Booktalking

I'm working on a book talk for my children's library materials course. I would like to focus on books about animals, especially heroic ones, because I remember how much I liked to read about animals as a child. I remember absolutely loving Where the Red Fern Grows. Here's what I've got so far:

• Lewis and Clark and Me (Laurie Myers) about the big black Newfoundland named Seaman who hunted, guided, and practiced diplomacy on the exploratory expedition to the Pacific.
  
• The Great Serum Race: Blazing the Iditarod Trail (Debbie S. Miller) about the gruelling serum relay to Nome in 1925 to stem the diptheria outbreak. This relay is commemorated annually with the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
  
• Runt (Marion Dane Bauer) about a undersized wolf pup who learns about the world, life and death, and his place in the pack. It's a rocky journey but he eventually finds his voice, and his particular gifts for the hunt.
  
• Tiger with Wings: The Great Horned Owl (Barbara Juster Esbensen) is the story of the silent hunter of the sky. Beautiful colored illustrations show the how the owl's body is uniquely adapted for the hunt, with silent feathers, the facial disk which funnels sound to its hidden ears, and the ability to turn its head almost 180 degrees. Lots of interesting information about courtship behavior, nesting, and raising owlets too.