"Boys don't write poetry says," Jack, when he gets the assignment from his teacher, Ms Stretchberry, but bit-by-bit and poem-by-poem, Jack begins to get the hang of this poetry thing. He really believes he is not a writer and has nothing to write about. Nothing could be further from the truth, as the reader who flies through this free verse journey will find at the end. Along the way, our Jack, meets the poetry of Walter Dean Myers, and he finds a poem that he can connect to in some very special ways.
Keywords: creative writing, poetry, novel in verse, dog, pet, finding your voice, school story, 8 year old, 9 year old, 10 year old, 11 year old, 12 year old
Recommended by: Barb Langridge, abookandahug.com
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he Newbery Medal-winning author of Walk Two Moons, Sharon Creech, brings readers a story with enormous heart.
Love That Dog shows how one boy named Jack finds his voice with the help of a teacher, a pencil, some yellow paper, and of course, a dog. Written as a series of free-verse poems from Jack's point of view, and with classic poetry included in the back matter, this novel is perfect for kids and teachers, too.
Jack hates poetry. Only girls write it and every time he tries to, his brain feels empty. But his teacher, Miss Stretchberry, won't stop giving her class poetry assignments—and Jack can't avoid them. But then something amazing happens. The more he writes, the more he learns that he does have something to say.
"I guess it does look like a poem when you see it typed up like that."---from the publisher