Learning Speciesism through Children’s Books

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For those just arriving at this website, Framing Speciesism is a research activism blog that explores how we ‘frame’ (or think about) nonhuman animal species. Beginning with my doctoral research on brushtail possums in Aotearoa New Zealand, my work has since expanded to include a wider breadth of species, particularly those labelled as ‘pests’, ‘invasive’, or ‘unwanted’. I am developing Critical Pest Studies, an emerging subfield of Critical Animal Studies that examines how these labels are socially and politically constructed and how they shape public attitudes, policy, and the treatment of animals. Through this work, I challenge the narratives that justify the persecution of certain species and dedicate my research activism to serving animals of all kinds, particularly those who are discarded, exploited, or demonized.

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November 26, 2024

My favourite book series as a child was The Berenstain Bears. I collected as many as possible and decorated my bed with the stuffed Mama Bear, Papa Bear, Sister Bear, and Brother Bear. While I didn’t know it then, these stories taught me traditional societal behaviours and expectations, and ultimately, modelled to me what a ‘perfect’ nuclear family is. As a child of divorce, these stories gave me comfort and a lifelong affinity for tree houses and talking bears.

Reading books and listening to their stories plays a fundamental role in children developing their cognitive, linguistic, and learning abilities (Niklas et al., 2016). We learn what to do (and alternatively what not to do) through these tales. Many children’s books, such as The Berenstain Bears, use anthropomorphism to tell stories and maintain engagement by using animals. Anthropomorphism is the application of human behaviours to nonhuman objects or beings (Morton et al., 1990), such as animals. Early research critiqued the use of animals in children’s books (Markowsky, 1975), though the practice of using animals to tell stories is still done heavily today.

While I am not criticising the use of animals in literature, I question how we use them – especially when they are presented in speciesist ways that can cause harm through the gross oversimplification of complicated ideas. This post introduces how possums in Aotearoa New Zealand are framed in children’s literature and questions why we should care. They’re just kid’s books right, surely they have nothing to do with the culture of cruelty that possums can face here?

I’m not so sure. This idea of examining children’s books was initially part of my doctoral research, where I intended to analyse how children’s books present possums and what stories they tell. Are the possums presented as good, bad, or neutral in the tale? What words, images, and illustrations are used in these books? What role do species play? If the book is about conservation, how do the authors and illustrators grapple with the incredibly complex topic of possums as ‘pests’?

I quickly discovered in my initial research that possums in New Zealand-specific children’s literature are often poised as the enemy or antagonist. For example, in Erin Devlin’s book, “Oh, No Mister Possum”, everything from the description and imagery presents possums negatively (see below). The back description states, “When Mister Possum and his GREEDY family refuse to change their diet of luscious New Zealand trees, a plan is hatched to return these hungry visitors to their native Australia”. The illustrations present possums as sharp-clawed, sullen-eyed menaces that lurk in the trees to pluck leaves at their leisure. The emphasis of “GREEDY” and “hungry”, in colourful bold text is contrasted against the yellow, watery font of the “luscious” trees.

The presentation of possums here looks markedly different to Australian possum depictions, such as Toni Hough’s “A Possum’s Nest” or Mem Fox and Julie Vivas’s “Possum Magic” (see below). “The Possum’s Nest” follows Lily, a young child who finds a joey and sets out on an adventure to find the joey’s mother, meeting other Australian species along the way. “Possum Magic” is a similar tale of adventure, where a young possum, Hush, becomes invisible by the magic of Grandma Poss. The tale follows Grandma Poss and Hush through the bush to find the magical food that can visibilise Hush again. The Australian illustrations are soft, with smooth lines and warm colours. Both of these books are written and illustrated by Australian authors and illustrators, where the brushtail possum is native and protected as a species.

This short post is not intended to fully explain the intricacies of introduced species, such as possums, and ‘pest’ control in New Zealand; however, it does question how this framing of so-called ‘pest’ species in children’s books can influence negative attitudes, and eventually negative treatment, of these species. Previous research has criticised how children’s literature, despite seeming harmless or innocuous, can normalise and desensitise children to the marginalisation of nonhuman animal species (Tetrault, 2023). The constant exposure to the narrative of possums as ‘pests’ can influence how children see and understand the marsupial and their state of belonging in New Zealand.

Unfortunately, specific animal species can be constructed as social problems (Best, 2018). In New Zealand, possums are undoubtedly one of New Zealand’s social problems. The discourse is prevalent in recent online media, such as a recent NZ Herald news article which outlined how a conservationist, seeking to sell “ungutted [possum] carcasses” for garden fertilizer, argued some Kiwis were “sleepwalking through life” by ignoring the possum problem (Curtis, 2024), or the Radio New Zealand article which outlines how a pensioner “fought back” against possums which ate her roses (Rosenberg, 2024). Then there are examples in children’s literature, as listed above.

While this is fodder for a much larger research project, it is clear that something is going on with how children consume conservation messaging in their books and literature. Children should learn about protecting native species and their habitats, but my criticism is how this is done. Is the current approach the best way to engage children in conservation and environmental protection? What about empathy building and learning how humans interact with and treat others – especially those deemed not to belong? I don’t have the answer, but I know this isn’t it.

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References:

Best, J. (2018). Constructing animal species as social problems. Sociology Compass, 12(11), e12630. https://doi.org/10.1111/soc4.12630

Curtis, S. (2024, October 1). Northland conservationist Wayne Parsonson’s unique initiative for dead possums. NZ Herald. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/northland-conservationists-unique-initiative-for-dead-possums/IJPHWS3FUJBJLCOUNY6OAWLOIE/

Markowsky, J. K. (1975). Why anthropomorphism in children’s literature?. Elementary English, 52(4), 460-466. https://www.jstor.org/stable/41592646

Morton, D. B., Burghardt, G. M., & Smith, J. A. (1990). Critical anthropomorphism, animal suffering, and the ecological context. The Hastings Center Report, 20(3), S13-S13.

Niklas, F., Cohrssen, C., & Tayler, C. (2016). The sooner, the better: Early reading to children. Sage Open, 6(4), 2158244016672715. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244016672715

Rosenberg, M. (2024, November 23). Possums ate this pensioner’s roses. So she fought back. RNZ.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/ldr/534610/possums-ate-this-pensioner-s-roses-so-she-fought-back

Tetrault, S. (2023). The Influence of Early Childhood Media in Promoting Speciesist Ideologies. Animal Ethics Review, (1), 11-18. https://doi.org/10.31009/aer.2023.v3.i1.03

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