Books like Rhubarb

An aardvark's excitement over his birthday party invitations turns into a crisis when he discovers his classmate Muffy scheduled her party the same day, splitting all their friends down the middle.

When James gets a cocker spaniel puppy named Barkis, family peace is tested because Barkis and Nell Jean's tabby kitten simply won't get along.

A small mouse's brand-new toy airplane ends up stuck in a tree, thanks to his well-meaning but accident-prone best friend, Rabbit, who then hatches an increasingly ambitious plan to get it back.

Three unlikely best friends — a ninja, a cowboy, and a bear — do everything together until competing to be the best at everything drives a wedge between them.

An elderly man living alone decides what he needs is a cat to keep him company, and finds one in an old, comfortable companion named Tabby.

A girl in a red knit cap and her forest friends find a hollow tree and turn it into a shared library, each animal adding its own gift to the spot.

A girl stuck wearing her brother's old winter boots feels envy and sting when her friend teases her about them — until one word starts to mend their friendship.

A boy's tiny pet elephant gets turned away from the neighborhood Pet Club because he's too unusual — so the boy sets out to build a club where every strange, wonderful pet belongs.

Three friends — a Cat, a Squirrel, and a Duck — make pumpkin soup the same way every day, until the Duck demands to stir instead and storms off after a squabble.

A zookeeper spends every day visiting his animal friends — racing the tortoise, sitting with the shy penguin, reading to the owl — until he wakes up too sick to come, and they decide to visit him instead.

Three children and their pets meet up, becoming fast friends who play, squabble, laugh, and make up again, the way real friendships actually go.

An older man and his cat plan a perfect train outing with their neighbor and her dog, only to learn at the station that pets aren't allowed — until he thinks of a clever fix.