In children’s literature, the imagery of perfect nuclear families usually rules the storybook environment. The deeper we dive into the animal world, the more we find unique and colorful family arrangements. These amazing systems upend our common understanding of parenting expectations. From same-sex pairings to communal care, nature’s rich tapestry of bonds can inform and inspire us all while delighting us with the unexpected.
Perhaps one of the most extraordinary examples comes from the pages of Emily Gravett’s children’s book, The Odd Egg. In this fable, a mallard adopts an egg that hatches into an alligator. This poetic tale in prose brings to life the idea that our families can come together in unexpected fashions. It reflects the complex interactions we find in the natural world. I’d like to argue that love, care, and parenting might be trans-species. This concept is only one of several fascinating tales coming from the wilderness.
Unconventional Family Structures
The animal kingdom is full of unusual childcare practices that are much more interesting than the ones we see in most kids books. For example, the fate of most insect larvae is a rather dismal one—as many as three-fourths of wasp larvae are fed to their siblings. This extreme protection mechanism illustrates a darker side of family bonds in which violent care is still considered care.
Yet solitary wasps exhibit truly captivating behaviors. She traps her paralyzed grasshopper prey in her nest, seals it up, then leaves the nest for good. This approach ensures that the young have a plentiful supply of food immediately upon hatching. It highlights one of the ways bird parental investment diverges from the more familiar mammal-like style of nurturing.
Oddly enough, intentional communal parenting turns out to be a fairly common motif in nature. Honey bees are renowned for their cooperative rearing practices, where worker bees contribute to the upbringing of the entire hive. These examples serve to illustrate that parenting extends well beyond the nuclear family units. The roles in a community often blend and serve to reinforce one another.
The Spectrum of Parenting in Nature
Same-sex parenting has been the subject of interest in popular culture and scientific study. In species such as elephants, extended matriarchal family structures prosper. Same-sex couples assume the role of caregiver, emphasizing their inherent capacity for care – irrespective of gender. This is a broad tendency that reflects narratives like Justin Richardson’s And Tango Makes Three. In this fictional story, two male penguins meet and decide to raise a chick together.
Further illustrating this phenomenon, scientists have documented same-sex couplings in over 500 species ranging from dolphins and vultures to bonobos and geckos. These kinds of findings push back against the dominant ideology presented in children’s literature—especially in books where heterosexual, cisgender parenting is the assumed default. Roy and Silo, two male chinstrap penguins, develop an extraordinary and very real relationship. After spending six years as committed partners, their human friends gave them a fertile egg to incubate and raise together.
Single parenting seems to exist mostly within the realm of children’s literature. Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Peter Rabbit has a great illustration of a determined single mother rabbit. She stoically meets the daily trials of single parenthood with determination. In many ways, this story resonates with what many animals experience in the wild—being a single parent is found in nature.
Diverse Parenting Strategies
Nature has some other amazing and bizarre parental strategies. One particularly dramatic illustration is Darwin’s frog, which male frogs transport their tadpoles in their vocal sac for up to six weeks. This unconventional approach highlights paternal care in a manner that children’s stories are seldom able to do. It shows that male involvement is essential to raising children who are thriving.
Perhaps the most fascinating case comes from naked mole rats, in which a stable helper caste is even more pronounced. These altruistic animals exchange their own reproductive prospects to provide childcare in their colonies. The themes of these coop lifestyle explain how working together improves survival rates for young, promising lives.
Despite being less represented in children’s literature, male parenting does find its place in works like Julia Donaldson’s The Gruffalo’s Child. This book illustrates how fathers can play vital roles in nurturing and guiding their young, further emphasizing that gender roles in parenting can be fluid.