Chattering Creatures: Talking Animals in Children's Fiction
How do the tweens perceive this writing approach? Do they believe that it is a deception of reality? A discussion
There are plenty of books in which animals have important roles to play and dialogues to deliver. Every child reader or not would have come across at least one story in which they is a talking animal. This approach is criticized by one school of thought that believes that this approach that entails Anthropomorphism depicts reality in a wrong way to children.
What do the tween members of the Young Writers’ Club (Jr.), think about this matter?
Almost all the tween members are avid readers. The question of which book comes to their mind when they think of talking animals resulted in the following exhaustive list of books.
James and the Giant Peach- cricket
Klawde- cats
Dog man
Bunny Vs Monkey
Bad Guys- many animals talk
Hamster Princess
Geronimo Stilton
Hilo
Stick dog
Harry Potter and Secret Chamber
North Child - Talking Bear
The one and only Evan
The one and only Ruby
Wild Robot- bird, cow, a penguin
The girl who speaks Bear
Lion and the hare
Cheshire Cheese Cat
Harvey Comes Home
Alice in Wonderland
Woof!
The Girl Who Drank in The Moon- Tiny Dragon
Homer On Case
Harold and the Purple Crayon
Velveteen Rabbit
Charlotte’s Web
Thea Stilton
Wings of Fire
The castle of Tangled magic- a fox
Evie and the Animals
Jefferson
This is a list that was compiled in 5 mins. Had we dug deeper into our reading experiences, many more titles might have emerged. Clearly, this is a popular writing approach in children’s literature suggesting that this is much appreciated by children. In an attempt to get first hand information, the tweens were asked the following question.
Why do you think authors choose to use talking animals in stories? Do you like it or dislike it?
Here is the list of responses that came up.
To capture the reader's imagination
Helps to visualize.
Photo by paweldotio on Unsplash Human company can be frustrating or less interesting especially on adventure.- animals give some comic relief- humor element.
It is common sense- we know that animals can't talk.
As early kindergarten you know different sounds that different animals
Imaginative world
Depends on the genre- animals talking in a fantasy makes sense but animals talking in a detective fiction is weird.
Gives us a new perspective
Motivates kids to read - lot more enjoyable for them.
Animals make it easier for silly humor - more entertaining.
Kids look at animals differently compared to adults
Easier to empathize with an animal character going through complex emotions in a difficult situation
The tweens brought to light that when they read a story, they read to be entertained, to be transported to a different world. Animals talking they felt adds some magic to the stories that they have read and enjoyed. They admitted that some of them such as Charlotte’s Web was thought provoking. But generally speaking, the motivation to read has always been to be entertained and experience the world that the author has created for them. Talking animals have never been a deterrent! Given this should authors and publishers reconsider their outlook on talking animals? Is there way to depict the reality of the lives that animals lead without making them super serious?
Human company can be frustrating or less interesting especially on adventure.- animals give some comic relief- humor element.
Depends on the genre- animals talking in a fantasy makes sense but animals talking in a detective fiction is weird.
Motivates kids to read - lot more enjoyable for them.
Kids look at animals differently compared to adults
Easier to empathize with an animal character going through complex emotions in a difficult situation