Love That Dog by Sharon Creech

Creech, S. (2001). Love that dog. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers.

Love That Dog by Sharon Creech is a narrative poem about a reluctant young poet named, Jack. At first, Jack is adamant about being unable to write poetry but over the course of the year his confidence grows under the guidance of his teacher, Miss Stretchberry. She encourages him to find his inspiration which eventually leads to Jack meeting his own muse, Walter Dean, and writing a lovely, emotional poem about his late dog Sky. Jack is a likable and dynamic character. Through his poems the reader understands that Jack changes throughout the year and becomes a truly thoughtful, expressive author. Jack gains confidence and overcomes his fears of writing.

The overall message of the story is very warming and heartfelt. Jack learns to overcome his fears and express himself in new ways. This theme is very relatable to older elementary or middle school aged children. The poem structure and the use of actual poems in the novel is unique and intriguing. Also, I enjoyed that the inspirational poems are included in the back of the book. I have used this novel as a literature circle novel in my own classroom of 4th graders. They read the book independently and then came together to discuss the plot, characters, and themes. The novel was also an inspiration for my students to create their own poems. They particularly enjoyed creating concrete poems. While I do not personally love poetry, I really enjoyed this story because I loved the underlying plot and message.

(Image from sharoncreech.com)