Comparing & Contrasting Two Characters Using Picture Books

Are your students comparing and contrasting two characters? I suggest starting with picture books!

By October, my students are getting much better at identifying character traits, so it’s a great time to take that one step further: comparing and contrasting two characters. One of my favorite picture books for modeling how to do this is The Pain and the Great One by Judy Blume:

If you’re not familiar, it’s a funny look at sibling rivalry as an eight-year-old girl, “The Great One,” and her six-year-old brother, “The Pain,” state their cases about each other and who is best loved by their parents. Your students with siblings are sure to make connections along the way!

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Now, back to the task at hand…

I love a good Venn diagram, don’t get me wrong. But sometimes you want your students to draw their own and they end up looking like one of these, am I right?

Don’t worry – there is another option.

I love to teach my students about a graphic organizer called a Box & T-Chart. I find that not only does it tackle the same skill, but it’s a bit easier for the students to manage:

Another great book I use for modeling this skill is I am the Dog, I am the Cat by Donald Hall. In this book, a dog and a cat take turns explaining what is wonderful about being who they are.