Almost every child grows up with storybooks. They impart education and help us understand the world through stories. They are colourful, easy to read and enjoyable. Notably, children continue to adore the pictorial depictions.
From ancient times to this day, storybooks have been a part of every child’s reading culture. From Panchatantra tales to Shikari Shambu in the Tinkle, animals have continued to be protagonists in almost every storybook, no matter how old or new. They are anthropomorphised—portrayed with human characteristics; they can talk, walk, and interact with each other, mostly just like humans.
This is not restricted to storybooks from the subcontinent. Aesop, an ancient Greek storyteller, mentioned a speaking wolf. This incident dates back to 620-524 BCE. Aesop meant to teach lessons about life by using animals in his fables. During his time, wolves were abundant in Europe. However, gradually, they retreated to deeper areas of the jungles. The intention to teach lessons about life through animal fiction also faded over time.
‘Bestiaries,’ stories about how God made humans superior to animals, began doing the rounds. Medieval writers wrote various stories portraying such beliefs written by medieval writers.
The Industrial Revolution saw the introduction of children’s storybooks that visually presented stories about animals. During this revolution, Europe witnessed increased air pollution caused by factories and the loss of forests; the storybooks highlighted these issues. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland highlights the concern of losing animals’ habitats.
Gradually, as other animal stories were published, they gained a phenomenal readership. Mowgli from Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book is a popular character amongst people of all ages. However, the storytellers do not always make real animals talk. Julia Donaldson’s The Gruffalo revolved around part dinosaur, part warthog and part bear.
The Panchatantra tales, originally written in Sanskrit by Vishnusharma, date back to 1500 BCE and are arguably the oldest animal fables. The author has named all the animals, from Pingalaka, the lion, to Sanjivaka, the bull. The tales narrate stories about loyalty, friendship, stupidity, treachery, polity, and love.
The Panchatantra tales were the only popular Indian storybooks for children, even during the 1960s. This motivated Anant Pai, founder of the Amar Chitra Katha and Tinkle, to start a series of comics devoted to Indian mythologies, folk tales, history, and life lessons through animal stories.
Their stories received a wide readership as they narrated stories mixing morals and social-environmental messages. A classic example is the story of Shikari Shambhu, the hunter who never hunts but becomes a conservationist.
Children love animals. They are fascinated with them. Perhaps this was the primary motivation for the writers to include them in the stories. Animals add a certain silliness to the story and encompass life lessons. Using animals creates an emotional distance between the characters and the child when imparting a personal or painful message.
Children’s naïve fascination with animals makes it easier for storytellers to impart difficult life lessons while making the experience enjoyable. The comics of Winnie the Pooh, for instance, feature Pooh saying several lines about friendship, loyalty, and companionship.
Another aspect of animal fiction is that it portrays, very simply and delightfully, lessons that impart wisdom on how society works. The story of the Rabbit and the Lion from the Panchatantra tales, in which the rabbit outsmarted the lion, the king of the jungle, is a classic example of the worldly wisdom these tales offer.
With beads of sweat running down his face and extreme terror in his heart, Shikari Shambu has never been shown to shoot an animal despite being a hunter. Animal activists have used the character to raise awareness several times. Discipline and proper etiquette are other aspects that stories like “Peter the Rabbit” teach the children wonderfully.
Writing children’s stories is a huge responsibility. The author must narrate the story with simplicity, no matter how painful and complex. Exposure to vulnerability at such a young age can be emotionally damaging if the stories are distorted.
Animal fiction allows the readers to look through the perspectives of others. Children need to learn to accept the differences that different people may bring into their lives. Through adventure and delight, children are inspired to ask intelligent questions and live through the lives of the various characters in what they read. These storybooks serve as a safe bubble for the children— a bubble that helps them embark upon life’s most difficult lessons.
-30-
Copyright©Madras Courier, All Rights Reserved. You may share using our article tools. Please don't cut articles from madrascourier.com and redistribute by email, post to the web, mobile phone or social media.Please send in your feed back and comments to [email protected]
