A Trip Down Memory Lane

12-28-14: Down Memory Lane

Hello again, all!

I realize there’s been a bit of a break here since December started. I suppose I should have put something like this up:

Raccoons don't hibernate during the Winter!
We just get kinda sleepy and lazy...

However, moving beyond that, let’s wrap up the end of 2014 with a happy trip down memory lane! How do we do that and stay with the theme of literature and anthropomorphics here? Well, remembering our very first encounter with an anthropomorphic animal would be a good way to start.

While that may sound like a strange thing to focus on, let’s really put this into perspective. Anthropomorphic animals are often part of our very first memories of stories. Not only do they make up a large portion of characters in fairy tales and fables, but how many children’s movies and cartoons feature animal protagonists or sidekicks? Even Disney’s recent hit of Frozen, which has been massive hit this past year with the very young, rivaling the success of the Lion King, had a moose and a talking snowman as part of the main cast.

Granted, these days, there are surprisingly fewer anthro characters in children’s films than there have been in the past, but the amount of children’s BOOKS with animal characters has only increased. While I usually like to focus on how these talking animals are great for people of all ages, it really is fun for me to think about which characters started it all. Feel free to make a journey of you own while I share a bit of mine!

For me, the first animal story that I remember consistently was a book called “Ketchup, Catch up!” My father used to read that book to me all the time, mostly because his favorite animals were monkeys and I suspect he wanted to expose me to them as much as possible to instill that same fascination. Heck, I used to even have a monkey as one of my first stuffed animals. Anyways, I remember this book so much for several reasons. Firstly, it was because I loved putting ketchup on stuff, so the book felt just right for me! Secondly, even at that toddler age, I adored the word play. Something about saying the same collection of sounds twice but having it mean two completely different things brought a smile to my face. Finally, it was because my father read the book to me so darned much. It really did feel like our own personal book to share, and that made it fun and exciting to hear over and over again. Also, I’m certain that I was one of those kids that always asked to have the same book read to him over and over again at bed time. As a result of that, I believe it also became the first book that I learned how to read. I say ‘read’, but really it was just memorizing the words that my dad would say to me as he had the book open. I’m told that I used to flip open that book and just start saying the story aloud while not even looking at the page. Heh, I guess putting letters to the sounds came later, but it was still a start!

His brother Mustard wasn't quite as popular.

The other book that I remember with fondness from my childhood was one called “Timmy Tiger and the Elephant”. It’s weird, though… I remember so very little about the story of the book (to be fair, “Ketchup, Catch Up!” kind of gives the plot away in the title), but I remember absolutely loving the art. Timmy Tiger was SO darned cute and the art was so vibrant and bright. I remember spending many nights just looking through the book at all the illustrations. Looking at it again now, it very well might have been the first step towards my artistic inclinations.

Goodness, seeing this cover brings memories flooding back...

If you can find a copy of either of these books, I highly recommend them! Especially if you have kids or young relatives that you want to share the joy of reading and animal characters with.

How about you readers? Who were some of your first animal characters that you encountered and loved as a child? Go ahead and let us know so that we can walk down memory lane together!

As a final note, I would like to take the opportunity to wish each and every person reading here a very happy New Year’s!

Here’s to a great upcoming year of happy reading!

-Chammy

Currently Reading:

The Last Wild by Piers Torday