October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and OAA knows domestic violence affects animals too. This month’s book, Denali’s New Life, written by Karey Burek, PhD, and the Animal Welfare Institute, highlights a book that follows the true story of a dog named Denali, a dog that was severely impacted by domestic violence but found a new lease on life.

Colder temperatures are around the corner, OAA knows how difficult it can be to see cats outdoors and wonder what you can do to help. That’s why we are highlighting a book that introduces young readers to community cats and how we can best support them through teamwork and education. Read about Nobody’s Cats: How One Little Black Kitty Came in From the Cold by Valerie Ingram and Alistair Schroff.

Community cats. Some people love them, while others may not understand them or why they’re here. As the seasons change and concerns about outdoor animals grow, OAA wanted to highlight a book for adult readers that takes a closer look at community cats through one person’s journey into TNVR (trap-neuter-vaccinate-return), backed by research and real-world experience.

This month, Ohio Animal Advocates is highlighting a book that is perfect to acknowledge Wellness Month which is observed every August. Wellness is important for all creatures, and author Temple Grandin delves into this and more in Animals Make Us Human: Creating the Best Life for Animals. This book is written for high school/college readers and older as it deals with more complex and potentially heavy topics.

This month, OAA is highlighting a fantastic book to introduce young children (recommended for ages 0–3) to some of Ohio’s most common wildlife. Curious Critters Ohio features stunning photos of animals and engaging, simple language that encourages young nature lovers and their families to keep an eye and ear out for critters in their own backyards.

When a beloved animal becomes sick or injured, most people expect veterinary decisions to be guided by medical expertise, compassion, and the best interests of the patient. But what happens when financial investors increasingly shape the veterinary industry? That is the central question explored in Pets for Profit: An Insider's Account of How Private Equity Ruined Veterinary Care

This month, we’re highlighting Evie is a Dog, NOT a Robot: Understanding Assistance Dogs by Jennifer Gravrok, a heartfelt and accessible story that gently reshapes how we think about assistance animals.

Elizabeth Finch’s Colony Tails: Lessons From the Alley is a tender, story-driven window into community cat life—told with the kind of quiet honesty that doesn’t sensationalize suffering, but also doesn’t look away from it. Rather than presenting colony management as a checklist or a debate, Finch centers what often gets lost in public conversation: the lived experience of outdoor cats and the complicated, deeply human relationships that form around them.

Shelter overpopulation is often framed as an unavoidable reality of animal welfare work. In Getting to Zero: A Roadmap to Ending Shelter Overpopulation, Peter Marsh challenges that narrative head-on, arguing that overpopulation is not inevitable—it is the result of policy choices, resource allocation, and a failure to prioritize prevention.

In Penelope: The World of Each Other, author Paul Bochner offers a moving and intimate memoir that challenges the way we understand and relate to wildlife. Through his evolving relationship with a wild deer named Penelope, Bochner invites readers to witness the depth of connection, communication, and shared experience that can exist between humans and the animals who live alongside us.

If you’re looking for a fun, meaningful, and educational resource to introduce children to the world of animals, kindness, and responsible pet care, Maddie’s® Tail Wag is a wonderful place to start. Created by Maddie’s Fund and beautifully illustrated by Dr. Laurie Peek, this two-part activity and coloring series brings humane education to life for kids ages 6 and under as well as children ages 7–10.

Some books break your heart. Others ignite it. Dr. Nancy Kay’s middle-grade novel A Dog Named 647 manages to do both. Inspired by the hidden world of puppy mills, this story follows twelve-year-old Mia, who discovers an emaciated retriever identified only as 647. What begins as one girl’s encounter with a neglected dog quickly unfolds into a journey of courage, friendship, and activism.