from Using Picture Books to Teach Literary Devices by Susan Hall Literary Device Alliteration Allusion Analogy Atmosphere Definition Example repetition of the initial consonant letter or sound in two or more words in a line of verse, where the most famous example is “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.” a brief, casual reference that makes an association to a presumably familiar person, historical event, place, literary work, or object A boy who is afraid of the dark likes “’lanterns and lamps, torches and tapers, beacons and bonfires, flashlights and flares’” (2) in Ray Bradbury’s Switch on the Night. Hogula’s castle and character allude to Dracula in Hogula, Dread Pig of Night by Jean Gralley, for he is “friend to bats and fond of the necks of his victims (9). In Tough Cookie by David Wisniewski life in a cookie jar is compared to life in a big city. In The Yellow Star: The Legend of King Christian X of Denmark by Carmen Agra Deedy, the war is like “a fierce storm, which even good King Christian was powerless to stop. Soon Nazi soldiers gather in dark clouds at the Danish border” (53). The description creates an atmosphere of fear and terror. In Amelia’s Road by Linda Jacobs Altman, Amelia associates the word “road” with the pain of moving: “Roads never went anywhere you wanted them to go” (67). In Big Jabe by Jerdine Nolena a woman takes a young boy to a pear tree too old to bear fruit. After she says, “Poppa Jabe planted it there in slavery times,” she launches into a story of how freedom came to Plenty Plantation (74). In The Memory String by Eve Bunting the cat foreshadows trouble to come: “Yowww! Whiskers warned” (79). In the book Alice Nizzy Nazzy, the Witch of Santa Fe, the witch “cackled a cackle that could wear down cliffs” (101). for purposes of illustrative example, the likening of one thing to another on the basis of some similarity between the two the overall emotional feeling created by the details the author uses; atmosphere is created by descriptions of settings, characters, and events. Connotation implications or suggestions evoked by word choice Flashback interruption of present action to insert an incident that took place in the past Foreshadowing hints or clues about what will occur later in the narrative Hyperbole an exaggerated statement used to increase or heighten effect Imagery concrete details that appeal to the senses of sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste or internal feelings Inference clues that enable the reader to form reasonable conclusions about characters or events Internal Rhyme two or more words that rhyme within a line of text Irony the opposite of what is expected. In verbal irony a word used can mean the opposite of what is intended. In situational irony an event is the opposite of what is expected. Metaphor a comparison of two dissimilar things that does not use like or as Motif a recurring theme, character, or verbal pattern Onomatopoeia a word that imitates the sound associated with its object or action Oxymoron two “startling terms or ideas” (184) that seem to contradict one another Parody a humorous imitation of another literary work to amuse or ridicule the other’s style or subject matter In Mabel Dancing by Amy Hest Mabel observes her parents’ dance party. “On this magical night ‘the curtain blew and Mama’s gown did, too.’ The music downstairs ‘had a way of floating up the stairs.’ There are ‘papas in bow ties’ and mamas in swirling gowns’” (111). In The Memory String by Eve Bunting Laura says no to her stepmother’s gift of ice-cold lemonade and instead opens a box containing her mother’s memory button string. From Laura’s actions the reader infers that she resents her step-mother and has not accepted her. The protagonist in Cindy Ellen: A Wild Western Cinderella by Susan Lowell “’wrangled and roped and galloped and loped with the best buckaroos on the range’” (148). In Goldilocks Returns by Lisa Campbell Ernst, Goldilocks tries to amend her past sins but ends up traumatizing the three bears again. In Faraway Home by Jane Kurtz Desta’s mother shows him that “’sunsets were bright borders on the cloth of the evening sky. The moon and stars burned holes into the cloth to light the night’” (171). Some motifs in the Cinderella tales include a wicked stepmother, a magical benefactor like a fairy godmother etc. Words such as “Put-put-pow! Rackety-put-pow” in Mama and Me and the Model T by Faye Gibbons are examples of onomatopoeia. Examples of oxymorons include “jumbo shrimp” or “thunderous silence.” Inspired by Shakespeare’s tale of Romeo and Juliet, Romeow and Drooliet by Nina Laden is a story of love between a cat and a dog that has a happier ending. Personification a figure of speech in which human characteristics are given to nonhuman objects In Tambourine Moon by Joy Jones houses on dark nights “’all have mean expressions on their faces’” (209). Point of View perspective from which a story is seen and told George vs. George: The American Revolution as Seen from Both Sides by Rosalyn Schanezer Pun word play when two meanings appear in one word, or in two words of identical sound but different spellings, or in words of similar sound but different meaning Satire criticizing humanity or institutions with sarcasm, wit, and humor for the purpose of showing their absurdity and need for improvement Simile a comparison of two dissimilar things using the words like or as Symbol a person, object, or action that has additional meaning beyond itself to represent or stand for a more abstract idea or emotion Theme the story’s underlying meaning message about life or humanity Tone the writer’s attitude toward his subject as revealed through word choice and detail presents King George’s and George Washington’s perspectives on the Revolutionary War. In Buttons by Brock Cole, a father’s buttons fall off his pants and “’fly into the stove. ‘We are undone!” he laments. The pants fall down, and the man cannot earn a living’” (227). The Video Shop Sparrow by Joy Cowley criticizes adults and politicians for either ignoring children’s and animals’ problems or offering to solve problems for political gain. The leaves above a father’s head as he travels through the jungle to deliver his son’s ice cream cone are “’as large as dinner plates’” in Simply Delicious by Margaret Mahy. The cows and chickens in Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin represent union workers, and Farmer Brown symbolizes the company boss. One theme in Tough Cookie by David Wisniewski is “’best results happen through cooperation and trust.’” The tone of Yum! by Colin McNaughton is humorous, witty, and “irreverent” 287). The author pokes fun at “a naïve pig and less than clever wolf” (287).
