When Ivan, a gorilla who has lived for years in a down-and-out circus-themed mall, meets Ruby, a baby elephant that has been added to the mall, he decides that he must find her a better life.

Rob, who passes the time in his rural Florida community by wood carving, is drawn by his spunky but angry friend Sistine into a plan to free a caged tiger.

"Noe says, -I must build a boat. -A boat, she says. -A ship, more like. I'll need the boys to help, he adds as an afterthought. -We're leagues from the sea, she says, or any river big enough to warrant a boat. This conversation is making Noe impatient. -I've no need to explain myself to you. -And when you're done, she says carefully, we'll be taking this ship to the sea somehow? As usual, Noe's impatience fades quickly. -We'll not be going to...

When he finds a lost beagle in the hills behind his West Virginia home, Marty tries to hide it from his family and the dog's real owner, a mean-spirited man known to shoot deer out of season and to mistreat his dogs.

After visiting the Humane Shelter, ten-year-old Calvin wants to help every dog there but finds it an almost impossible job.

Two young brothers learn to care for their new kittens.

"An earthquake shakes Zoey's house. Or maybe it's a unicorn-quake? An enormous new friend arrives in a lot of pain, and it's getting worse every day. Zoey must work with her mom and Sassafras to find a cure--and quickly!"--

Exploring an ancient whaling station in the Arctic circle, two Dutch brothers risk their lives in an attempt to stop the crew members of a whaling boat from harpooning a Greenland whale.

"Did someone steal Bella for her valuable puppies? Neil thinks so, and he's determined to track down the dog-napper before it's too late ..."

Brenna, one of the volunteers at Dr. Mac's Place animal clinic, is horrified to find a dog caught in a trap in the local nature preserve, but subsequent events prove that every story has two sides.