Hi everyone. I am studying an MA in Illustration. I am interested in the representation of violence toward animals - specifically by humans - in picture books.
I'm asking what people's thoughts are on this.
For example, are there any rules or guidance for publishing illustrated stories with violence in them?
Do you know of or have any in mind where there is any violence toward animal characters by human characters.
What do you think about it?
Any and all thoughts welcome.
Thank you for your help.
Hi Bridget, this is a really interesting question. The first question I'd ask is, what is your audience, as this would have a large influence on whether violence towards animals would be acceptable, and if so, how much, and how graphic. As for rules and guidance, that would be down to the individual publisher and their requirements, although I suspect there will be few that would accept anything too graphic or gratuitous
I can't think of too many examples, but Mrs Frisby and the Rats of Nimh deals with this topic in an interesting way; Watership Down is another one. Most of the examples I can think of, though, are not illustrated, which leads me to my final thought: I don't think it should be a topic that's off-limits for children (I write YA myself) but I do think it needs handling very carefully. If the only purpose of violence towards animals in a story is to either shock or promote a political message, then it should not be there. If it's integral to the plot (and handled in an intelligent and sensitive manner, with regards to the age of the target readership) then I would be much more open to it.
One final thought: I think it can send a more powerful message by being less visible (I'm thinking of Bambi's mother and the hunters - you don't see anything, but it's brutally effective).
Hope this helps :)