Dog and Cat Books for Kids and a Story Starring Your Child
Make a story like this with your child as the hero
For a lot of children, the family dog or cat isn't a pet at all: it's a sibling with fur. They tell it secrets, save it the last bite of toast and insist it sleeps at the end of their bed. If that sounds like your house, this guide is for you.
Here you'll find the dog books for kids and cat books that families read until the pages come loose, a gentle pet bedtime story to tell tonight, a simple six-step way to invent your own, and how to turn it into a printed picture book: a story starring your child and your pet, both drawn from your own photos.
Dog Books and Cat Books for Kids
Animal stories are among the first books children ask for by name. These six cover everything from lift-the-flap books for babies to stories with a proper twist for older listeners.
Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell: a child writes to the zoo for a pet, and every animal that arrives is too big, too tall or too grumpy, until they send the perfect one. A lift-the-flap classic for the very youngest.
Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy by Lynley Dodd: a scruffy little dog sets off through town, collecting his doggy friends, until they all meet the fearsome cat Scarface Claw. Bouncy rhymes that children learn by heart.
Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion and Margaret Bloy Graham: Harry hides his bath brush and runs away, and comes home so dirty his family doesn't know him. Funny, and a sneaky help at bath time.
Mog the Forgetful Cat by Judith Kerr: Mog forgets everything, gets into trouble for it, and then becomes the hero of the night. A gentle family favourite for more than fifty years.
Six Dinner Sid by Inga Moore: Sid the cat lives at six different houses on the same street and gets six dinners a day, until the neighbours start talking to each other. Clever and very good to read aloud.
Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin and James Dean: Pete steps in strawberries, blueberries and mud, and keeps singing anyway. A cheerful lesson in not minding when things change.
Each of them works because the animal has a personality: a habit, a fear, a funny way of doing things. Your own pet has one too, and that's what makes a story about them so easy to begin.
A Five-Minute Pet Bedtime Story
Here is a quiet story to tell as the lights go down. Swap in your child's name for Sam and your pet's name for Pepper, and let your voice get slower towards the end.
Every night, Pepper the dog did three things before bed: a stretch, a big yawn and one last look out of the window. But tonight, Pepper was pacing up and down and would not settle.
"What's wrong, Pepper?" whispered Sam. Pepper went to the door, came back, and went to the door again. So Sam put on slippers and followed, very quietly, down the stairs.
In the kitchen, Pepper sniffed along the cupboards, under the table and behind the bread bin. And there, in the very corner, curled up in the laundry basket, was Pepper's old blanket, the soft one with the frayed edge, which someone had put in to be washed.
Sam lifted it out and carried it upstairs. Pepper followed, tail wagging so hard it thumped on every step. The blanket went back in its place, Pepper turned round three times and lay down with a happy sigh, and Sam climbed back into bed.
And the last thing Sam heard before falling asleep was a very small, very contented snore.
Change the pet, the lost thing and the hiding place, and you have a new story every night. Children love suggesting where it might be hiding next.
Make It Their Own: a Pet Story Recipe
Six short answers are all it takes. Say each one with a little detail and the story fills about five minutes.
The two heroes: your child's name and age, and your pet's name, with one thing that makes it look like itself. A floppy ear, a white sock on one paw, a tail that never stops.
Home ground: a place your pet knows well. The back garden, the sofa, the path to the park, the spot in the sun by the window.
The pet's funny habit: the thing everyone in the family talks about. It steals socks, it sleeps in the washing basket, it is scared of the hoover.
The small problem: something the two of them could solve together. A lost toy, a strange noise, a new neighbour's cat on the fence.
The clever moment: what your child notices or does, and how the pet helps. A paw print, a sniff in the right direction, a brave bark.
Home and cosy: the way your evenings really end. The pet's bed, a last cuddle, the lights going out.
A Worked Example: Mia and the Squeaky Red Ball
Here are the six answers for a little girl called Mia and her dog.
The two heroes: Mia, in her yellow raincoat, and Biscuit, a scruffy little terrier with a teal collar.
Home ground: the house with the blue back door, the kitchen with the checked floor, and the garden full of flowerpots.
The pet's funny habit: Biscuit takes his squeaky red ball everywhere.
