It Appears to Be a Children’s Book … But Look Closer
PETA is releasing The Secret Lives of Animals, a “children’s book for adults”.
Seems sweet, right? It appears endearing, even. But look closer.
The Secret Lives of Animals, created by provocative Miami ad agency The Community, is “the first sound book that shows you how animals really sound”. You might not like what you hear.
Next to the cute animals in pastel colours are the sound buttons, which play audio of real animals screaming. Words that appear at first to be singing nursery rhymes actually reveal the horrific fate each of our furry, feathered, and finned friends endure in exploitative industries.
The beautiful white bunny is about to be strung up and skinned for someone’s fur coat. A dolphin trapped in a cramped tank can only cry out as she swims in endless circles while hauling humans by her dorsal fin. The pretty pink pig tries to avoid the slaughter line, and the fluffy goose’s feathers are about to be yanked out for a blanket. A deer romps in the forest … until a hunter comes along. And the little grey mice desperately want to find a way out of the laboratory.
It looks like a book for the child in you – the one who believed that animals live like Disney characters. But really, it’s for your adult self, who can see the reality and do something about it. What’s the message of this children’s-book-that-isn’t? We can create the world we believed in as kids – and we have to.
PETA only has limited copies for sale, so grab yours while you can!
Please note that delivery may take between five and seven working days.
