37. Love That Dog

Title: Love That Dog
Author: Sharon Creech
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Copyright Date: 2001
Number of Pages: 86
Reading Level: 9+
Genre: Fiction Journal

Summary
Jack is a boy. Boys don’t write poetry. Or so he thinks. Jack doesn’t understand poetry at first but then he realizes he’s pretty good. He doesn’t want his name on it though because what if the other kids don’t think its real poetry? The teacher wants to hear more about the blue car splattered with mud. Jack doesn’t understand why some kinds of poetry especially that one about the wheelbarrow. Just because you type it up nice and hang it up doesn’t make it poetry. Maybe Robert Frost didn’t know he was writing poetry, maybe someone typed it up nice and said it was. Jack is insecure about having his work hung up but eventually he becomes proud of his work. He enjoys the sounds of some poems and how they make a picture in your head. Jack finds a poet that he really likes and writes a letter to invite him to their somewhat nice school with mostly nice kids. Walter Dean Myers agrees to go to the school and Jack is thrilled. Jack is in awe that someone can speak as good as that Mr. Walter Dean Myers. Jack writes more about his big yellow dog Sky. He finally lets us know that why the blue car splattered with mud is so important is because that car hit Sky. Jack uses the experience with his dog for a lot of his poems and his teacher keeps prodding him for more. In the end Jack puts his own name on his work and says its okay to display it.

Recommendation
I would recommend that a class read this to introduce poetry. Sometimes we don’t understand one kind but there are a lot of different types of poetry out there. I think that this will help those that may think poetry is stupid to take a second look.

Problems/Conflict
The dog dies and that might make people sad.

My Reaction
I love the idea of a kid writing to a poet or an author and they actually respond. What a great experience that would be for a kid as well as being a monumental point in their life. I think a lot of times we think that authors and poets are dead but there are plenty that are alive who would probably visit a school if encouraged enough by a child. We often put stereotypes on things like poetry, often we think that because it involves feelings its for girls. This book helps kids realize that boys can write it too.