Animals Are Us: Anthropomorphism in Children’s Literature; Celebrating the Peter J. Solomon Collection

irds—play a critical role in his recovery. They provide the
reason why, as a birdwatching enthusiast, Humpty was
initially perched upon the wall; they hover in the distance in
various two-page spreads; and when he summons enough
courage and determination to ascend the wall again, they swirl
about him like belayers, offering harnesses of support. Such
a depiction initially relegates animals to their conventional
roles in nature. However, in the final pages, Humpty’s shell
cracks, transforming him into a bird who majestically soars
above the city to join the friends who had been there all along,
implying their anthropomorphized purpose (fig. 2). Here,
anthropomorphism serves both as a vehicle to represent and
drive the protagonist’s growth—“It wasn’t the same as being up
in the sky with the birds, but it was close enough”—and as a
metaphor for the possibilities that agency presents: “Hopefully,
you’ll remember me as the egg who got back up . . . and learned
how to fly.” It also transforms this traditional tale from one of
tragedy into one of determination and hope.
Power, Compassion, and Social Responsibility
Another exhibition feature, Jerry Pinkney’s The Lion and the
Mouse (cat. no. 15), a largely wordless retelling of Aesop’s
fable, offers a particular view of the value of social exchange
where both the lion and the mouse act with compassion to
support the other. Pinkney’s evocative illustrations capture the
dynamics between the animals and draw upon young readers’
preconceptions of power between a lion and a mouse. Readers
are positioned to grapple with the realities of power and
powerlessness and life-and-death realities between predator
and prey, a dynamic that demonstrates respect for the child as
reader. Without written language to accompany the illustration
figure 2. Dan Santat. “And learned how to fly,” from After the
Fall: How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again.
where the lion clutches the mouse, readers must come to their
own conclusions about the mouse’s fate (fig. 3). A turn of the
page reveals the ultimate outcome and leaves readers to imagine
the mouse’s flight to safety. More than a moral story, Pinkney’s
version serves as a model of empowerment whereby both
animals take control of their worlds and are considerate of the
other. In this story, one finds greater happiness by focusing on
the happiness and well-being of others.
Moreover, the lion subtly instructs children to move
beyond sympathy (a visceral response to someone else’s
feelings) and toward compassion (the emotional response
to perceiving suffering and a genuine desire to help alleviate
it). As such, Pinkney’s The Lion and the Mouse represents a
shift in the use of anthropomorphism in animal stories from
sentimental sympathy toward the cultivation of compassion.
Sentimentalism in children’s literature of the past represented
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