The Animal in You

There's something kind of charming about stories that include animals. It's nothing new, of course: many classic works of literature focus on animal characters and often make them integral to the story's plot.

What can be just as charming - and sometimes dramatic, sinister or more - is when an animal takes on the role of narrator, or is otherwise very humanlike in nature. When we think of how close we are to some of our animal friends, it's not hard to imagine animals telling the story as they see it.

 

Mother chimpanzees have displayed emotional grieving rituals when infants died, and there have been many studies surrounding language and primates. Even smaller creatures like mice have displayed various 'grimacing' expressions when in pain!

Check out some of these titles that have animals in the main role and find out just how similar they may sometimes be...

 

If you're curious about 'humanlike' qualities found in animals, you can also check out this quick read online.

If you'd like to revisit some classic reads - including some for children - here are some other animal stories:

Chronicles of Narnia    Watership Down    Animal Farm   Charlotte's Web

Enjoy!