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The Conversation
The Conversation
Louise Gentle, Principal Lecturer in Wildlife Conservation, Nottingham Trent University

Children’s books feature tidy nuclear families – but the animal kingdom tells a different story

Do animals really live like sylvanian families? Jeff Whyte/Shutterstock

Animals in children’s stories are often depicted as living in neat mum, dad and children family units. Examples include Fantastic Mr Fox, 101 Dalmatians and, more recently, Peppa Pig and Bluey. But, this might leave people feeling like outsiders if they don’t come from a traditional nuclear family set-up.

In reality, there is a huge diversity in what family looks like within the animal kingdom.

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