.

Regina's book list on picture books that have more layers than cake

Regina Linke Why Regina loves this book

I love this classic picture book, because it's so meaty.

I find it beautifully balanced with a clear, strong plot and supporting details. Having my own young kids helped me recognize how skillfully Sendak weaves what happens to the boy with what happens within his imagination.

Even more touching is while the mother's punishment puts the story into play, Sendak bookends it with a plaintive act of repair. As a mother myself, I've also said unkind things that I regret in a moment of frustration, and it's incredibly moving to have that recognized in such a simple way.

By Maurice Sendak ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Where The Wild Things Are as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 2, 3, 4, and 5.

What is this book about?

When Max puts on his wolf suit and makes mischief, his mother calls him 'Wild Thing' and sends him to bed without any supper. Alone in his room, Max enters a magical world and sets sail across the sea to the place where the wild things are. The wild things roar their terrible roars and gnash their terrible teeth and roll their terrible eyes and show their terrible claws . . . But Max tames the wild things and is made their king. Will he ever want to go home?


Book cover of The Bridge

Regina Linke Author Of Little Helper

From my list on picture books that have more layers than cake.

Why am I passionate about this?

When I first started to teach my son how to be a good person, I came face-to-face with the question of what “goodness” even meant to me. Living in Taiwan at the time, I started studying what Chinese philosophy had to share on the topic, and I started drawing and writing stories that would make certain concepts easier for young readers to explore with their grown-ups. Parables and fables have long been engaging tools to convey morals and values. Though the values may change over time, I find the format to still be a wonderful tool to explore some of life's biggest questions.

Regina's book list on picture books that have more layers than cake

Regina Linke Why Regina loves this book

While some people might find this book to be one where nothing happens, I find it as tickling as a pipe cleaner through the brain.

This isn't easy to do in a children's picture book, but Lindström is a master. I think sparseness in both the illustrations and the words is the book's biggest strength, as it challenges the reader to take a few meager breadcrumbs and try piece to something together, and the more you try, the deeper you go down the rabbit hole of good, evil, intention, and reality.

By Eva Lindström , Annie Prime (translator) ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Bridge as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

“The Bridge is so many things at once. It is very funny, it is very mysterious, it is very beautiful, and it is like no book I’ve ever seen. I love it very much.” —Jon Klassen

From beloved Swedish children’s author-illustrator Eva Lindström, The Bridge is the story of two wolves, one pig, and a bridge—and what it means to embrace the absurd twists and turns that life sometimes has in store. Perfect for fans of the down-to-earth charm and wisdom of William Steig and the sly wit of Jon Klassen.

A pig drives by looking for a bridge but…


If you love Nadine Brun-Cosme...

Book cover of Look! Look!

Look! Look! by Uma Krishnaswami,

When a girl in India discovers a Stone slab on a weedy patch of land she calls to her friends, "Look! Look!" The children clear away the weeds and garbage and find more stones. They called their families to come and see. Word travels to villages nearby and more and…

Book cover of Waiting

Regina Linke Author Of Little Helper

From my list on picture books that have more layers than cake.

Why am I passionate about this?

When I first started to teach my son how to be a good person, I came face-to-face with the question of what “goodness” even meant to me. Living in Taiwan at the time, I started studying what Chinese philosophy had to share on the topic, and I started drawing and writing stories that would make certain concepts easier for young readers to explore with their grown-ups. Parables and fables have long been engaging tools to convey morals and values. Though the values may change over time, I find the format to still be a wonderful tool to explore some of life's biggest questions.

Regina's book list on picture books that have more layers than cake

Regina Linke Why Regina loves this book

Despite the constant presence of mobile devices, I think that life – at its core – is still an experience of watching and waiting.

I love that this book shows how we each wait for different things to happen, and how different things can make us happy. Things happen, some people come and stay, and some go, and nothing lasts forever. And that is also a part of life, a river that remains constantly in flux.

