Analysis Of Winnie-The-Pooh, Corduroy, And Peter Rabbit

Winnie-the-Pooh, Corduroy, and Peter Rabbit. Frog and Toad, Skippyjon Jones, and Arthur. All of these characters have been loved by many generations of children. What do they have in common? They are all animals. We think. Though placed in the bodies of bears, rabbits, and frogs, they attain many human traits. These traits can be anything from walking on hind legs to talking, with clothing and human facilities readily available for their usage. Anthropomorphism is defined as the attribution of human characteristics or behavior to a god, animal, or object. Anthropomorphism in picture books can lead to a misunderstanding of real animals, the difficulty of application of animal traits to other animals, but can also be easier for children to relate to. In 2014, two studies were conducted
Both studies (orchestrated by Patricia A. Ganea et. al. and Sandra Waxman et. al.) observed children ages five and younger as they were introduced to animals through anthropomorphic picture books and non-anthropomorphic children’s books. Though Waxman’s study used two well-known books (The Berenstain Bears/Animal Encyclopedia) and Ganea’s used books written for the experiment, the results were the same. It appeared that the use of anthropomorphic language in a picture book affects how likely children are to believe that animals can act in a human-like manner. It is stated in the paper by Ganea of the Applied Psychology and Human Development at the University of Toronto and her colleagues, “[the result] indicates that children in all