Personification can be such an abstract concept for our students. No matter how many times I use the example "the rain danced on the windowsill" or have my students fill in random charts with examples of personification, there will still be students who are unable to grasp the idea of non-human things taking on human-like behaviors.
However, there are picture books that dive deep into this figurative language and give us an opportunity to get laser focused on one literary device to help students truly master the standard.
Eyes that Kiss in the Corners
This book not only has an amazing message and text, it is visually stunning. It was nominated for multiple awards and won the 2022 SCBWI Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Text.I had seen multiple posters and references to it throughout my school and on social media. I finally bought it - on a whim. Once I read it and had time to process this picture book, I was actually annoyed it took me so long to pick it up and read it!
It is chock full of figurative language and lesson opportunities, but for this post I will focus on the personification. The family's eyes take on their own "life". Joanna Ho and Dung Ho weave a beautiful tale of how each female in the family is connected. Their eyes not only connect them genetically, they speak to each other and bind them through love. Grandmother's eyes take them to the past and their homeland; whereas the narrator's eyes reach into the future.
You could focus on the straight-forward personification: "eyes disappear..." "eyes find mountains..." Or, you can extend the learning with a discussion about the differences between figurative and literal in a broader sense. For instance, it can be pointed out that the family's eyes are all genetically linked through DNA. That's why they look the same (literal). But they are also linked through their love for one another (figurative).
Another way to explore the personification in this book is to task students with examining the verbs used in association with the eyes; "eyes that kiss", "eyes tell", "eyes disappear". If eyes cannot literally do the verb- that's a pretty good clue the author is using figurative language. Granted, sometimes the figurative language meshes together and you get a bit of personification mixed in with hyperbole or simile...but that's the beauty of figurative language! Don't let that trip up your focus on personification. Simply examine it, have a short discussion, and move on.
You can find my entire literature study for "Eyes that Kiss in the Corners" in my TpT store.
Owl Moon
Every once in awhile a picture book comes along, makes its mark on you, and you never forget it. I used Owl Moon when I taught kindergarten over 20 years ago, and I still use it today.
This 1988 Caldecott Award Winner strikes its readers at their core through rich text and illustrations that sets a gentle tone unlike any other. Jane Yolen uses her poetry to bring readers on the journey of a little girl who goes owling with her father on a cold, snowy night.
Side bar: Jane Yolen has confirmed that the young child is a girl.
The young girl's environment takes on life as she makes her way through the woods. The trees, the dogs, the trains, the cold, the shadows...they all have an impact on her experience and they leave the reader feeling calm and serene.
This text gives teachers a chance to break down the ways an author can make an environment come to life for a character. The word choice also brings a tone to the text. I present students with a scenario in which the verbs are switched and ask them to consider how that would impact the tone of the text.
For example:
"...little gray footprints followed us."
versus
"... little gray footprints chased us."
As an extension, teachers can also switch out chunks of text to shift the tone. Bonus teaching points if you replace it with a figurative language phrase!
"They sang out, trains and dogs, for a real long time."
versus
"They screeched out, trains and dogs, until my ears bled."
By simply switching a few words teachers can demonstrate how to shift tone. An environment that was once calm and serene can become alarming and uncomfortable.
You can find my entire literature study for "Owl Moon" in my TpT store.
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Survivor Tree
Last year I stumbled upon this book in my local library. I was immediately drawn to the story of both the Tree and the Family impacted on 9/11. I decided to use it in my classroom and focused my lessons only on the personification. It made a huge difference in the students' understanding!
Like many other authors, Marci Colleen uses several literary devices throughout the text. However, the personification is especially poignant. The story tells a simultaneous tale of two survivors: a Family and a Tree. The text focuses on the Tree; and the illustrations bind the Family to the Tree. Through perseverance and love, both the Tree and the Family find the strength to continue on and survive the events of 9/11.
The Tree is personified through brilliant text and invites the reader to envision the Tree as a person. The Tree "stands", "stretches", "dances", "hesitates"; and eventually the Tree finds a "time to go home". Not since "The Giving Tree" have I been so emotionally invested in a tree.
Aside from the literary standards, Survivor Tree gives teachers a chance to teach students about the horrors and devastating effects of 9/11. They are too young to rememebr that day; not even born yet. And, now, some teachers are too young as well. If our young people are emotionally disconnected from 9/11, this book gives us a unique opportunity to connect those emotions and solidify a deeper understanding of that time in our history.
You can find my entire literature study for "Survivor Tree" in my TpT store.
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