A literary device that compares two different things using the word “like” or “as,” simile serves a vital function in children’s literature. It enhances the descriptive quality of the text, making it more vivid and engaging for young readers by drawing parallels that are easy to visualize and understand. In children’s stories, similes can spark imagination, help build vocabulary, and aid in the development of metaphorical thinking, which is crucial for understanding more complex literary and everyday concepts.

In The Stories Julian Tells, similes enrich the stories and provide depth to the sensory experiences they describe. For instance, to describe the lemon pudding, Ralph uses a simile: “It will taste like a whole raft of lemons. It will taste like a night on the sea” (2). These comparisons enhance his description of the flavor and evoke a sense of adventure and expansiveness associated with the sea, making the experience of eating the pudding more exciting.

Similarly, in “Gloria Who Might Be My Best Friend,” similes help animate the kite. Its tail is “jerked heavily like a long white snake” (69), which injects the sense of a wild, swaying movement that parallels a snake’s slithering motion.