By Kevin Henkes ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Waiting as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

Caldecott Honor and Geisel Honor Book What are you waiting for? An owl, a puppy, a bear, a rabbit, and a pig-all toys arranged on a child's windowsill-wait for marvelous things to happen in this irresistible picture book by the New York Times-bestselling and Caldecott Medalist Kevin Henkes. Five friends sit happily on a windowsill, waiting for something amazing to happen. The owl is waiting for the moon. The pig is waiting for the rain. The bear is waiting for the wind. The puppy is waiting for the snow. And the rabbit is just looking out the window because he…


Book cover of Once There Were Wolves

Paula Cappa Author Of Wolf Magick

From my list on wolf books that inspire wolf spirit.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love the mystery and wisdom of wolves. When I began researching wolves to write my own wolf stories, I discovered they had not only keen instincts but shocking intuition. I read stacks of nonfiction books on wolves and wolf stories, too. I toured a wolf conservation. One of the wolves, a white wolf, looked me straight in the eye and held me there. A wolf’s eyes do more than see you. Her communication was almost a prayer. I went home and wrote a short story about a white wolf—"Sky Wolf, A Fairy Tale." And then I wrote a wolf novel. I’m in love with wild wolf spirit.

Paula's book list on wolf books that inspire wolf spirit

Paula Cappa Why Paula loves this book

We are in the Scottish Highlands and rewilding!

Reintroducing the wildlife into their natural habitat to flourish. Wolves! These gray wolves that are transported back into the wild changed my perspective about the beastly wolf vs. the gentle wolf who truly understands the wilderness within.

Inti Flynn is a young woman and the protector of wolves. She does this remarkably by giving all her love to them. And is love returned? Yes. I became fascinated and envious to be loved by a wolf after reading this beautiful story.

By Charlotte McConaghy ,

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked Once There Were Wolves as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A wild and gripping novel about one woman's quest to reintroduce wolves to the Scottish Highlands at any cost.

Inti Flynn arrives in the Scottish Highlands with fourteen grey wolves, a traumatised sister and fierce tenacity.

As a biologist, she knows the animals are the best hope for rewilding the ruined landscape and she cares little for local opposition. As a sister, she hopes the remote project will offer her twin, Aggie, a chance to heal after the horrific events that drove them both out of Alaska.

But violence dogs their footsteps and one night Inti stumbles over the body…


Book cover of Wolfish: Wolf, Self, and the Stories We Tell about Fear

N. S. Nuseibeh Author Of Namesake: Reflections on a Warrior Woman

From my list on nonfiction about lots of things at once.

Why am I passionate about this?

Although I’m an academic by training, I secretly struggle with heavy nonfiction tomes (think: massive histories of long-ago countries). I start reading these with the best intentions but quickly get sleepy, bored, or both, setting them aside and instead picking up a novel, which I’ll immediately devour. That’s why I love memoiristic, hybrid work so much: writing that pairs the intimacy of fiction with the information buffet of nonfiction, where you learn without realizing you’re learning. These books feel like a conversation with a close friend who is intelligent, thought-provoking, and passionate about various subjects—what could be better than that?

N.'s book list on nonfiction about lots of things at once

N. S. Nuseibeh Why N. loves this book

Let me start with a confession: I don’t care about wolves—or at least, I thought I didn’t until I read this book. Now, I’m mildly obsessed. I see a wolf on screen or mentioned in the news, and my adrenaline spikes; I feel excited. I now know about OR-7, the wolf that migrated from the Wallowa Mountains in Oregon to the southern Cascade Range.

I discovered that wolves are family animals, despite what we may have thought, and that they average a speed of 5 miles per hour. And somehow, learning all this was fun because this book wasn’t actually about wolves at all; it was about the idea of wolves—in history, in culture—and therefore, actually about so much more, including the author herself. I couldn’t put it down.

By Erica Berry ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Wolfish as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

For fans of Helen MacDonald’s H is for Hawk and Mary Roach, Erica Berry’s WOLFISH blends science, history, and cultural criticism in a years-long journey to understand our myths about wolves, and track one legendary wolf, OR-7, from the Wallowa Mountains of Oregon

OREGON BOOK AWARD WINNER * Shortlisted for the 2024 Pacific Northwest Book Award * A Most Anticipated Book of 2023: TIME, Los Angeles Times, Vulture, Salon, Bustle, The Rumpus, Financial Times, Reader's Digest, LitHub, Book Riot, Debutiful, and more!

