Several themes are present in the book. Students can pick a theme to explore and should support their choice with specific details or events from the text. One prominent theme of The Sign Painter is dreams. Allen Say explores the theme of dreams and the idea that dreams come in all shapes and sizes. The characters in the story, the boy and the man in the white suit, are both chasing their dreams.
The boy in the story wants to be a painter. He wants to paint more details on the ArrowStar billboards, but the man never lets him, and he doesn't understand why. At the end, the boy chooses not to continue work with the man, and he heads off in search of his dreams.
The man in the white suit had a dream to build ArrowStar. He is in the midst of achieving his dream, and the boy and the man hope he succeeds.
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Student Instructions
Create a storyboard that identifies a theme in The Sign Painter. Illustrate examples and write a short description below each cell.