Animals in fantasy books
Asked by Beth Hanning on August 27, 2020
Hi Jerry, I just listened to your latest webinar, Description: How to Do It Right. I am getting more and more comfortable writing my first book thanks to these classes!
I have several Beta readers giving me feedback. Darien let me know that it was hard for her to stop reading my first book called The Kitten and the Robot! She also mentioned that the abilities of my animals are inconsistent. I agree with her in some respects. It is a fantasy, but am not sure how much liberty I can take.
For example, the kitten needs help from the robot to open doors but uses a tape measure later in the story. Could you advise me on this topic? Do you know of other good children's books that include similar magical jumps in reality?
Jerry's Answer
You have all the freedom you want in fantasies, Beth, but your beta reader is right that you must be consistent. For a kitten to use a tape measure, that implies a certain override of the fact that kittens don't have opposable thumbs. If the kitten can manage that, it could probably turn a doorknob too.