Less surreal but known to millions are the stories attributed to Aesop in which animals are endowed with human characteristics such as cunning, laziness, stupidity. Closer to our own time both Beatrix Potter and Rudyard Kipling have charmed us all at some point with their memorable depictions of rational, thinking animal characters. And let’s not forget the much darker portrayal of 20th century politics in George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’; the characters of Snowball, Napoleon, Squealer, Boxer and so many others in Orwell’s satirical ‘fairy story’ continue to have huge resonance in 2025!

It is always a great satisfaction to find local examples of my Curious and Curiouser topics: anthropomorphism is no exception. Not far from Chester, in the parish church of Daresbury is an entire stained-glass window dedicated to Lewis Caroll who, of course was master of humanoid animals. His creations, the March Hare, Mad Hatter, the Dodo need no further illumination here. The window, created by Geoffrey Webb in 1935 is, however well worth a visit. Keep a look out for the Cheshire Cat!