Talking Animals

Talking Animals

We all have standards for the books we read. Some of us love psychological fiction and horror, some of us focus on anything fiction, and some of us– oddly enough– need to know the book’s whole plot before reading.

Some of these outlandish standards I can understand– but there is one I have no idea how it came about or why it’s even a standard at all.

My friend. Won’t read books. With talking animals in them.

As I said, I have no idea how this happened. 

One day, she was reading Prince Caspian by C. S. Lewis, the fourth book in the Chronicles of Narnia. Amidst her journey alongside Caspian and Reepicheep, She suddenly announced to me- “I’m not gonna read this anymore. It’s boring.” She’s been coasting along with those Narnia books pretty well, and now she hates it?! 

A few days later, I recommended her a book titled Kenny and the Dragon. Once she saw it had talking animals in it, she responded with a definitive ‘no’. The same went for Wing & Claw, other Narnia books, and everything else with talking animals. 

"So what kind of book do you like?!" I asked in exasperation. Her answer was easy: "I like friendship stories." So I recommended her Kenny and the Dragon. Which was a friendship story… that contained talking animals. 

“I said I hate talking animals!!” “It’s a friendship story!” “Talking animals!!” 

And so I gave in, and finally recommended her something without talking animals- Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata. 

She was on the second page when she closed the book, went away and returned with a Thea Stilton book. 

Apparently, she still likes Stilton stories. 

So I asked her why she reads Thea Stilton if she hates talking animals, and she responded that it was a friendship story. 

A friendship story?!?!