Jim Kjelgaard Books in Order
45 books are credited to Jim Kjelgaard, published between 1941 and 1980; 12 of them appeared after Jim Kjelgaard's death in 1959. The first book is Forest Patrol (1941) and the newest is Rebel Horse (1980). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 45
- Published
- 1941–1980
- Pages on record
- 2,347 in 15 of 45 books
Jim Kjelgaard wrote for young readers about dogs and the outdoors. Born James Arthur Kjelgaard, he lived from 1910 to 1959 and left 45 catalogued titles published between 1941 and 1980, opening with Forest Patrol (1941) and closing with Rebel Horse (1980). Big Red (1945) names one of the two sequences here, the other collecting his short stories. Snow Dog (1948), A Nose For Trouble (1949), Wild Trek (1950) and Fire-Hunter (1951) follow. Irish setters, trappers, outdoor life, Apache Indians and fathers and sons recur as subjects.
How many Jim Kjelgaard books are there?
Jim Kjelgaard has 45 books, released between 1941 and 1980. 12 of them were published after Jim Kjelgaard's death in 1959. 3 of them belong to the Big Red series.
Jim Kjelgaard Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 45 Jim Kjelgaard books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 1Forest Patrol1941 · confirmed 1/41941–1/4
- 2Rebel Siege1943 · confirmed 1/41943–1/4
- 319452541/4
- 4Buckskin Brigade1947 · confirmed 1/41947–1/4
- 5Snow Dog1948 · 163 pages · confirmed 1/419481631/4
- 6Kalak of the Ice1949 · confirmed 1/41949–1/4
- 7A Nose For Trouble1949 · confirmed 1/41949–1/4
- 8Chip, the Dam Builder1950 · confirmed 1/41950–1/4
- 9Wild Trek1950 · 242 pages · confirmed 1/419502421/4
- 1019511821/4
- 11The Explorations of Père Marquette1951 · 181 pages · confirmed 1/419511811/4
- 12Fire-Hunter1951 · confirmed 1/41951–1/4
- 13Trailing Trouble1952 · 219 pages · confirmed 1/419522191/4
- 1419531801/4
- 15The coming of the Mormons;1953 · confirmed 1/41953–1/4
- 16The Spell of the White Sturgeon1953 · 100 pages · confirmed 1/419531001/4
- 17Cracker Barrel Trouble Shooter1954 · confirmed 1/41954–1/4
- 18Haunt Fox1954 · confirmed 1/41954–1/4
- 19Lion Hound1955 · confirmed 1/41955–1/4
- 20The Lost Wagon1955 · confirmed 1/41955–1/4
- 21Desert Dog1956 · confirmed 1/41956–1/4
- 22Trading Jeff and His Dog1956 · confirmed 1/41956–1/4
- 23Double Challenge1957 · confirmed 1/41957–1/4
- 24Swamp Cat1957 · 196 pages · confirmed 1/419571961/4
- 25We Were There at the Oklahoma Land Run1957 · confirmed 1/41957–1/4
- 26Wildlife Cameraman1957 · confirmed 1/41957–1/4
- 27Wolf Brother1957 · confirmed 1/41957–1/4
- 28The Black Fawn1958 · 88 pages · confirmed 1/41958881/4
- 29The Land is Bright1958 · confirmed 1/41958–1/4
- 30Rescue Dog of the High Pass1958 · confirmed 1/41958–1/4
- 31The Story of Geronimo1958 · 156 pages · confirmed 1/419581561/4
- 32Hi Jolly!1959 · confirmed 1/41959–1/4
- 33Stormy1959 · 150 pages · confirmed 1/419591501/4
- 34Boomerang Hunter1960 · 171 pages · confirmed 1/419601711/4
- 35The Duck-Footed Hound1960 · 50 pages · confirmed 1/41960501/4
- 36Ulysses and His Woodland Zoo1960 · confirmed 1/41960–1/4
- 37Tigre1961 · confirmed 1/41961–1/4
- 381962–1/4
- 40Two Dogs and a Horse1964 · confirmed 1/41964–1/4
- 41Furious Moose of the Wilderness1965 · confirmed 1/41965–1/4
- 42Dave and his Dog Mulligan1966 · confirmed 1/41966–1/4
- 43Coyote Song1969 · confirmed 1/41969–1/4
- 44Big Red and Other Great Dog StoriesPublication Order ofShort Story Collections #21977 · confirmed 1/41977–1/4
- 45Rebel Horse1980 · 15 pages · confirmed 1/41980151/4
Jim Kjelgaard books grouped by series
Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. None of these groups has a reading-order page of its own on this site.
Big Red in order
3 books- 1. Big Red
- 2. Irish Red
- 3. Outlaw Red
Publication Order ofShort Story Collections
2 books2 titles published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.
Standalone books
40 books40 Jim Kjelgaard titles here are not listed as part of any series.
Do you have to read Jim Kjelgaard books in order?
You only need to read Jim Kjelgaard books in order within the Big Red series, which holds 3 of the 45 Jim Kjelgaard books listed here. The numbered table above gives every book in publication order.
Where to start with Jim Kjelgaard
Start with Forest Patrol (1941), the earliest published title.
What is the newest Jim Kjelgaard book?
Rebel Horse (1980) is the newest Jim Kjelgaard book released so far.
Is there a new Jim Kjelgaard book coming?
No next Jim Kjelgaard book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Jim Kjelgaard at a glance
- Died
- Jim Kjelgaard died in 1959, according to Wikidata.
- After death
- Books credited to Jim Kjelgaard are still being published after Jim Kjelgaard's death in 1959; the newest appeared in 1980.
- Release pace
- Jim Kjelgaard books have appeared about one a year on average.
- Length
- 2,347 pages across the 15 of 45 books with a recorded length, a median of 171 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Jim Kjelgaard books, 26 of 45, were published in the 1950s.
What the Jim Kjelgaard books are about
17 of the 45 Jim Kjelgaard books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: children's fiction is tagged on 10 of 17. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Children's fiction 10 of 17 books
- Dogs 8 of 17 books
- Outdoor life 3 of 17 books
- Apache Indians 2 of 17 books
- Children: Babies & Toddlers 2 of 17 books
- Children: grades 4-6 2 of 17 books
- Children's literature 2 of 17 books
- Irish setters 2 of 17 books
- Juvenile literature 2 of 17 books