Real Examples and Tools to Deepen Your Characters (How to Create Relatable Characters for Picture Books – Part 4)
The KidLit Creator’s Chronicle – Issue #38
Welcome to part four of our series on creating relatable picture book characters. If you missed the earlier parts, I’d recommend starting with Part One on the foundational elements of relatable characters, Part Two on character growth, and Part Three on developing voice, quirks, and personality. Each one builds on the last (but you can also read this edition on its own.)
In this final part, we’ll look at inspirational children’s book characters and what you can learn from them to use in your own stories.
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I’ll also share two practical tools you can use to develop your characters.
Here we go!
Examples of Inspirational Children’s Book Characters
Sometimes the best way to understand what makes a character memorable is to see it in action.
The picture book world is full of brilliant characters who stick with readers, not just because they’re cute or funny, but because they feel real and we can connect with them. They teach us something about life, or about ourselves.
Let’s explore a few standout examples, and why they work so well.
Peter Rabbit (from The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter)
Peter is bold, disobedient, curious, and full of mischief. He gets in over his head and faces real danger.
Children love him, because they understand him. They’ve been tempted and ignored warnings, and they’ve gotten caught and regretted it later.
Peter’s story works because it holds tension between adventure and consequence, but never lectures. Peter learns to be a little more cautious… next time. 🙂
In short, he’s flawed and relatable, and his consequences are real but age-appropriate.
Corduroy (from Corduroy by Don Freeman)
Corduroy is a teddy bear in a department store, longing for a home and for someone to love him despite his flaws (in this case, a missing button). He tries to fix himself, not understanding that a little girl already likes him just as he is.
What makes Corduroy so relatable isn’t just his desire for love, it’s the way he mirrors what so many children feel. He wants to belong, but he thinks he has to change to be chosen. And yet, it’s his ordinariness, his imperfection and hope that makes him loveable. Young readers see themselves in his small attempts and his bravery, and see that one doesn’t have to be fixed to deserve love.
The Pigeon (from Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems)
On the surface, the Pigeon is all comedy. He is dramatic, persistent, and over-the-top. But he is really a brilliant mirror of young children’s emotional logic. He wants what he wants. He tries reasoning, bargaining, whining, exploding, and pretty much each one of those are exaggerated.
But he gives kids permission to laugh at their own feelings and reactions. He’s far from perfect, but we can understand him, and that makes him relatable.
Zuri (from Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry)
Zuri wants to feel proud of how she looks, especially on an important day. For her, her hair is part of who she is, and she is determined to get it just right. But her hair doesn’t cooperate, so she gets frustrated. This is something most kids can connect with – even if it’s not about their hair, they can relate to this on some level.
Zuri is confident and has loads of personality, but she is also honest about having a hard time. She wants to be independent, but she still needs help. This gives us a lovely combination of boldness and vulnerability, which makes it easy to relate to her. Many children can see themselves in her desire to feel accepted and beautiful just as they are.
The Paper Bag Princess (from The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch)
Elizabeth loses everything in a flash – her clothes, her castle, and even the prince she wants to marry. But she doesn’t give up. She puts on a paper bag and figures out how to set things right.
What makes her relatable isn’t just that she’s clever or brave, it’s that she doesn’t wait to be rescued. She thinks on her feet, and when someone treats her badly, she knows she deserves better. That mix of determination, quick thinking, and self-worth speaks to kids who are still learning how to stand up for themselves.
What These Characters Have in Common
These characters vary widely in personality, species, and setting. But they all work because they are:
- Emotionally relatable: We understand how they feel and why they act the way they do.
- Driven by a clear desire: Whether it’s love, freedom, acceptance, or self-expression, their wants are strong and relatable.
- Shaped by flaws or challenges: They aren’t perfect, just as none of us are.
- Memorable through personality, voice, or actions: They stand out because of who they are – how they speak, what they do, or the way their personality comes through. Something about them stays with us.
How to Use These Examples
Use these characters as reference points, not templates.
Ask yourself:
- What universal feeling does my character bring to life?
- What makes them lovable, even when they mess up?
- What challenge or transformation do they go through?
- What specific detail makes them stand out?
You don’t need to create the next Peter Rabbit or Corduroy, but you do need to create a character who feels just as real and relevant to the children reading your book.
Practical Tools for Authors
Let’s get into some more practical ways to make your characters relatable. I covered some ways in the previous three parts of the Relatable Character series, there are even more tools you can use.
It’s one thing to have an idea of who your character is, but it’s another to know them well. To know how they think, what they avoid, what they love and hate and fear, how they’ll react under pressure, what they really want…
The only way to get that kind of understanding is by intentionally developing and getting to know your character. Let me share two powerful, practical tools that you can use to do this. This is important, even for characters in very short picture books.
1. Character Interviews
A character interview is exactly what it sounds like: a series of questions you ask your character, and you answer them as if your character is responding. This helps you to get to know so much more about them, their backstory, their personalities, fears, values, quirks, and things that you may not discover otherwise.
Knowing these details will help your character come across as real and consistent. Because you know them, you’ll understand what drives them and know how they’ll react (and how they won’t react) in different circumstances.
You can download a character interview here: https://childrensbookmastery.com/from-protagonists-to-sidekicks-types-of-childrens-book-characters/ (Scroll down to the section Character Development.)
Let your character answer in their voice. Just write the first answers that come to mind. Don’t overthink it or try to censor
You’ll discover a lot about your character, and once you know them well, it becomes easier to write them well
2. Alternative Ways to Develop Your Character
Sometimes you can get more insights to your character by approaching it indirectly, especially if you tend to overthink or feel stuck.
Here are a few low-pressure ways to do that:
Write a scene that won’t be in the book
It could be:
- A moment from their backstory
- A birthday party gone wrong
- Their first day at school
- A dream they had
These scenes give you space to learn how they behave, what they fear, how they talk, and what matters to them, without worrying about word count or story arc.
Make a visual mood board
Use magazine cutouts or digital tools like Pinterest or Canva to collect:
- Colours that represent them
- Items they’d carry or love
- Facial expressions or poses
- Places they’d go
This process activates a different part of your brain and can unlock creative directions or hidden traits you hadn’t considered.
Voice-memo
Try talking as your character, like you’re chatting to or telling a secret to a friend. You’ll likely find their personality, tone and priorities emerge naturally.
Yes, you might feel silly. But it works, and it can be the fastest way to get into a character’s voice when you’re stuck.
These tools help you to build the depth for your character.
When you’ve spent time interviewing or getting to know your character, something changes. Suddenly you’re not writing about “a bear who’s a bit shy.” You’re writing Elliott, who won’t go to the school picnic because he once got frosting on his jumper and the other bears laughed.
You don’t have to put that moment in your story. But when you know it, your writing carries more authenticity, empathy, and emotion.
Over to You
Take a few minutes today to try one of the tools we covered, whether it’s writing a short scene that won’t be included in your book, making a quick mood board, or doing a few lines of a character interview. Don’t overthink it. Just pick one and see what comes out. You might be surprised how much clarity it brings to your character and your story.
Relatable characters don’t happen by accident. They’re created through thought, exploration, and intentional development.
Whether you use interviews, write bonus scenes, or simply take time to reflect on who your character truly is and what they truly want, the goal is the same: to move beyond a flat idea and create someone who feels alive on the page.
Children may not remember every detail of your story, but they will remember how a character made them feel. So take the time to create a character they can laugh with, root for, and maybe even see themselves in.
