Since our son was born, my husband and I have spent
a lot of time looking at and reading books with him, and I’m often struck by
the huge number of children’s stories that feature animals, insects, plants,
rocks, the moon and stars, oceans, rivers and lakes.
Most of the animals talk and have relationships
with one another, with human beings, and with the readers. The animals are not
the passive animals that we adults tend to think them to be—they are animated
and wise, cunning and clever with wonderful senses of humour. They do both fun
and foolish things when the humans aren’t watching—talk to one another, play
together, and make fun of the humans.
And this leads me to wonder, at what point do we
begin to assume that other animals are passive and less clever than us? At what
point does nature lose its enchantment?
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