With the festive season just around the corner, there is no better time to get ahead on holiday gifting with stories that celebrate our canine companions. For adult readers, our November 2026 Dog Lovers Book Club picks cover every angle of the bond we share with our dogs—from a star-studded essay collection and a globe-trotting vet memoir, to an art-history showpiece and a pocket-sized mindfulness guide that make thoughtful presents for any bookshelf.
For younger readers, our Kids Corner offers the perfect mix of adventure, laughs, and heart to unwrap on Christmas morning. From action-packed graphic novels and Aussie wildlife rescues for independent readers, to quirky playground squabbles, lessons in boundaries, and gentle bedtime tales for little ones, there is a feel-good story here for every young animal lover on your list.
THE BEST DOG IN THE WORLD
Essays on Love
by Alice Hoffman
Fourteen beloved authors celebrate the life-changing bond with their canine companions in this heart-warming essay collection edited by New York Times bestselling author and lifelong dog lover Alice Hoffman.
Anyone who has ever been fortunate enough to share their life with a dog knows the experience is both profound and transformative. Here, in this charming collection of essays, fourteen celebrated authors share unforgettable tales of the dogs who left their pawprints on their hearts.
With contributions from Isabel Allende, Chris Bohjalian, Bonnie Garmus, Roxane Gay, Emily Henry, Ann Leary, Tova Mirvis, Jodi Picoult, Elizabeth Strout, Amy Tan, Adriana Trigiani, Nick Trout, Paul Yoon, and Laura Zigman, The Best Dog in the World captures the full range of the canine-human connection, from the joy of welcoming a new puppy to the heartache of saying goodbye to a beloved friend.
A love letter to the loyal companions who enrich our lives and teach us about empathy, joy, and unconditional love, this anthology is the perfect gift for dog lovers everywhere, offering a blend of laughter, tears, and inspiration that will resonate with anyone who has been fur-ever touched by the love of a dog.
Hardcover, 240 pages
Publisher: Scribner, 10th March 2026
Price: $34.99 from www.amazon.com.au
FAR AND WILD
Adventures of the Worldwide Vet
by Dr. Cliff Redford
Full of unforgettable encounters, Far and Wild shines a light on the deep bond between humans and animals and celebrates empathy, connection, and the extraordinary impact one person can have on the world.
You might know Dr. Cliff Redford as the friendly veterinarian who answers burning pet questions on Canada’s Global News, but Dr. Cliff is also a globetrotter, a risk-taker, a marathoner, a black belt, a loving father, and a guy who just can’t sit down. But his best-known role is as a champion to animals the world over: the Worldwide Vet.
In this charming memoir, Dr. Cliff opens up about his life and travels as a veterinarian without borders, sharing insights from his surprising, funny, sometimes heart-wrenching, and often dangerous work. From well-fed Athens street cats, to a monkey in India in a dangerous situation, a cyclopean crocodile in Jamaica named one-eyed Jack, and people’s beloved pets around the globe — Dr. Cliff helps them all, with his vast veterinary knowledge, his jovial wit, and his big heart.
Part vet stories and part personal odyssey, Far and Wild shines a light on the trials and tribulations of veterinary medicine as Dr. Cliff carefully details the techniques and procedures he uses to diagnose and treat his patients. It will also teach you a little about that most enigmatic of animals — people — as he tells the story of his own journey and highlights passionate teams all around the world who dedicate their lives to fight for the creatures who can’t fight for themselves.
Trade Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: ECW Press, 10th November 2026
Price: $37.77 from www.amazon.com.au
THE DOG’S GAZE
A Visual History
by Thomas W Laqueur (Author)
From award-winning cultural historian, an enlightening and unique meditation on the presence of dogs in art, from the Paleolithic era to the present, and what our intertwined human-canine relationship reveals about human nature.
Long before the phrase man's best friend became common parlance, dogs were already standing beside us in art as in life. In The Dog's Gaze, the historian Thomas W. Laqueur invites us to explore why they feature more than any other animal in the ways in which we picture ourselves and our stories.
Dogs have been ubiquitous in the worldmaking of visual artists as far back as the Paleolithic age. Looking across the Western tradition, from Giotto to Goya and Rubens to Rego, Laqueur shows what their presence--as hunting partners, beloved friends, and even conduits to the afterlife--reveals about our own ways of seeing and how we want to be remembered.
Far from being mere motifs, dogs are an integral and intentional element of the images in which they appear: They provide narrative coherence; they look out and bear witness, often on the artist's behalf; they illuminate our understanding of morality and melancholy and some, like us, become celebrities. Indeed, as Laqueur reveals, dogs in art are our social doppelgängers, our companions in looking and being.
Hardcover, 400 pages
Publisher: Penguin Press, 2 June 2026
Price: $60.09 from www.amazon.com.au
THE DOG CODE
Ancient Wisdom: Live, Lead & Love Better
By Wendy Alexander
What if the secret to beating burnout and living with authentic joy has been snoozing at your feet all along?
