For some great, funny examples of similes, try the picture book, Saving Sweetness, by Diane Stanley.

The sheriff in Saving Sweetness has a way with words.  His descriptions of the little girl, Sweetness, and the outlaw, Coyote Pete, are sure to make your students laugh.  He also has some choice words for Mrs. Sump, the head of the orphanage that Sweetness escapes from on the first page of the story.

Students can listen for similes as you read the book aloud, and then explain in their own words what the sheriff means by each one.  For example, what does he mean when he compares Sweetness to “a speckled pup under a wagon?”  And how about when he compares Coyote Pete to a whole “acre of rattlesnakes?”

Another favorite is the way he describes Sweetness the first time she escapes from him in the desert.  He says that she “lit off like she was trying to catch yesterday.”

Students can also search the picture book on their own for more similes and for other types of creative, figurative language.  In Saving Sweetness, there is plenty to choose from.  The sheriff’s colorful way of speaking is sure to be a hit with students.

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