The anthropomorphism of animals in children’s literature: State of play
Anthropomorphism is a common procedure in children’s literature. However, attributing human traits to animals may impede the development of children’s knowledge and reasoning about animals and the biological world, i.e., the capacity to distinguish between animal and human biological characteristics. This research examines the anthropomorphism of animals in French-language children’s literature in Canada. The animals represented in this sample were compiled and studied by means of a content analysis of 197 picture books selected from literature documented by Lurelu magazine over five years (2013–2018), in order to determine their degree of anthropomorphism based on the texts and illustrations. The analysis also examines how the animals’ biological characteristics are depicted. The findings reveal that anthropomorphized animals are present in a significant proportion of the picture books analyzed, and when biological characteristics are shown, they rarely enable children to develop reasoning about the biological world.