April 1^st marks the beginning of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month, one of the best-known animal awareness events. There are lots of ways you can help prevent animal cruelty…volunteering at your local shelter, donating to an animal charity, or helping to raise awareness about animal welfare issues through social media…to name just a few.

Here’s another great way to mark the occasion, and catch up on some reading, too! We’ve gathered some of the best books about animal welfare and put together a Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month reading list. Click on each title to learn more about the books on the website Goodreads.

The Gospel of Kindness: Animal Welfare and the Making of Modern America – A history of the American animal welfare movement, from the 1800s to the 1950s.

A Dog’s Life: The Autobiography of a Stray – An award-winning children’s book about the lives of homeless pets.

Animal Liberation – The original (and many say still the best) book of the animal rights movement. A must read.

Born Free: A Lioness of Two Worlds – The classic story of Elsa the lioness, first published in 1960, but still guaranteed to make you cry.

Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way We Treat Animals – This book covers a whole range of issues, from fashion, to circuses, to animal testing…and more.

The Lost Dogs: Michael Vick’s Dogs and Their Tale of Rescue and Redemption – An uplifting and heartwarming follow-up to a very sad animal abuse story.

Until Every Animal is Free – An overview of the animal liberation movement.

The Plague Dogs – The story of two dogs that escape a cruel animal testing lab, by the author of Watership Down.