Picture Books: P is for Personality and Animals

Beatrix Potter is obviously in a class of her own. 

What is so remarkable about her books is how much they moved away from the sermonizing of so much nineteenth-century children's literature. When Lemony Snicket begins The Series of Unfortunate Events by declaring that this book will not have happy endings and cared-for children who learn important lessons about life, he is referencing nineteenth-century literature for children favored by sermon-happy parents.

I suspect that Potter's small picture books were so incredibly popular then for the same reason they continue to wow us now: small (perfect for a child's hands), uncomplicated with clear, evocative pictures that show-don't-tell a story.

And her animals behave like animals, even when finely dressed. The Tailor of Gloucester, with its Disney helpful mice who finish the tailor's work when he is ill, are pursued by a fairly unrepentant cat. The cat eventually also helps the tailor but he never stops trying to pursue the mice, and why should he? He's a cat! In addition, the work completed by the mice is noticeable for the nearly impossible fine stitching. 

These tales are true classics as Family Ties can attest when Alex begs his "mommy" to reread The Tale of Peter Rabbit.  

Bill Peet created classic animal tales as well. 

I like Bill Peet's picture books for the same reason I admire Potter. I've never much enjoyed stories in which animals dress up to be human and behave like them. What's the point? At the risk of being stoned, I confess, I never cared for the Redwall series. If animals are going to live in houses and wear clothes and carry swords, why not just make them humans? 

With Bill Peet, the animals may talk and interact with humans but they are still animals. So in Eli, the lion is saved from hunters by vultures pretending to eat him--because that's what happens to old, dead lions and that's what vultures do.