Tropical legibility
Picture book depictions of jungle animals contributed to the project of rendering tropical nature legible and rational to the imperial eye. This section is divided into the following sub-topics:
The Imperial Eye: The first theme in children's jungle imagery is the ability of picture books to create a world that was visually unified under the imperial "eye."
Unlikely Companions: Picture books contributed to the imperial vision was by picturing the animal world as a jumbled whole. Contemporary viewers will be extremely familiar with this convention—almost every alphabet book or animal picture book includes things like camels and gorillas side by side. However, it was arguably only an imperial vision that originally allowed such casual groupings.
Science, Family, and Hierarchy: Exotic animals were consciously organized into scientific families and hierarchies. This explicitly scientific vision both demonstrated the organizing power of the imperial perspective and imposed a hierarchical order that reflected imperial needs.