JAN-LA2.QXD 12/2/2003 4:03 PM Page 205 Animals as People in Children’s Literature Books that use animals as people can add 205 Carolyn L. Burke Joby G. Copenhaver emotional distance for the reader when the Literature in Children’s Animals as People story message is powerful or painful. Ours is a highly literate culture, making use of written texts to orga- nize thought, to test beliefs, to convey what is valued, and to at- tempt to influence the actions and thoughts of others. It is not surpris- ing that for most of us, early child- hood memories include a favorite story. From among the many stories that we have heard or had read to us, there is often one that spoke more directly to us than the others, a story that touched an emotional chord, somehow reflecting a keenly felt need, concern, or set of values. This story stays fresh and whole in our minds. Hearing it revives old experiences and feelings we may have forgotten. We are able to recreate, in detail, who we were, what we were doing, the values and beliefs that we were developing, and how we were coming to relate to others and to our world. For Carolyn, that story is Little Red Hen (Galdone, 1985). The industri- ous mother and her chicks plant, weed, and finally harvest their wheat on their own when their animal friends continually make ex- cuses for their lack of help. However, when the wheat is ground and baked into bread, these same friends ea- gerly volunteer to eat it. Then come the words that spoke directly to a young Puritan soul in development, JAN-LA2.QXD 12/2/2003 4:03 PM Page 206 “No, I’ll do it myself.” This story and creatures would find a place in the tions (Gleick, 1987). There is no its resolution confirmed Carolyn’s stories that we tell. And they do. pause button to life. Literature pro- belief in the rewards of hard work, But when these animals begin to vides a device for grouping, organiz- the need to take responsibility, and talk and scheme and learn to read, ing, and eliminating events and the consequences that befall the we have gone past their intuitive in- placing them within structured pat- slacker. Reading and re-reading this clusion in a replication of reality terns. The structures actually create the meaning we come to give to the Why do animals with human characteristics events (Rosen, 1986; Wells, 1986). 206 populate so many early childhood stories? • The preservation of our understand- ings, knowledge and social beliefs. Animals as People in Children’s Literature in Children’s Animals as People What purpose do they serve? Life is not only chaotic, but also fleeting. Once having organized it story became an ethical dialogue and have put them to use in a pur- into a meaningful interpretation, and made conscious strongly felt but poseful distortion of reality. This use story structure allows us to remem- amorphous beliefs that were devel- of anthropomorphism prompted the ber and consistently preserve our oping out of everyday experiences question: Why do animals with decisions (Rosen, 1986). and decisions. human characteristics populate so • Dialogue with ourselves and with As teacher educators, we have regu- many early childhood stories? What others. The structures of story larly asked our preservice language purpose do they serve? become an agreed upon social tool. and literature students to use their To consider anthropomorphism in In this way, we can hold a mental own childhood stories to reflect on children’s stories, we need to first discussion to reexamine decisions or the power of literature. The majority clarify the basic functions of litera- converse with others concerning of our students have formed a last- ture, and to explore the needs that what the relevant events and issues ing bond with a story that seems to have propelled the use of anthropo- are, how they relate to each other, mirror the world, as they have per- morphism in world cultures. Then and what impact this will have on ceived it. The few who have no or we can come to see how the recog- our world (Vygotsky, 1986; Bahktin, minimal conscious connections to nition of childhood and the emer- 1981). The structures then become story express their longing for such gence of a literature for children the tools we need to make adjust- experiences, sometimes going so far draw upon these sources. We make ments to our understanding. as to describe a sense of emotional use of a series of anthropomorphic impoverishment. stories to demonstrate how this • Generate questions and new life al- device is used to introduce and deal ternatives. Life and the reexamina- More recently, we have come to tion of our stories both bring new notice yet another dimension of with new and controversial topics. Finally, we consider the purposeful issues and questions to the fore these early literacy experiences. This (Coles, 1989). Attempting to place is the high frequency with which use of anthropomorphic stories in the curriculum. these new issues within story these personally significant stories structure has the potential to involve animals possessing human THE FUNCTIONS OF LITERATURE generate solutions. capabilities and characteristics. Ad- venturous pigs, wily wolves, stu- All forms of writing—imaginative, • Gain distance and transcend life dious mice, and the like are the critical, scientific, and reporting—are threats. Sometimes we can say to a central characters in a significant the tools of thought (Vygotsky, 1986) dangerous and powerful person or number of the stories. As a thinking device, the functions institution, in story, what we would of literature (Huck, Hepler, Hickman, be afraid to say directly (Bettleheim, Most children are curious about and & Kiefer, 2001; Hunt, 1995) seem to 1976). Sometimes we can dialogue fond of animals. Many of us share have remained consistent through with ourselves, in story, about some- our homes and our hearts with our time, for both adults and children, thing that we find so frightening or pets. Certainly our local environ- and include the following: so debilitating that we cannot face ments, whether we live in a city, a it directly. suburb, or the country, are filled • The need to make sense of our lives with a vast variety of animals both and of the world. Life is actually • Savor and reflect on experience. large and small. So, it would seem chaotic with multiple and discon- Living through an experience does rather intuitive that these same nected events, decisions, and reac- not guarantee that we understand it. Language Arts, Vol. 81 No. 3, January 2004 JAN-LA2.QXD 12/2/2003 4:03 PM Page 207 The ability to first organize and then sometimes feel the need to read a man in the moon, assign people’s to reexamine opens the door to re- some stories again and again. names to life-threatening storms, flection. Not only do we come to un- Now, how do animals come to play and watch our investments in bull derstand, but we also come to so significant a role in this process? and bear markets. understand with more depth and How does the use of anthropomor- Aesop shared a personal philoso- breadth (Bruner, 1994). Reflection phism advance these needs? phy through his animal fables, of- brings intellectual flexibility. fering one view of the human • Simplify and clarify a life circum- THE PROCESS OF condition and advice on the con- duct of social exchange. So basic 207 stance. All events are not relevant to ANTHROPOMORPHISM or of equal value in understanding a and so powerful are his interpreta- life circumstance. Story structure Simply put, anthropomorphism in- tions of life that many of his tales Literature in Children’s Animals as People provides the tools for deciding what volves assigning a human trait to an have now been retold for children gets discarded in formulating deci- animal or object. Transmogrification, (e.g., McClintock. 2000). sions (Coles, 1989). You can’t solve a people morphing into animals, is a In Animal Farm, George Orwell puzzle when you are working with special case of anthropomorphism. (1996) presented a costumed version too many pieces. This process has a long and respected of the promise and betrayal of the history in many world cultures. • Formulate a plan to act on the world. Russian Revolution set in a barn- One anthropologist, Stewart Reflection allows us to make deci- yard. And of course, we have Planet Guthrie (1993), actually argues sions in the face of uncertainty and of the Apes (Boule, 1963) and sci- that all religions are systematic to know that if a first decision does ence fiction as examples of the use anthropomorphism—attributing not work, there are already processed of anthropomorphism in dealing human characteristics to non-human alternatives that can be tried (Dewey, with adult issues. things and events. He goes on to ex- 1938). Life is uncertain; things are Political cartoonists have learned plain that we live in an ambiguous not always clearly right or wrong. this lesson well. A check of any world and our survival depends on The act of storying provides potential newspaper’s editorial pages will no workable alternatives to the issues doubt show a world globe with that we face. Being aware that we Anthropomorphism arms, legs, and a voice; a political have and can generate alternative involves assigning a party led by a pachyderm; or the responses provides the impetus economy flat on its back in a hospi- needed to take action. human trait to an tal bed receiving a transfusion.