"Exhilarating." ―The Washington Post

"Wolfish starts with a single wolf and spirals through nuanced investigations of fear, gender,…


If you love Big Wolf and Little Wolf...

Book cover of If I Could Choose a Best Day: Poems of Possibility

If I Could Choose a Best Day by Irene Latham,

A fresh, fun, inspiring illustrated poetry collection you can put in the hands of any reader.

Curated by the award-winning duo Irene Latham and Charles Waters, this collection contains 30 poems that all begin with the same word: "if." Subject matter moves from the practical "if you have a pencil"…

Book cover of The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs

Maxine Rose Schur Author Of Finley Finds His Fortune

From my list on children’s stories with the magic of three.

Why am I passionate about this?

I teach writing for children and I’ve analyzed the elements that make a winning story. One of these elements is the magic of three. My idea for Finley Finds his Fortune, was sparked by a desire to write a folk tale with the magic of three and also by my visit to Whitechurch, the last working watermill in England. I was awed by the power and beauty of its water wheel so I wove a water mill into my story. To do this, I had to first study how a mill works. That’s what I love about writing children’s booksthat I can explore my own personal interests and passions.

Maxine's book list on children’s stories with the magic of three

Maxine Rose Schur Why Maxine loves this book

As author John Scieszka himself says he’s sold “bazilions of books” so he sure doesn’t need my endorsement but this is such a funny book I couldn’t resist. Yes, it tells the familiar story of the three little pigs but it does so in a wildly unfamiliar wayfrom the wolf’s point of view. Alexander T. Wolf tells the reader what really happened and professes his innocence. Despite having a cold, he was baking a cake for his dear grandmother when he needed to borrow a cup of sugar from the neighboring pig. What happens next he declares was not his fault yet he’s gotten a bad rap ever since. This is an offbeat, fractured fairytale that completely reverses the message of the original tale to give a new one: there are always two sides to every story.

By Jon Scieszka , Lane Smith (illustrator) ,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The wolf gives his own outlandish version of what really happened when he tangled with the three little pigs.


Book cover of Julie of the Wolves

Susan English Author Of Callisto 2.0

From my list on capturing the essence of the human condition.

Why am I passionate about this?

Back in the mid-80s, at the tender age of 19, I dropped out of college, and with $800 of hard-earned cash and my bicycle, booked a one-way ticket to Europe. This would be the first chapter of a life of adventure and self-discovery. Through my experiences, I have gained a deeper understanding of the fundamental human qualities which transcend cultural boundaries—in short, the human condition. And what better way to explore the rich and varied tapestry of our collective humanity than through the stories we tell? I hope you enjoy my (far too abbreviated!) eclectic list of books. 

Susan's book list on capturing the essence of the human condition

Susan English Why Susan loves this book

As a young girl, most afternoons you could find me up a tree, book in hand. My favorite stories all had a common theme: animals. I felt a stronger connection to the animal world than to my own species. When I first read Julie of the Wolves at the age of 8, I was far too young to understand all the social implications of being a barely pubescent orphaned girl forced into a child marriage, but I resonated with the overwhelming desire to escape the confusion and pressures of human relationships. How I longed to be Julie, living among the wolves! 

By Jean Craighead George , John Schoenherr (illustrator) ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Julie of the Wolves as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 10, 11, 12, and 13.

What is this book about?

The thrilling Newbery Medal–winning classic about a girl lost on the Alaskan tundra and how she survives with the help of a wolf pack.

Julie of the Wolves is a staple in the canon of children’s literature and the first in the Julie trilogy. The survival theme makes it a good pick for readers of wilderness adventures such as My Side of the Mountain, Hatchet, or Island of the Blue Dolphins.

