Love That Dog

Want a book that tells a poignant story and will inspire you to write poetry? Well, have your tissues ready for this one. Jack, an elementary school student, balks at writing poetry. When Miss Stretchberry’s class examines various famous poets’ work he is critical. For example, he thinks “Mr. Robert Frost has a little too much time on his hands.” This short funny and moving novel in free verse follows Jack’s journey as he learns to use poetry to express his feelings and to eulogize his beloved yellow dog, Sky. The poems mentioned in the book are included at the… show more.

I dare anyone to read Love That Dog and not write a poem. Newbery-Award-winning author Sharon Creech’s novel-in-verse is the story of a reluctant writer Jack, whose teacher exposes the class to a variety of well-known poems by esteemed writers and assigns the students to emulate each style in turn. We follow along in Jack’s poetry journal as he struggles with the assignments. When he finally gets to his true material and writes a poem about what he cares about, what is heavy on his heart, his reluctance vanishes and he discovers that writing can also transform how he feels.… show more.

This clever, funny, moving book for children of all ages, as they say, is one of my all-time favorites. If poetry isn’t your thing, this book will make you think again. The story unfolds as a series of notes from a reluctant poet, Jack, to his teacher, Miss Stretchberry, who is teaching them about poets and poetry.