Love That Dog

Love That Dog by Sharon Creech

Sharon Creech (in the form of Mrs. Stretchberry) is very tricky!  A person who is convinced that they don't like poetry (like me and Jack) might just be convinced that poetry is pretty cool by the end of this book without even knowing how it happened.

Love That Dog is the story (told through poems) of Jack, who thinks that he neither can write nor understand poetry.  First attempts at writing result in "Brain's Empty".   However, his teacher doesn't give up on him and soon, he is writing snippits of poems that hold a very personal story. First, he writes about a car, but doesn't want anyone to know that he was the one who penned the poems.  As he slowly becomes more confident, he writes about his beloved dog, the fun that they had together, and, finally, the accident that takes his dog from him.  His words are simple, but there would be few readers (including myself) who would not tear up as they read about the fate of Jack's dog. 

As far as understanding poetry,Jack is initially not impressed with the genre.  His reaction to Robert Frost's classic is "What was up with the snowy woods poem that you read in class?"  Mrs. Stretchberry keeps introducing the works of other poets until Jack finds one that speaks to him - Mr. Walter Dean Meyers.  Once Jack discovers Mr. Meyers - in his words, "the best, best, BEST" - a love of poetry is found. Meyer's work inspires Jack to expand his own poetry writing and, eventually, ask Mr. Meyers to come to his school. 

Creech's book makes poetry accessible and interesting.  She breaks down the idea that poetry is an unapproachable or esoteric genre by utilizing the simple words of a child and a story that nearly every person can relate to.   She points out through the story that there are many kinds of poetry and many poets. Finding the style or poet that you love is the entrance point into enjoyment of poetry.

Creech's book would be a great addition the curriculum of a middle or upper elementary class that is starting a unit on  poetry.  It is a quick read (and may easily be done chorally in class, as demonstrated recently in our Children's Literature class) that will make students open to learning about and enjoying poetry.