International Companion Encyclopedia of Children’s Literature

Nevertheless, the most constant encounters with animals in modern children’s literature
is through the picture book. Almost invariably these animals are used in an
anthropomorphic way to mirror children’s own behaviour. William Steig, author of
Dominic (1977) and Abel’s Island (1976) has said why he uses this technique:

I think using animals emphasises the fact that the story is symbolic—about human

behaviour. And kids get the idea right away that this is not just a story, but that

it’s saying something about life on earth... When you write about a dog, you’re

really writing about a child, because a dog’s mature when it’s only a year old.

Cott 1984:104

Many writers throughout the world continue to do this. Steven Kellogg, Leo Lionni, Max
Velthuijs and Pamela Allen are only a few of the most respected of such writers. A large
number use the same characters through a number of picture books: Gene Zion’s
Harry, Mary Rayner’s Pig family, Gabrielle Vincent’s Ernest and Celestine, Arnold Lobel’s
Frog and Toad, Lynley Dodd’s Hairy Maclairy and Graham Oakley’s church mice. A
significant proportion use animals to show children their behaviour in a different shape.
Russell Hoban’s books about Frances are domestic mini-dramas while Rosemary Wells’s
books about sibling rivalry such as Noisy Nora (1976) and Stanley and Rhoda (1978)
have often been used by adults to help children examine their own feelings. Nor are
more sophisticated techniques ignored: Anthony Browne in his award-winning books,
Gorilla (1983) and Zoo (1992), and in King Kong (1994) uses his formidable technique to
explore animal/ human connections, while the Australian artist Graeme Base adopts
that most traditional of animal genres, the alphabet book, to stunning effect in Animalia
(1987). However, the classic animal picture book of the post-war years is almost
certainly Pat Hutchins’s Rosie’s Walk (1968), a seemingly straightforward depiction of a
hen going for a walk around a farmyard, pursued by a fox, which continues to intrigue
and entrance each new generation of readers.
The animal story seems to relate to children, and to adults, cross-culturally; and it
seems to adapt to cultural preoccupations, for example, contemporary books with an
ecological theme. Whatever the other interests of future generations. it is highly unlikely
the animal story will ever die.

References

Avery, G. (1965) Nineteenth Century Children: Heroes and Heroines in English Children’s Stories
1780–1900, London: Hodder and Stoughton.
——(1975) Childhood’s Pattern: A Study of the Heroes and Heroines of Children’s fiction 1770–1950,
London: Hodder and Stoughton.
Blount, M. (1974) Animal Land: The Creatures of Children’s Fiction, London: Hutchinson.
Cadogan, M. and Craig, P. (1976) You’re a Brick, Angela! A New Look at Girls’ Fiction from 1839–
1975, London: Gollancz.
Carpenter, H. (1985) Secret Gardens: A Study of the Golden Age of Children’s Literature, London:
George Allen and Unwin.

290 ANIMAL STORIES