Shorts and flip-flops.

An iced drink and a spot that’s shady. That’s how you’ll keep cool this summer so why not share a little of your shade with a book? Check out these great releases about creatures who wear fur and feathers year ‘round...

At first glance, “Can’t Get Enough Dog Stuff” from the National Geographic Kids staff (National Geographic, $14.99) looks like it might be just for children but it’s not. Even grown-ups can enjoy learning more about their dog and other breeds, the different jobs a dog can have, pages about wild dogs, and the record-breakers in the dog world. C’mon, really – even grown-ups will groan at the dog jokes inside here. Yes, it might be meant for kids ages 8-to-13, but much bigger kids will like this book, too.

Got eggs? If you’ve got backyard chickens, you might, which means you’ll also want to read “Under the Henfluence” by Tove Danovich (Agate, $27). 

Do your friends think you’re clucking nuts because you’ve got mini-dinosaurs in a coop behind the house?  You’re not alone, and Danovich proves it by taking flight around the country to places where chickens thrive with love – and that includes a rooster rescue where quiet is just a dream, and a chicken show where being peckish is a good thing. Along the way, we meet fowl friends and Danovich’s own flock, making this a hentirely important book for fans.

If wild animals are more your type, or if you want to know more about wildlife, then look for “The Elephants of Thula Thula” by Françoise Malby-Anthony (St. Martin’s Press, $29.99). For years now, Malby-Anthony has owned a game reserve in South Africa, where a large family of elephants live. That includes the herd’s matriarch, Frankie, who is the one who really runs the sanctuary (wink, wink). It’s she who becomes sick, and that sets off a crisis at the sanctuary, Thula Thula, threatening the conservation work that Malby-Anthony worked so hard to do. If you love elephants especially, but also cheetahs, rhinos, meerkats, and more, then this is a book you’ll be wild over.

And finally, for readers who want a bit of danger in their wildlife encounters, “The Deadly Balance: Predators and People in a Crowded World” by Adam Hart (Bloomsbury Sigma, $28) is the book to get your claws on.

We like to think we’re the top creature on earth, but guess what...?  It’s “complex”: we are, but not entirely. We are both predator, and prey to more creatures than we’d like to think about. This book looks at the science behind living with predators safely, how to know what’s truth and what’s myth, and how to stay alive when human life encroaches on that of a predator. Bonus: real-life stories!

If these books aren’t enough for your time in a shady spot, then be sure to ask your favorite librarian or bookseller for more. They’ve got access to millions of books on all kinds of animals for every age group. And they’ve got air conditioning, too...