Peter Rabbit, Spot the Dog, Mog the cat, the Tiger who came to tea, The Gruffalo.
When I sat down to write this week's post on 'main character energy' it struck me how all the picture book characters that came to my mind first were animals.
I'd never thought about this before, but it seems that animal characters are more memorable.
In some ways, this can cause problems. There are so many books featuring animals that Black, Asian or minority children in Britain are 10 times more likely to see an animal character on the cover, than one that represents themselves.
This is one of the reasons why all of my own books center mixed heritage families.
In other ways, animal characters enable inclusivity. By taking away any indication of race or gender, children can focus on the way the character feels and responds to the challenges in the story. This can lead to an emotional connection with both the book and with the message it holds.
This is certainly something Hunter hopes to achieve in his upcoming book: Pirate Penguin, where his main character doesn't feel like being themselves is enough...
Flipper is bored of being a regular penguin.
So when the opportunity for adventure comes floating inside a bottle, Flipper jumps at the chance to be someone else!
But will being a Pirate Penguin make Flipper feel better? With the help of crew-mates Peg-leg Penguiny, Squeaky and Beaky perhaps Flipper might find out how fun being a penguin is again.
Pirate Penguin is being illustrated as we speak by the amazing Nicci Martin. Give her a follow on instagram: @niccimartin_draws
Follow me @kirstin_writes for updates on this exciting new book
