They’re all about animals, but there’s definitely nothing beastly about these books.

Two new picture books of different levels and a novel for pre- and early teens all grab the emotions satisfyingly. Whether it’s an overweight cat floating from rooftops, a faithful dog in a Japanese train station or a group of “unplaceables” in a New York animal shelter, these animals evoke everything from laughter to love.

The simple but not simplistic picture book “Dinah!” ($14, Clarion Books) is a zany story about a fat cat who is mistaken for a raccoon, a watermelon and a tiger while accidentally wandering away from her safe home. Author-illustrator Kae Nishimura creates a fantastic world where Dinah faces an identity misunderstanding because she’s not always obviously a cat to casual observers. The mistakes people make when they encounter her are hilarious; although they’d be far-fetched in the real world, in the imagination the whole story makes absolute sense. The ending will make kids just as happy as it does Dinah.

On a more serious note, “Hachiko: The True Story of a Loyal Dog” ($15, Houghton Mifflin Company) is a more complex picture book that tells the story of a dog who goes to a large Japanese train station each day to meet its master — even after the master’s death. Movingly written by Pamela S. Turner, with perfectly suited illustrations by Yan Nascimbene, Hachiko engages readers and listeners with its directness and sincerity. This real-life drama is immediately compelling, all the more so because of its amazing veracity. The book’s ending, with the erection of a statue of the dog at the train station, is historically accurate and tremendously touching. Little children will learn the meaning of devotion, at all levels, from this.

On the uproariously upbeat side is the middle-grade novel “Snakes Don’t Miss Their Mothers” ($15.99, HarperCollins) by well-known children’s author M. E. Kerr. Set in a no-kill shelter, the story revolves around the lives of abandoned pets who hopefully await new homes. And to everyone’s surprise, even the reputedly-repulsive snake finds a loving owner in this tale, which features several good kids as well as the idiosyncratic shelter menagerie. A good time will be had by all who venture into this world of talking dogs and precocious pre-teens. Even reptile disparagers will find a lizard worth cuddling here — no small feat for an author to pull off.