Winnie-the-Pooh, Corduroy, and Peter Rabbit. Arthur, Skippyjon Jones, Frog and Toad. All of these characters have been loved by many generations of children. What do they have in common? They are all animals. We think. Though placed in the bodies of bears, rabbits, and frogs; they attain many human traits. These traits can be anything from walking on hind legs to talking, with clothing and human facilities readily available for their usage. Anthropomorphism is defined as the attribution of human characteristics or behavior to a god, animal, or object. Anthropomorphism in picture books can lead to a misunderstanding of real animals, difficulty of application of animal traits to other animals, but can also be easier for children to relate to.
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The article by Waxman and her colleagues is comprised of two parts. While the first deals with the impact of anthropomorphic language, the second studies how the exposure to an anthropomorphic animal can confuse children when attempting to connect animal traits. For example, if a child read a Berenstain Bears picture books and assumed that bears wear clothes, sleep in beds, and talk; how will this child connect a bear’s claws to those of their dog? As Waxman and her colleagues once again state, “...children who were primed with a book portraying bears anthropomorphically adopted a human-centered reasoning pattern and were less likely to extend the novel property from one non-human animal (dog) to others.” (Waxman, 17) This information leads us to ask why we still use anthropomorphised animals in our picture books; a good question with a simple answer. A child can relate to an …show more content…
Many situations that would be difficult for a child to understand can be presented using animals, a point that Elizabeth A. Dunn elaborates upon in her Master’s Paper for the M.S. in L.S. degree (advised by Rebecca Vargha of the School of Information and Library Science Library). She states, “...[A]nimals add an emotional distance that makes them ideal characters for addressing difficult subjects, like death, bullying, race and social class, respecting differences, and making the right decision.” (Dunn, 21) It can be hard for a child to accept or understand these topics, and seeing an animal character that they know going through these situations can help teach them, especially if that animal can speak and confront the situation. In addition to this, children see themselves in the characters. For example, a mouse. A mouse is small but mighty, and can make the difficult choice to make the right decision. It can be hard to choose to do the right thing in certain situations, but as Ganea says, “look at the animals looking back at you from the pages of the books we love, and ask yourself if you can follow the standards they uphold.” (Ganea, 21) These three topics, misunderstanding of real animals, difficulty of application of animal traits to other animals, and relatability are difficult to judge. Though both the misunderstanding of real animals and
The article by Waxman and her colleagues is comprised of two parts. While the first deals with the impact of anthropomorphic language, the second studies how the exposure to an anthropomorphic animal can confuse children when attempting to connect animal traits. For example, if a child read a Berenstain Bears picture books and assumed that bears wear clothes, sleep in beds, and talk; how will this child connect a bear’s claws to those of their dog? As Waxman and her colleagues once again state, “...children who were primed with a book portraying bears anthropomorphically adopted a human-centered reasoning pattern and were less likely to extend the novel property from one non-human animal (dog) to others.” (Waxman, 17) This information leads us to ask why we still use anthropomorphised animals in our picture books; a good question with a simple answer. A child can relate to an …show more content…
Many situations that would be difficult for a child to understand can be presented using animals, a point that Elizabeth A. Dunn elaborates upon in her Master’s Paper for the M.S. in L.S. degree (advised by Rebecca Vargha of the School of Information and Library Science Library). She states, “...[A]nimals add an emotional distance that makes them ideal characters for addressing difficult subjects, like death, bullying, race and social class, respecting differences, and making the right decision.” (Dunn, 21) It can be hard for a child to accept or understand these topics, and seeing an animal character that they know going through these situations can help teach them, especially if that animal can speak and confront the situation. In addition to this, children see themselves in the characters. For example, a mouse. A mouse is small but mighty, and can make the difficult choice to make the right decision. It can be hard to choose to do the right thing in certain situations, but as Ganea says, “look at the animals looking back at you from the pages of the books we love, and ask yourself if you can follow the standards they uphold.” (Ganea, 21) These three topics, misunderstanding of real animals, difficulty of application of animal traits to other animals, and relatability are difficult to judge. Though both the misunderstanding of real animals and