Childrens Lit Essay

Special Place in Stories and Our Hearts

Animals have always had a commanding influence as characters in stories most loved by children. In 20th century children's literature has seen countless animals and creatures become introduced into the story as a central character. Any creature in a novel serves as an important symbol and has important relationships with the human characters. When animals and creatures are placed in this genre it helps with the development of the plot. Children can also sometimes relate better to these characters that are non-human because it allows them to use their imagination. Animal tales have a long history, reaching back to the origins of oral narrative. Most of the tales dealt with live animals and creatures but, in some the protagonist or other characters are stuffed animals, mechanical animals or even imaginary beings (Gose, 1). There are many different types of children's literature that involves animals and creatures; the two largest being animal fantasy fiction and animal realistic fiction. Most stories that have an animal as a central character in them usually rest on the simple principles that animals can think and talk the way we do (Gose, 2). In this essay we will be discussing the role and characteristics of animals, monsters, creatures and also their relationships with human characters.

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There are differences between animal fantasy fiction and animal realistic fiction. The author of a fantasy tale often takes extra care in introducing us to the fantasy world, providing a explanation or description to ensure the "suspension of our disbelief" (Gose,5). In fantasy fiction the author critically depends on double appeal, to the reader's desire both to escape and to face reality. Animals are used in fantasy fiction because when they speak they can provide a relief from every day realities and routines (Gose, 3). That would be very appealing to a child who may be bored with their own lives. When reading Maurice Sendak's children's book "Where the Wild Things Are" we may notice that it is an example of this theory. Max is being punished which probably happens often and, he is making up a story instead of reading it like other children would. This story is almost a way to teach children how to escape from the reality into their imagination. Also it shows them how they can use their imagination away from just reading.

When their lives become unexciting children can read a book to help them use their imagination and, maybe learn how to use their mind outside of reading. Many tales written in the children's literature genre incorporate many human society like features and problems into the plot. Like animal and human relationships for example. But usually when these stories use the outside world they explain it very simply (Blount, 4). Simplification may be used to reassure children that they can cope with a demanding world (Blount, 5). Like in Charlotte's Web, when Wilbur is taken from Fern to live on the farm, this may show children how to cope with losing an animal. Another lesson a child could learn from is when Wilbur is told by a sheep that he is going to be killed and eaten for Christmas dinner. These sections of the story could help the child understand why animals die. "The animals and creatures in children literature are usually very sincere and their interactions may also be used to criticize human deviousness and lack of vitality," (Gose, 5). These characters may help the reader learn that it is okay to

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be very direct and display your values. Additionally another message that could be learned from Charlotte's Web is when Charlotte dies. This could help children understand what it may feel like and what they would do if they lost someone they cared about.

Children with their simplified humanity can be closer associated with animals than adults can. Children can escape from social norms that adults have to live with (Blount, 12). Children can perform some things that adults cannot. They are closer to the animal state and, can emphasize with animals more than adults can. Children and animals get pleasure out of smaller things. They can run around outside and, discover new things where many adults as very materialistic (Blount, 18). Children and animals are very much alike when it comes to the actions they perform and the punishments they receive. Children like animals are also very vulnerable. They find it particularly uncomplicated to relate to animals and that is why many authors choose to write about non human characters.

An author who chooses to write about animals can project through them psychological concerns that his readers either cannot or do not wish to experience directly in human terms (Gose, 6). When an author chooses a non human creature for its focus it is easy to make sure that readers will be able to leave behind the "internal moral censor" that will otherwise cause some readers not to begin a related tale with human characters (Gose, 6). Readers are more likely to drop their realistic expectations in order to become emotionally involved with a story about creatures. "In Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak the reader would do just this. This story would not make sense if Max went to a far away land in his bedroom that involved humans instead of these monsters. A true moralistic story uses the animals' natural behaviour to direct human moral, and this tradition often bends animal behaviour further towards the human that it should go (Blount, 42). Like in the "Tale of Peter Rabbit," the rabbits

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act like little humans. The mother dresses all the rabbits in human clothing, cooks food, and acts how a human mother would.

A theorist named D.W Winnicot believed that adults may lose themselves in art or religion as a child would in a play or a children's book. He says that, "for a child a play or book is an area to manipulate external phenomena in the service of the dream and invest chosen external with dream meaning and feeling (Gose, 11). This theory about inner and outer reality is well illustrated in Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are. Max begins in his room because he is being punished he begins to imagine his room turning into trees. In following pictures Max is shown in a complete forest. Max has seemed to fit this theory pretty well. He is manipulating external phenomena in the service of his dream (Gose, 12). This turns out that he is in a world where he gives order to the Wild Things. The monsters are in his imagination but Sendak also makes it appear as