In textual representations the creature retains its original form, other than being able to speak. Sometimes it may only speak as a narrator for the reader's convenience. The rabbits in
Watership Down who, except for the ability to discuss their actions, behave exactly as normal rabbits, also come under this category, as do characters from animated films like
Happy Feet and
The Lion King.
Fables The tradition of using talking animals in stories dates as far back as 550 BCE with the Greek
Aesop’s Fables. The
Panchatantra, a collection of Indian animal fables, is another early example. Both use talking animals for didactic purposes. More recent fables like Sarah Trimmer’s
History of the Robins (1786) use talking animals to instruct children on how to behave in society as well as how to maintain the social order. Distinctions between humans and animals are more fluid. In these stories animals represent the ability to adapt and serve as mentors and guides. For example, in Louise Erdrich’s book
Chickadee the protagonist is saved by a Chickadee, who instructs him in finding food and water, after he escapes a kidnapping. Other examples of Native American works with talking animal stories include
How I Became a Ghost,
Keepers of the Earth, and
The Orphan and the Polar Bear, just to name a few.
Wilderness coming-of-age stories In the Disney franchises of
The Jungle Book and
Tarzan,
Mowgli along with Shanti and Ranjan can talk to the animals (such as a sloth bear, an elephant, a black panther, a tiger and a python) in the jungles of India, and
Tarzan along with Jane and her father can talk to the animals: gorillas and elephants in African jungle. Out of the animals, Sabor the leopard does not speak. In the French
feral child comic book Pyrénée, Pyrénée can talk to the forest animals in the French mountains of
Pyrenees. In
Go, Diego, Go! and
Dora the Explorer, Dora and her cousin Diego can talk to the animals in the rainforest. In
Tommy and the Wishing Stone (1915) by
Thornton W. Burgess, Tommy, who lives on a farm with his parents, resents his chores. He sees a mouse and envies it for not having chores, and imagines that it lives a carefree life. He wishes he was a mouse too, and suddenly, he IS a real mouse. For the rest of the first chapter, Tommy learns firsthand the challenges of being a real mouse living in the wild. He can converse with other mice in human language, but is otherwise just as a real mouse. In dreams, Tommy is thrust into life as 12 wild animals in turn: a mouse, a squirrel, a rabbit, a fox, a goose, a toad, a muskrat, a grouse, a mink, a raccoon, a beaver, and a bear. He learns how difficult and dangerous it is to live as these wild animals, and comes to respect and sympathize with them. Some editions split the book into three volumes:
Tommy and the Wishing Stone,
Tommy’s Wishes Come True, and
Tommy’s Change of Heart.
Naturalist animal fiction Animal fictions with more conservation-oriented themes allow young readers to engage with challenging messages at a safe distance. For example,
Charlotte’s Web introduces the concept of death when Charlotte dies and Wilbur is charged with taking care of her offspring. Similarly, naturalist animal fictions also provide a vehicle with which to provide commentary on the humane treatment of animals, animal rights, and the conservation of animals. A good example of this would be the
Doctor Doolittle series. Finally, in this digital age where modern childhood generally has very little contact and exposure to animals in the natural environment, naturalist animal fictions allow authors to portray natural animal behavior. For instance
Bambi, both the 1928 novel and the Disney film, realistically portrays the life cycle of deers. The hunting dogs in the film adaptation do not talk.
Animal autobiography Fictional works told from an animal’s perspective, like the horse in
Black Beauty, encourage readers to empathize with animals. Furthermore, more generally they challenge the human-animal divide. Other examples of animal autobiographies include
The Life and Perambulations of a Mouse (1783),
The Biography of a Spaniel (1806),
The Adventures of a Donkey (1815),
The Curious Adventures of a Field Cricket (1881), and
Thy Servant, a Dog (1930).
Animal satire For some authors talking animals, rather than human characters, allowed them to publish their satirical commentary by protecting them from censure. Chaucer’s
Canterbury Tales and Orwell’s
Animal Farm are some of the most famous examples of this.
Contemporary fiction Contemporary novels such as
Alexis Wright's
The Swan Book, Colin McAdam's
A Beautiful Truth, Erin Hortle's
The Octopus and I and
Laura Jean McKay's
The Animals in That Country show animal voices alongside human characters. These novels portray animals as equally deserving of a place in the narrative. == Fantastical creatures ==