What’s with the talking animals and giving them human traits? Aren’t they smarter than us? I always thought so.
There’s something fun about having characters who are actually animals. Not only can you bring in human personalities, but also use their own natural qualities. If you want to showcase mixed relationships what’s more mixed than predator in love with prey: a bear falling for a salmon. Or life lessons: the lion and the mouse.
But, never forget the story of the turtle and scorpion…after all I’m a scorpion doing what scorpions do.
Frankly, I just like animals. I used to play with my plastic animals and have them on a farm with different “adult” animals being the school teachers and a small group of my favourites being in kindergarten getting into trouble, sometimes with mysteries.
Or when babysitting and playing with the Fisher-Price towns and farms. Buying them for my daughter.
There’s something freeing about not having humans in the story. Sometimes scary if you remember the story Animal Farm.
My own animal character, Sir Samson Smithstone VI aka Super Snake. Well, he’s very…upper class British comes to mind. Dang, now I need to research snakes in England. Or maybe he’s a type from Australia? Now that would work.
BTW, I dislike snakes. My mom hates them. It’s one of those phobia things people tend to have, so why am I writing about one? The name came first and told me all about itself.
Go, play. Bring some childhood toy animal to life.