A fun way to get your students to connect with and understand the two main characters is to have them compare and contrast their qualities.
Students can use the text to find traits of the boy and the man (sign painter). Students can work individually or in pairs to research and compile a list of evidence. Once students have traits for each character, they can compare/contrast. Students will describe the traits they compiled about the boy on one side and the traits they discovered about the man on the other.
The text does not explicitly state traits of the characters, but one can use the dialogue and illustrations to infer ideas about the characters.
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Student Instructions
Compare and contrast the main characters.