Book Review: Love that Dog by Sharon Creech

Bibliographic Citation:

Creech, Sharon. 2001. Love That Dog. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc. ISBN: 9780439442427

Book Review:

I absolutely love this book. If you are looking for a great introduction to poetry, especially for students who are scared of poetry this book is for you. Love that Dog is a heart warming free verse novel about a boy who absolutely hates poetry. This book takes you on a boy's journey in learning how to write poetry and gaining confidence in his ability to write great poetry. In his journey, you get to see the poems that he has written and feel the raw emotions of the little boy named "Jack". This book does have one sad part when talking about his former dog, but don't worry dog lovers it doesn't last too long. Love that Dog is a very easy read and is a great way to teach about free verse poetry.

Sharon Creech's word choice is perfect and really hones in on the words that would be in a little boy's vocabulary. Her language flows smoothly across the page and I believe this is why this book is such a quick and easy read. The reader cannot put the book down and must continue to turn the pages to see what "Jack" will say/think next. The words that Creech uses to describe Jacks emotions and thoughts, are very realistic and will be sure to connect to all readers of all variety.

The layout of the book is in the form of  a journal. Each chapter is a new journal entry starting from September and ending in June. The journal entry layout easily shows the reader the change that "Jack" is experiencing by reading his entries at the beginning and end. As a educator, it's wonderful and uplifting to see what a positive impact poetry has on Jack and how it has helped his confidence and dealing with emotions. I highly recommend this book for all readers, especially teachers who are wanting to introduce poetry in a subtle way.

Spotlight Poem:

September 13

I don't want to
because boys
don't write poetry.

Girls do.

Activity:

To introduce this book, I would start by writing this above poem on the board for students to see. I would then ask them a couple of questions:

-What do you think poetry is?

-Who likes poetry?
-Who doesn't like poetry?

I would then lead into the discussion to see if they think the poem that is written on the board is poetry. After listening to their thoughts and opinions, I would explain to them that it is poetry and supply them with the actual definition of poetry. Once they understand that this book is a form of poetry, I will tell them that we will be reading a book about a boy who hates poetry and we will be looking at his poetic words and emotions towards poetry as we read.