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Quick answer: If you loved All Creatures Great and Small, try All Things Bright and Beautiful, All Things Wise and Wonderful, Vets Might Fly, Every Living Thing, My Family and Other Animals and Ring of Bright Water. Each one offers warm country life, funny animals or gentle true stories that feel like a visit with old friends.
James Herriot's beloved memoirs began the 1970s craze for tales of a young country vet. He joins the eccentric Siegfried Farnon and his wild brother Tristan in a practice in the Yorkshire Dales of the 1930s. Between freezing calvings and kindly farmers, Herriot falls in love with the land and with Helen. Readers love its humor, its animals and its warmth. These books share its comfort, its countryside and its love of creatures.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Setting | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| All Things Bright and Beautiful | James Herriot | Yorkshire | readers who want the next Herriot |
| All Things Wise and Wonderful | James Herriot | Yorkshire | readers who want the wartime years |
| Vets Might Fly | James Herriot | Yorkshire | readers who want the British original |
| Every Living Thing | James Herriot | Yorkshire | readers who want his later years |
| My Family and Other Animals | Gerald Durrell | Corfu | readers who love funny animal memoirs |
| Ring of Bright Water | Gavin Maxwell | Scotland | readers who like a beloved pet |
| The Shepherd's Life | James Rebanks | Lake District | readers who want modern farm life |
| Lark Rise to Candleford | Flora Thompson | Oxfordshire | readers who like the old countryside |
| Cider with Rosie | Laurie Lee | Gloucestershire | readers who love beautiful childhood memoirs |
| Village School | Miss Read | Cotswolds | readers who want a cozy novel |
| A Year in Provence | Peter Mayle | France | readers who like country stories abroad |
| Marley & Me | John Grogan | Florida | readers who love big-hearted dogs |
| Dewey | Vicki Myron | Iowa | readers who love cat stories |
| A Street Cat Named Bob | James Bowen | London | readers who want a moving true story |
| The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society | Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows | Channel Islands | readers who want warmth and community |
1. All Things Bright and Beautiful by James Herriot
The young vet settles into life and marriage in the Dales.
Best for: readers who want the next Herriot.
2. All Things Wise and Wonderful by James Herriot
Herriot tells of his time in training with the Royal Air Force.
Best for: readers who want the wartime years.
3. Vets Might Fly by James Herriot
Herriot's wartime stories are told with his usual humor.
Best for: readers who want the British original.
4. Every Living Thing by James Herriot
Herriot returns with new tales of animals and farmers.
Best for: readers who want his later years.
5. My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell
A boy and his eccentric English family live on a Greek island.
Best for: readers who love funny animal memoirs.
6. Ring of Bright Water by Gavin Maxwell
A writer lives on a remote Scottish coast with his pet otters.
Best for: readers who like a beloved pet.
7. The Shepherd's Life by James Rebanks
A Lake District shepherd describes his year on the land.
Best for: readers who want modern farm life.
8. Lark Rise to Candleford by Flora Thompson
A portrait of rural English life at the end of the 1800s.
Best for: readers who like the old countryside.
9. Cider with Rosie by Laurie Lee
Lee recalls his childhood in a small Cotswolds village.
Best for: readers who love beautiful childhood memoirs.
10. Village School by Miss Read
A schoolteacher writes about a year in a small English village.
Best for: readers who want a cozy novel.
11. A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle
A British couple adapts to life in rural France.
Best for: readers who like country stories abroad.
12. Marley & Me by John Grogan
A family's lives are shaped by their famously badly behaved Labrador.
Best for: readers who love big-hearted dogs.
13. Dewey by Vicki Myron
A kitten left in a library book return becomes a town's hero.
Best for: readers who love cat stories.
14. A Street Cat Named Bob by James Bowen
A homeless musician's life changes when he takes in a stray cat.
Best for: readers who want a moving true story.
15. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
A writer learns about life under occupation through letters.
Best for: readers who want warmth and community.
How to Choose
The easy next step is to carry on with Herriot, as All Things Bright and Beautiful and All Things Wise and Wonderful continue the same story. If you loved the humor and the animals, My Family and Other Animals is a classic. For modern British country life, The Shepherd's Life is lovely, though it is more serious. If you want the gentle English village feel, Cider with Rosie, Lark Rise to Candleford and Village School are all quiet treats. For sweet stories about one special pet, try Dewey or A Street Cat Named Bob. Marley & Me will make you laugh hard but also cry at the end, so be warned if you have recently lost a pet.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is All Creatures Great and Small a true story?
It is based on the real life of Alf Wight, who wrote as James Herriot, though he changed names and details.
What books does All Creatures Great and Small contain?
The American edition combines If Only They Could Talk and It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet.
Where is the series set?
In the fictional Yorkshire town of Darrowby, based on the Dales around Thirsk.
Is there a TV series?
Yes. A BBC version ran from 1978 to 1990, and a popular new adaptation began in 2020.
Is it suitable for children?
Mostly yes. It is gentle, although it has some farm realities and mild adult moments.