Love That Dog

Love That Dog by Sharon Creech is a novel about a boy, his feelings toward poetry, and the relationship he has with his dog. This novel in written in poems, starting at the beginning of the school year and continues through the end of the school year. The boy informs his teacher that he doesn't like poetry and doesn't understand it. Throughout the school year they continue to read poetry and Jack even has to write some poetry. At first he is not pleased with his poetry and doesn't want anyone to know it is his. As the school year goes on Jack becomes more confident with his poetry skills and even finds a few poems he really likes. The book ends on a very exciting note for Jack and his entire class.
    I had heard about this book from other people in our cohort and other books that were written in verse so I decided that I needed to read it to see what it was all about. I really enjoyed this book. I loved seeing Jack's confidence and interest in poetry grow throughout the book. I thought it was great that he was so fond of his dog and found many inspirational ways to write about his dog. I thought the way this book was written was very fun and kept me intrigued.
    I think this would be a great read aloud book for any class third grade and above. I think this book could get students excited and interested in poetry. It is also something many of them will be able to relate to because the main character is a young boy (I am assuming between 8 and 12 years old) and doesn't like poetry because he hasn't been exposed to it much. This may be something they are going through and feeling. This book may boost their confidence a little because they can see Jack's growth throughout the book. This would also be a book I would have in my classroom library for my students to read on their own. The text is simple enough that students in the third grade and up will be able to read it on their own and understand it. Students could refer to this book when they are creating poems of their own and need a little help or inspiration.