The first is Animals in the Zoo: Color them and see them through the bars of the cage by H.J. Roepke and B.C. Demien. “Color the pictures in the book like this,” it says on the back. This refers to the 16 full-page outlines of “zoo” animals, including a polar bear, an elephant, a zebra and a leopard. A right-hand third cover page is flipped over the colored-in animal you can see the, for example, lion, in her own cage. The page is convenient cut out with bars to look through. Fortunately, none of the images have been colored in.
What’s fascinating about this kids coloring book (circa 1920) is that it clearly shows the time’s prevailing attitudes that it is acceptable for wild animals to live in cages in a zoo. The book also demonstrates how these values are passed on from one generation to the next. Fortunately, this cycle of “mis-education” is increasingly challenged and it is difficult to believe a book of this kind could be produced as a financially viable publication today.
The second book also targets a young readership and takes the form of an autobiography. It is My Life Story by an Indian elephant called E. Lephant. This book (published in 1900 or thereabouts) also clearly demonstrates how speciesist attitudes are indoctrinated into children. For example, “When I was very young my mother was captured and of course I was taken with her.” Here’s how our power and control over animals is sold as a benign “it’s good for them” dictatorship: “My new masters were kind and when we arrived at their village we were tied by the legs and fastened to stakes at the edge of the shady forest.” Here’s how capitalism and colonialism are sold to young readers.
One day I saw a strange man looking at me. His face was white and he wore a white suit and white helmet. He was the first white man I had ever seen. He petted me and I liked his face very much. He spoke to my old master, looking in my direction all the while. was not surprised after he gave the old man a handful of silver coins, to be led over to him and I knew he was my new master. For many days we travelled through the forest. There were several elephants and many boxes filled with strange animals from the jungle. We were quite a parade and as we went on more animals joined us. I soon found out that my new master was collecting animals for a circus in a land far across the sea.
And, so, E. Lephant becomes a worker in the circus and an exhibit in the zoo.
Finally, E. Lephant asserts his or her class of species subjugation by concluding the autobiography with this sigh of resigned acceptance.
And it always gives me such pleasure to see the happy children come to my cage and toss me peanuts and apples. I have not forgotten all my tricks and good manners, so I always bow my head and raise my trunk in friendly greeting.
