Endangered Species...How About Farm Animals In Childrens Picture Books
I’m Susan Allen this is Open Range, stay tuned. The mantra in agriculture is that Americans are several generations removed from farming and while we chuckle when kids say chocolate milk comes from brown cows, according to a recent study it’s actually rather sad and no surprise considering farming and nature themes have rapidly declined from children’s picture books. My boys grew up with nursery rhymes about cows jumping over the moon, three little pigs and a rabbit named Peter that raided a famer’s garden . Yet a Wall Street Journal article last weekend titled Bye-Bye- Bambi cited a recent study that reviewed over 300 books that have won the prized Caldecott Medal since 1938 and concluded that most children’s picture books today take place in man -made settings. Researchers scanned 8000 illustrations into the computer and discovered a disturbing trend. Starting in the 1960’s natural and rural settings began to be featured less and less in children’s books and urban setting were more prevalent. Images of animals, both farm and wild have followed this same pattern and by 2008 most of childrens picture books are devoid of animals and nature. If you want to see for yourself, the study is titled the Human-Environment Dialog in Award Winning Children Picture books and should serve as a wake- up call to groups trying to educate today’s consumer’s in the farm to table movement.
