Teacher with glasses smiling and kneeling next to a student at a desk. The student is working on an animal-themed drawing and smiling.

RedRover Readers: Curriculum and Resources

For trained educators and volunteers

Below is everything needed to implement the RedRover Readers curriculum. Questions?
Contact RedRover at (916) 429-2457 or Readers@RedRover.org.

Have you recently read with your students using the RedRover Readers curriculum?

CASEL Wheel

The RedRover Readers program is aligned with the Core Competencies for social and emotional learning (SEL) as identified by CASEL (the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning). Below is a list of books and teaching guides used in the RedRover Readers program that best align with the stated objectives and SEL competencies.

The program aligns to other standards as well. For a complete list of Common Core standards aligned with the program, visit our Standards Guide.

 

Download this list as a PDF:

View our full list of Recommended Books with Humane Themes

Alya and the
Three Cats

SEL Alignment:

  • Social awareness
  • Self-awareness

Buddy Unchained

Rufo Liberado

Call the Horse Lucky

  • Teaching Guide

    SEL Alignment:

  • Self-management
  • Responsible decision-making

The Cat Man
of Aleppo

SEL Alignment:

  • Social and self-awareness
  • Responsible decision-making
  • Relationship skills

Cookie's Fortune

SEL Alignment:

  • Self-management
  • Responsible decision-making

The Forgotten Rabbit

SEL Alignment:

  • Social awareness
  • Self-awareness

Hens for Friends

SEL Alignment:

  • Self-management and awareness
  • Responsible decision-making

Jeannie Houdini

SEL Alignment:

  • Self-management
  • Responsible decision-making

"Let's Get a Pup"
Said Kate

SEL Alignment:

  • Self-management
  • Self-awareness
  • Responsible decision-making

Looking out for Sarah

SEL Alignment:

  • Social and self-awareness
  • Responsible decision-making
  • Relationship skills

Lost and Found Cat

SEL Alignment:

  • Social and self-awareness
  • Responsible decision-making
  • Relationship skills

Max Talks to Me

SEL Alignment:

  • Social awareness

Nobody's Cats

SEL Alignment:

  • Social awareness
  • Self-awareness
  • Responsible decision-making

Out of the Cold

SEL Alignment:

  • Social and self-awareness
  • Responsible decision-making
  • Relationship skills

Rescue & Jessica

SEL Alignment:

  • Social and self-awareness
  • Responsible decision-making
  • Relationship skills

So, What's It Like
to be a Cat?

SEL Alignment:

  • Self-awareness
  • Social awareness

Thinker: My Puppy Poet and Me

SEL Alignment:

  • Self-awareness
  • Self-management
  • Social awareness

The Restricted Adventures of Raja eBook

SEL Alignment:

  • Social awareness
  • Self-awareness
  • Relationship skills

Goose Girl

SEL Alignment:

  • Social and self-awareness
  • Self-management
  • Responsbile decision-making

Johnny's Pheasant

SEL Alignment:

  • Social and self-awareness
  • Relationship skills
  • Responsible decision-making

The Girl and the Wolf

SEL Alignment:

  • Social awareness
  • Self-awareness
  • Self-management

What's the Most Beautiful Thing You Know About Horses?

SEL Alignment:

  • Social and self-awareness
  • Self-management

Winter's Gifts

SEL Alignment:

  • Social awareness
  • Self-awareness
  • Responsible decision-making

The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses

SEL Alignment:

  • Self-awareness
  • Responsible decision-making

Mashkiki Road

SEL Alignment:

  • Social and self-awareness
  • Responsible decision-making
  • Self-management

Summer's Magic

SEL Alignment:

  • Social awareness
  • Self-awareness
  • Responsible decision-making

Bowwow Powwow

SEL Alignment:

  • Social and self-awareness
  • Relationship skills
  • Responsible decision-making

Gift Horse

SEL Alignment:

  • Self-awareness
  • Responsible decision-making

The RedRover Readers Program books

Lost and Found Cat : The True Story of Kunkush's Incredible Journey
The Cat Man of Aleppo
So, What's It Like to Be a Cat?
Alya and the Three Cats
Looking Out for Sarah
Thinker: My Puppy Poet and Me
Out of the Cold
Buddy Unchained
Max Talks to Me
Nobody's Cats: How one little black kitty came in from the cold
Call the Horse Lucky
Cookie's Fortune
The Forgotten Rabbit
Hens for Friends
The Restricted Adventures of Raja: Book 1 Becoming Rover
Rescue & Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship
Jeannie Houdini: A Hamster's Tale


View The RedRover Readers Program books on Goodreads »

A Home for Nathan

SEL Alignment:

  • None

Duncan & Dolores

SEL Alignment:

  • None

Freckles & Willie

SEL Alignment:

  • None

Ginger Finds a Home

SEL Alignment:

  • Social awareness

Lucky Boy

SEL Alignment:

  • Social and self-awareness
  • Relationship skills
  • Responsible decision-making

Mrs. Crump's Cat

SEL Alignment:

  • Social and self-awareness
  • Relationship skills
  • Responsible decision-making

Oh, Theodore! 

SEL Alignment:

  • Self-awareness
  • Social awareness

Orville: A Dog Story

CASEL Alignment:

  • Social awareness

Click on a state/province below to download applicable PDF

RedRover Readers Book Loan

Book loans are available to teachers who are having difficulty locating RedRover Readers books on their own.

Student Participation Certificate

Share this with students who participate in RedRover Readers sessions.

RedRover Readers Pencils

Email us to request free RedRover Readers pencils for your students!

Tip Sheet:
Arranging a Visit

Tip Sheet:
Classroom Management

Tip Sheet:
Implementing the Program

Tip Sheet: Pre-Visit Checklist

Canine Body Language Coloring Page

created by Sarah Wilson

Canine Body Language Tip Sheet

created by Sarah Wilson

The RedRover Readers program promotes empathy by presenting powerful stories, encouraging children to put themselves in the place of animals, and asking questions that promote critical thinking. A 2009 pilot study of the RedRover Readers program (then called the Humane Education Ambassador Readers) conducted by Inverness Research, Inc. suggests that the program:

  • Builds self-esteem and motivates students to take an important subject seriously.
  • Stimulates additional student-directed learning.
  • Builds students’ knowledge and potentially affects their behaviors related to caring for pets.
  • Builds students’ empathy and compassion for pets.

Kind News
Digital Issues

RedRover
Reporters

Empathy Ebook