Love That Dog by Sharon Creech

Love
This
Book

I do. I found it a delightful, easy read that hit areas of interest and emotional high notes for me.

If you have a child who has any affinity for poetry, they likely will feel the same.

If you have a boy, a reluctant reader, a dog lover, or an avid reader, each might find something worthwhile here. It is a quick, short read but quite deep.

Sharon uses free-verse poetry, modern-style, and weaves a story through poems written by a young boy over a school year.

The poems reveal the angst of a boy convinced he can’t write poetry as he progresses to seeing that he can. It tells of his dislike of poetry as it unfolds to enthusiasm and discovery of the excitement of poems under a capable teacher. At the end of the year, his class even receives a visit from Walter Dean Myers (poet extraordinaire) thanks to a letter this boy writes.

At the same time… we see the heart-wrenching (well, it got to me!) story of the dog this boy adopted, loved, and lost via a car hitting him.

Bonus: (and maybe this is just the English teacher in me): the author lists the original poems at the end that were referenced in the book: Frost, Blake, William Carlos Williams, and a couple more recent poets that may be a new discovery for you: Worth, Rigg, Myers.

Enjoy.

SAFETY RATING: 3 Flags