Love That Dog

Love That Dog

by Sharon Creech

I thought this was a very sweet way to address beginning to learn about poetry. The boy's confusion and frustration with poetry throughout the book--starting with its femine stereotype and winding towards understanding just what it all means--are very similar to my relationship with poems still today. I value a good verse here and there yet still get very confused as to what really "counts" as poetry. Does it just have to look like poetry? What about things that sound like poetry but maybe aren't? What can poetry be about? These questions and more are addressed by the boy in this book. Described as a novel, I don't really see Love That Dog in that way. I didn't find that there was much of a real story going on. But I do think this book would be great to use with children during a poetry unit. It could be great to start discussions about what poetry is and to show children that it is not all cut and dry. Poetry is a tricky subject, and this is a good example for young students first trying to learn poetry.