This week Karen looks at how animal stories can
influence you in your adult life.
If I had to
name my favourite book, Richard Adams’ Watership
Down would have to be one of the top contenders for the title. Aside from
the pure joy of reading Adams’ beautifully crafted words, a big part of the
book’s appeal is the characters. From Hazel’s quietly confident leadership,
Bigwig’s bravado, to Kehaar their raucous seagull friend and ally, these
animals were relatable and memorable. More than once, when I’ve required
courage in my life, an image of Bigwig springs unbidden to mind.
Anthropomorphism is the assigning of human qualities and language to animals –
and Watership Down is just one
example among many of this occurring in children’s literature.
If you
think of your own experience of enjoying books in childhood, it’s a pretty safe
bet there was an animal story that has stuck with you and influenced who you
are as an adult. Maybe your industriousness sprang from an appreciation of The Little Red Hen. Maybe The Three Little Pigs influenced the way
you look for quality and durability in your shopping habits. Maybe the
characters of George Orwell’s Animal Farm,
or Kathryn Lasky’s Guardians of Gahoole,
have impacted your political beliefs. Or perhaps Mem Fox’s Koala Lou taught you that being successful doesn’t mean you always
have to win.
The use of
animals in stories for both adults and children goes back as far as the
earliest stories on record. They helped us make sense of the world
around us in ancient times and they help children make sense of their world
still. Books that use animals as people can help children come to terms with
difficult or painful concepts. Through these stories we learn how to deal with difficult
people and situations. Black Beauty was
the first book that was written entirely from the animal’s point of view and
taught us valuable lessons about empathy, loyalty and loss.
Which all
serves to highlight the tremendous power of books in childhood, and the imperative
that all children get to experience quality literature. Imagine a childhood
without Aesop’s fables, Charlotte’s Web,
Wind in the Willows or Winnie the Pooh. Not only would we have
missed the valuable life lessons depicted, but also the fabulous introduction
to humour, wonder and fantasy that is such a key part of becoming a Booklover.
Karen MacPherson
CBCA Picture Book of
the Year Judge 2017
Wonderful post Karen!
ReplyDeleteJack London's Call of the Wild is one novel that I transfixed me when it was first read aloud in our household, and that I have revisited several times over the years - and have maintained an interest in the canis lupus ever since.
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