This edition, perfect for classroom or home use, includes John Schoenherr’s original scratchboard illustrations throughout, as well as bonus materials such as an introduction written by Jean Craighead George’s…


Book cover of Through Wolf's Eyes

Alea Henle Author Of Sanctuary Hall

From my list on fantasy novels with mysterious missing parents.

Why am I passionate about this?

Once upon a time, I came to the realization that I had no idea what my parents were thinking, much less anyone else. This has turned into a life of repeated musing over how much I do and don't understand about other people. More recently, my mother's death brought to light the many different ways family and friends remembered her, with joy and pain, loss and wariness. I chose this topic for the list because these books help highlight and explore the mysteriousness of family and memory and how a person can be whole and complete and sure of what they've lived through, only to turn and see a new angle never before recognized.

Alea's book list on fantasy novels with mysterious missing parents

Alea Henle Why Alea loves this book

I admire so much the time, patience, and thought put into Firekeeper. She's not a human wolf; she's a wolf in a human body with human limitations, faced with frustrations in trying to shift between the body-oriented language of wolves and the verbal-focused language of humans while staying true to herself.

I'm also in awe of how Lindskold layers in so many different cultures and approaches to power and how characters see themselves.

This is a book (and a series) I reread regularly, and I always find some aspects I hadn't noticed before. All that, and great characters on top. Firekeeper, of course, but I also respect and admire Derian, Elyse, Blind Seer, Sapphire, and so many more.

By Jane Lindskold ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Through Wolf's Eyes as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Born human, raised by wolves, Firekeeper seems the last person anyone would choose to back as a candidate for heir apparent to a royal throne. Nonetheless, when Firekeeper and her wolf “brother,” Blind Seer, travel with Earl Kestrel’s expedition into the kingdom of Hawk Haven, the earl thrusts the wolf-woman into the midst of the heated intrigue surrounding who will be chosen as the heir of elderly King Tedric.

Soon, the only thing the competing factions seem able to agree upon is that Firekeeper is an enemy. Firekeeper may not be able to read or write. She may struggle to…


If you love Nadine Brun-Cosme...

Book cover of Boomer Sees the Town

Boomer Sees the Town by Diann Floyd Boehm,

Discover the first adventure in the Curious Bunny series!

In Boomer Sees the Town, Boomer leaves the forest to explore the wonders, sounds, and surprises of the big city. Perfect for curious minds and early readers, this heartwarming children’s story encourages imagination, discovery, and kindness.

Written by award-winning author…

Book cover of Deadly Trespass

Meredith Marple Author Of The Year Mrs. Cooper Got Out More: A Great Wharf Novel

From my list on people with other animals in the mix.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a former independent publisher and current writer of memoir and fiction. My degree was in zoology (animal biology), which got me my first job in educational publishing. After a solid career in textbooks, I switched over to trade publishing and finally writing. I may have left the "hard science" behind, but I continue to be fascinated by human and animal behavior, which shows up in my reading and writing. 

Meredith's book list on people with other animals in the mix

Meredith Marple Why Meredith loves this book

The animal is a wild pack of gray wolves. Also a dog. The human is a capable and complex fifty-year-old divorcee who is determined not to let politics defeat the wilderness in her state of Maine. A vibrant and educational novel. Though I live in Maine part-time, I’m an indoorsy type. Author Neily is an outdoorsy type, and she proves it with her plots, settings, and characters.

By Sandra Neily ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Deadly Trespass as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Winner: Mystery Writers of America McCloy Award. National finalist: Women’s Fiction Writers Association “Rising Star” contest.

Cassandra Patton Conover is about to become an outlaw. Searching for her wayward dog in Maine’s dense woods, she finds her best friend Shannon crushed under a tree. Then she finds tracks larger than any animal she knows and a mystery only wild animals can help her solve.

Before she can absorb the loss of her friend, Patton is hired to guide a surly reporter who suspects extinct wolves have returned to Maine, but the forest has too many agendas. A billionaire hopes wolves…


Book cover of They All Saw a Cat
Book cover of Where The Wild Things Are
Book cover of The Bridge

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,340

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in wolves, loneliness, and World War 1?

Wolves 137 books
Loneliness 39 books
World War 1 975 books