Words of Wisdom from our Fictional Animal Friends - Luleen S. Anderson

It’s hard to explain how a few precious things can follow us throughout our lives. Some of my precious things include words of wisdom from several classic children’s books.

As a psychologist and writer for more than 50 years, and having celebrated my 88^th birthday, I find myself thinking about the words of wisdom of some of my favorite fictional animal characters. I’m enjoying re-reading some of my childhood favorites, focusing on some of the quotes of enlightened characters.

Here are four of my favorites:

Winnie-the-Pooh, The Little Prince, The Velveteen Rabbit and Old Turtle. The characters in each story have words of wisdom to guide us on our journey through life.

Winnie-the-Pooh (A.A. Milne, 1926):

I love Pooh’s sense of responsibility and work ethic: “I have to be back to the House at Pooh Corner by 1:00. What do you know, there’s so much to be done: count all the bees in the hive; chase all the clouds from the sky.”

“A hug,” said Pooh “is always the right size”.

“Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.”

The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery, 1943):

Perhaps my all-time favorite, this book is full of insightful quotes. Take, for example, Fox’s observation about the importance of relationships: “You become responsible forever for what you have tamed.” And his comments to the Little Prince about how to understand what is important: “And now, here is my secret, a very simple secret. It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

The Velveteen Rabbit (Margery Williams, 1922):

In his struggle to determine if he is still real since his coat has become worn and cotton is poking out. “What is real?” asked the Rabbit.

“Real isn’t how you are made,” said the Skin Horse. “It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with you, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.” Then the Skin Horse added another thought. “Once you are Real you can’t become unreal again. It lasts for always.”

“To him he was always beautiful, and that was all that the little Rabbit cared about. He didn’t mind how he looked to other people, because the nursery magic had made him Real, and when you are Real, shabbiness doesn’t really matter.”

Old Turtle (Douglas Wood, 1992):

Although not a ‘furry’ friend, perhaps the best wisdom of all comes from a picture book called Old Turtle. This book, which has won seven major awards, and, is, I believe, destined to become a classic, is compassionately written and has stunning artistry.

Listening to the mountains and lakes, the wind and the rain and finally human beings arguing about who God is and/or who He belongs to, Old Turtle reminded them that “God is in everyone and in the beauty of the earth.” After a time, the people began to understand Old Turtle’s wisdom and to act on this new awareness. Rivalry ceased when they began to do that. When he saw that happening, Old Turtle smiled.

These words of wisdom from children’s books have influenced me in significant ways. I invite you to select your favorite from your bookshelf, find a comfortable, cozy chair, settle in, and revisit your old friends. You will find that in doing so, your heart will smile.