Simile may not be a hard concept for students to grasp.
However, coming up with inventive rather than tired or trite comparisons can be
challenging for many young writers. Luckily, Hanoch Piven has created two
amazing picture books to help jump start creative thinking.
In My Dog is as Smelly
as Dirty Socks, Piven creates funny family portraits with everyday objects.
On one page, Dad is described “as playful as a spinning top” and “as fun as a
party favor.” The next spread shows a picture of Dad with a spinning top for a
nose and a party favor for his right eye. Likewise, the family dog who is “as
stinky as an onion” is humorously portrayed in a collage with onion eyes and a pepperoni
nose.
At the back of the book, Piven challenges young readers to
describe their own families, suggesting they make a list of ordinary objects
that indicate “smart,” “soft,” “scratchy,” “strong,” etc. The use of objects
provides a visual that should energize young writers wishing to provoke the
same laughter Piven’s picture book does.
Piven tackles classroom portraits in My Best Friend is as Sharp as a Pencil with the same hilarious results. Different members of the
class are described as “quiet as a fish” or “happy as gummy worms.” An afterward
explains how Piven has conducted workshops in object art around the world.
If these picture books don’t stimulate inventive similes and
lots of laughter in your writing workshop, nothing will.
Ask your students to collect simple objects to describe
themselves, family members, or classroom friends. Give them the opportunity to
make a collage and write a story about it. Have fun!
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