All in a Day’s Work: Animals with Jobs!

by John Patrick Green

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6 books

It’s off to work – for these industrious animal characters! Check out this list for stories of animals who are construction workers, art models, astronauts, shoe-makers, and teachers!

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Kitten Construction Company: Meet the House Kittens

John Patrick Green, 2018

One of the things I think just about everyone finds frustrating about getting jobs – especially at the beginning of your career – is getting enough experience and credibility for people to hire you! I wanted to write a book that explores that – and combines that problem with the very funny challenge of having kittens try to get serious professional work in a world populated by humans. (As you might expect, the humans are all too distracted by how adorable the kittens are to notice their professional skills!)

Pawcasso

Pawcasso, the subject of Remy Lai’s adorable graphic novel, is a dog with two jobs: he’s a delivery dog and also an artist model! This book follows its protagonist, Jo, as she sees Pawcasso and his delivery basket traveling around town solo and spends her summer solving the mystery of what’s up with this friendly, diligent dog. This book also includes a great art galley of portraits of Pawcasso from the students at the library art class who use him as their model.

New Shoes

Sara Varon, 2018

Francis, the protagonist of Sara Varon’s graphic novel New Shoes is a donkey – and also a shoemaker! This graphic novel follows his adventures in making the perfect pair of shoes for Miss Manatee (who also has a job – she’s Francis’ favorite calypso singer). As with all Sara Varon’s work, it’s a charming, wonderful story about friendship, community, and trying your best.

Laika

Nick Abadzis, 2007

In this nonfiction graphic novel by Nick Abadzis, Laika has a super-important job: being the first dog to go to outer space! This story depicts Laika’s journey from a street dog through the many tests and challenges developed by the space program that prepared her for her trip, to her final adventure into outer space. There’s a lot to learn about the early history of the space program – and a lot of emotions in this canine story that’s both hopeful and sorrowful.

Mr. Wolf's Class: A Graphic Novel (Mr. Wolf's Class #1)

Aron Nels Steinke, 2018

In this graphic novel, Mr. Wolf (an actual wolf, albeit one wearing a button-up) is the teacher! And several other animals have the job of going to school each day and being students. Aron Steinke’s graphic novel series depicts the ins-and-outs of every day in the classroom for teachers and students, inspired by his own work as an educator. These lovely, quiet stories thoughtfully explore how much work it is to be both a teacher and a student!

Mayor Good Boy

(A Graphic Novel)

Dave Scheidt, Miranda Harmon, 2021

You can tell from the title of this series what this dog’s job is: Mayor! The book opens as the town of Greenwood elects Mayor Good Boy; they follow him and his kid interns throughout the many adventures of running a town – and on top of that, these extremely funny books will make you sit, stay, and roll over with laughter. Authors Dave Scheidt and Miranda Harmon are also thinking about how kids (and everyone!) can get involved in politics when they’re making these books, and they conclude with advice.