The small problem: the ball has vanished, and Biscuit can't settle without it.
The clever moment: Mia follows a trail of muddy paw prints, out into the garden, past a cheeky magpie, and then notices the prints turn back inside.
Home and cosy: the ball is under the blanket in Biscuit's own bed, the very last place they look. Squeak! Just in time for bed.
This is a real example from Photo9's story writer. We gave it Mia's name, her age, that she loves her dog, and one of the ready stories below: a favourite toy gone missing. It wrote the fourteen pages and drew every picture. Mia and Biscuit aren't real: we drew them as a sample.
From Story to Book: a Personalised Pet Book
The best part of a pet story is that your pet can really be in it. Photo9 makes a personalised pet book where your child is the hero and your own dog, cat or rabbit is drawn as their sidekick, each from a photo.
Add a photo of your child. We draw them as a storybook character first, free of charge, so you see the likeness before you decide. The photo is only used to draw the book and is deleted afterwards; it is never shared or used to train AI.
Add a photo of your pet. Your pet joins as a companion, drawn from its own photo with its own colours, and you tell us its name and anything else about it.
Choose the story. Tap a ready pet story below, or type your six answers in your own words.
Pick a look and the reader's age. 3D animation, watercolour or classic storybook, with short lines for toddlers or richer sentences for older readers.
Read every page before ordering. Change any word and add your own dedication on the first page.
The book is a 30-page square hardcover with 14 illustrated scenes, printed in your region. Up to three companions can join, so a brother, a grandparent and the cat can all be in the same story.
Ready Pet Stories to Start From
Rather not write anything yourself? Pick one of these. Each is written around your child and your pet: their names, their age and their habits.
The lost ball: their pet's favourite toy is missing, and the two of them follow the clues.
The day our pet could talk: for one whole day, the family pet can talk, and has a lot to say.
Welcome home, little one: a new puppy or kitten comes home, and your child helps it feel safe.
Christmas with our pet: on Christmas Eve, the family pet hears sleigh bells.
A big adventure together: leave it to us, with a day out with the family pet and home again.
Each link opens the book maker with that story already chosen. Nothing is printed until you order.
Gifts for Pet Lovers
A child who loves their pet doesn't need another plush dog. A book where the two of them are the heroes, with the pet's real colours and its real name, is something they can't buy anywhere else, which makes it one of the more personal gifts for pet lovers of any age. It also makes a lovely way to remember a pet who is getting old. A few tips:
Choose clear photos. Your child facing the camera in daylight; your pet with its face and markings easy to see.
Mention the habits. The sock thief, the sunny-spot sleeper, the one who hates the hoover: details like these make it unmistakably theirs.
Write a few lines on the first page. A dedication from you, a grandparent or a godparent makes it a keepsake.
Send it straight to them. Put their address in at checkout and the book arrives at their door.
For more ideas, see our guide to personal photo book birthday gifts. And if your phone is full of pet photos, you can also make a photo book of your child's drawings, pets included.
Reading It Together
Be ready to read it many times. Children love pointing out their pet in every picture, doing the pet's noises at the right moments and checking the real pet against the drawn one. Some even read it to the pet, which is very good practice.
Does your child have other big loves? Our guides to dinosaur books and a story starring your child, unicorn books and space books use the same recipe, and our Christmas story starring your child has ideas for December. All our personalised children's books start with one photo, for bedtime, birthdays, a new baby or the first day at school.
Questions Parents Ask
Can our own pet really be in the book?
Yes. Add a photo of your dog, cat, rabbit or guinea pig as a companion and we draw them next to your child on every page where they appear, with their own colours and markings and the name you give them.
What if we don't have a pet yet?
Then describe the pet your child dreams of, like "a fluffy grey kitten called Smudge", and the story writer draws that one. It also makes a sweet book for a pet that's on its way.
How many photos do you need?
One clear photo of your child, and one of each companion. We draw everyone once and paint every picture from those drawings, so they look like themselves throughout.
Can brothers and sisters join too?
Yes. Up to three companions in total, people or pets, each drawn from their own photo.
When does it arrive?
Most books arrive within a week, and checkout shows the delivery date before you pay. Making the drawings and the story takes only a few minutes.
