If you’ve been looking for Erin Hunter books, you are not the only one. I’ve had requests for warrior cats, more warrior cats, and very specifically the graphic novels about the warrior cats.
And yes, those last two can be different requests. Please check before you order. I’m trying to save us all from the moment when a child looks at a perfectly good book and says, “Not that one.”
Some kids want the book books. Chapters, paragraphs, the whole thing. Others want the graphic novels. Some want both, which is how a reasonable little reading interest becomes its own bookshelf situation.
Let’s sort it out.
The cats are called Warriors
If your child keeps talking about Clans and cats with names that sound like they belong on a woodland paint-color chart, you’re probably looking for Erin Hunter’s Warriors series.
These are animal fantasy adventures with friendships, rivalries, loyalty, leadership, and plenty of danger. There are also a lot of books. This is wonderful news when you have a reader who has found their thing. Slightly less wonderful when you’re trying to figure out which “Book One” they mean.
For a reader starting with the original novels, look for Into the Wild, the first book in The Prophecies Begin. It introduces Rusty, a house cat whose life is about to get considerably more complicated than looking out a window.
That’s the starting point I’d use before trying to untangle the rest of the forest.
Now, about the graphic novels
A graphic novel tells its story through illustrated panels, dialogue, and the details readers pick up from the artwork.
It is still a book. It is still reading. We do not need to hold a small hearing at the kitchen table about whether it counts.
This format can also be a really good way in for hesitant readers. A page full of text can feel like a lot before a child even gets to the first sentence. Pictures give them another way into the story, not a lesser one.
For some neurodivergent kids, facial expressions and body language in the artwork can help make sense of tone that’s harder to decipher from words alone. Is that character joking? Angry? Saying “fine” when things are very clearly not fine? Having something to look at alongside the dialogue can help.
For children with dyslexia, the illustrations can offer context clues that support understanding while they work through the words. They don’t replace reading instruction, but they can help a reader notice when a word doesn’t fit what’s happening.
Because the story becomes an entirely different situation if you’re reading “bog” instead of “dog.” One is somebody’s potential best friend. The other is a very wet place to lose a shoe.
I want kids to have tools that help the story make sense, not feel like they have to earn the pictures by struggling through enough pages without them.
If your child wants the full-color adaptation of the original Warriors story, look for Warriors Graphic Novel: The Prophecies Begin, Part One of Three. That first graphic volume covers the stories from the first two original novels, Into the Wild and Fire and Ice.
That means the numbers do not match up one for one. The first graphic novel is not simply the first chapter book with pictures added.
There are also other Warriors illustrated adventures, including manga stories such as Graystripe’s Adventure and Tigerstar & Sasha. Those follow particular characters and their own adventures. They aren’t interchangeable with the graphic adaptation of The Prophecies Begin.
My very practical advice? Ask your child to show you the cover.
Not describe it from the other room. Show you the actual cover. A screenshot can save a surprising amount of detective work.
What if they want something besides cats?
Erin Hunter has other animal adventure series, too. So if your reader likes the danger, friendships, and complicated loyalties but would prefer a different set of paws, we have options to look for.
Seekers follows young bears from different species whose journeys bring them together. Think survival, unfamiliar places, and finding a way forward when the world is much bigger than you expected.
Survivors puts dogs at the center of the story. After an earthquake, a dog named Lucky has to navigate a changed world, including whether life with a pack might be better than going it alone.
Bravelands takes the adventure to the African plains. The opening story follows a lion, an elephant, and a baboon as betrayal threatens the balance of their world. Different animals, different perspectives, and plenty to talk about.
Bamboo Kingdom follows young pandas in a world changed by a great flood, with mysteries and a prophecy pulling their stories together.
So no, you don’t have to be a cat person to find an Erin Hunter series. The bears, dogs, pandas, and animals of the savannah would also like a word.
A quick parent note before we send everyone into the forest
Animal characters do not automatically mean gentle stories.
These books include danger, conflict, loss, and difficult choices. If your child is sensitive to animals getting hurt or dying, I’d preview the specific title before handing it over. A book can be a great fit for one reader and a “not yet” for another.
And if you’re choosing a gift, get the series name, the title, and the format. “The Erin Hunter book with the animal on it” leaves us with quite a few possibilities.
Yes, there’s learning in all this
Following a long series means keeping track of characters, remembering earlier events, noticing clues, and working out why someone made a questionable decision.
There’s room to talk about loyalty, fairness, belonging, and whether being in charge makes someone a good leader.
But I also don’t think we have to turn every book a child loves into a written assignment.
Sometimes the conversation happens because they walk into the kitchen absolutely furious about what a fictional cat just did. Let them explain. Ask why. You may get a very thorough lesson in character motivation without ever using the words “character motivation.”
If they want to draw the characters, compare the novel with the graphic adaptation, or make a map, wonderful.
If they want to read the next book, that’s wonderful, too.
Help me find the right one
If you’re looking through Dandelion Roots and can’t find the Erin Hunter title your reader wants, send me the title or a picture of the cover. Tell me whether you’re after the regular novel or the graphic novel, too.
I can help look for the right edition without accidentally sending your child back to the beginning of a series they’re already twelve books into.
We’re encouraging the reading. We don’t need to start a family dispute over the wrong cats.