While we spend our days chasing to-do lists and overthinking every step, our dogs have already mastered the art of simple living: they love without condition, take naps without apology, forgive in an instant, and find pure magic in the most ordinary moments.
Blending warmth, humour, and practical life advice, The Dog Code translates canine instincts into actionable lessons for busy humans. Inside, you'll discover how to set guilt-free boundaries, drop the emotional baggage you were never meant to carry, and approach each day with the joyful abandon of someone who just realized the front gate was left wide open.
Part mindfulness reset and part affectionate tribute to our four-legged companions, this charming, pocket-sized guide makes an uplifting stocking stuffer for dog lovers, overworked friends, and anyone ready to slow down and simply be.
Paperback, 157 pages (Free on Kindle Unlimited or $4.21 to buy)
Publisher: Independently published, December 12, 2025
Price: $12.92 from www.amazon.com.au
BOOK CLUB - KIDS CORNER
DOG MAN
A Sprinkle in Time
A Graphic Novel (Dog Man #15)
by Dav Pilkey (Author)
Power up with Dog Man: A Sprinkle in Time from the #1 global bestselling series by Dav Pilkey!
Buckle up for the newest Dog Man space-capade! Mischievous villain Grampa is back with more lies and trickery as he alters the fabric of time, turning Dog Man's world upside down. And to top it off, Nurse Lady has been kidnapped by the Space Cuties and imprisoned on Planet Precious with Li'l Petey and Molly.
Our heroes Dog Man, Petey, and Chief blast off aboard Petey's Space Shark to rescue their friends from the evil Professor Puddin' Pop. But when their spaceship is swallowed up and destroyed, their mission takes a dangerous turn. Who will light the way when hope dangles by a single, trembling thread? Who will step up and save the day? Action, suspense, time travel, and humour -- it's the saga of the century!
Hardcover, 240 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Inc, 4 November 2026
For Ages: 7 to 12 years
Price: $16.99 from www.booktopia.com.au
SNIFF SQUAD
Maya Follows Her Nose
By Nic Gill, illustrated by Jake A Minton
When Maya the Border Collie is abandoned at the local animal shelter, she’s scared she’ll never find a forever home. But just as her hope starts to fade, Dr Romane ‘Rom’ Cristescu appears, looking for a dog with a keen nose to help with her research. Rom needs a pup to help her find koalas by sniffing out their poo – could Maya be the perfect dog for the job?
Join Maya and her new friends on a koala conservation adventure, as she faces her fears and learns some new tricks. Maya Follows Her Nose is a story of embracing your uniqueness, finding courage, and lending a paw for wildlife – one sniff at a time!
Paperback, 100 pages
Publisher: UWA Publishing, 1 September 2026
For Ages: From 7 to 12 years
Price: $16.75 from www.booktopia.com.au
DOGS AND BEARS
By Max Porter, Dorothee de Monfreid (Illustrator)
This third brawl just happened. Nobody knew why . . .
The dogs and the bears have been brawling for a while. No one knows quite how it started.
Was it the jackets, cloaks and bandanas the dogs were wearing? Or the smell of the sickly sweets that the dogs were making? But today is the day of the third deciding brawl. The stage is set. NO snack breaks and no biscuits.
But halfway through the world is interrupted by an unexpected airborne event - raining squid! This will change the relationship of the dogs and bears forever . . .
A funny and sublimely ridiculous story about playground squabbling and peace - and a first children's book from a bestselling author and world-renowned French illustrator.
Hardcover, 32 pages
Publisher: Faber, 20th October 2026
For Ages: 3 - 7 years old
Price: $21.75 from www.amazon.com.au
WAFFLES & JULIUS
No Hugs Please!
by Ed Vere
Introducing Waffles and Julius: a new grumpy/sunshine duo and the stars of this brilliantly funny, brand-new picture book.
Focused on friendship and respecting each other's differences, No Hugs Please comes from the mind of Ed Vere, the bestselling creator of Max the Brave and How to Be a Lion.
Meet Waffles and Julius. Waffles loves hugs. Julius does not. Waffles would love a hug right now. Will Waffles get a hug?
Paperback, 32 pages
Publisher: Penguin UK, Picture Puffin, 16 June 2026
For Ages: 3 - 7 years old
Price: $16.75 from www.amazon.com.au
INVISIBLE DOGS
By Kiah Thomas, Jake A Minton (Illustrator)
Have you ever seen an invisible dog?
You’ll never meet a better dog than Charlie. He always comes when he’s called, never needs a bath and is always allowed in the car… even when he’s soaking wet!
Sometimes it’s a little lonely when no one else can see your dog. But best friends have a funny way of helping you find exactly what you need.
Hardcover, 32 pages
Publisher: Little Book Press, 27th October 2026
For Ages: 3 - 7 years old
Price: $21.75 from www.booktopia.com.au









