WHEN VIEWING ON A MOBILE DEVICE -- DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM Why Are Children So Interested In Animals, Anyway?  it immediately attracts attention and may seem “wrong” in a way that might feel disturbing—​a feeling we rarely have if a machine breaks down. We also recognize coherence in our fellow humans, such as in a thirsty coworker ris- ing from the lunch table to get a glass of water; her behavior and movements are part of an organized system that moves with grace and fluidity. If that coworker were a robot and moved with jerky motions and strange cacoph- onous noises, she would lack the coherence that tells us she’s a fellow living creature. Although children may not always understand animals’ behavior, it makes intuitive sense. Myers’s fourth quality is continuity. Repeated interactions with an animal can become a relationship. Continuity, in particular, is important because it allows a child to see himself, as a human being, as similar yet still different from the other animal. The interactions between child and animal build on one another and form the basis for a relationship: a connection between that child and that animal. This is very important. Trust may develop as relationships form (as might other feelings, depending on the interactions!). Children may learn to predict an animal’s actions and responses, and an- imals grow more comfortable with children over time and with repeated interactions. Repeated interactions offer children a chance to simply practice relation- ship building. Animals do things in response to a child’s behavior or actions. COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL 13