Many students are leery of poetry. They often don't "get" the meaning the teacher thinks is obvious. They don't understand why it doesn't all rhyme. They are unsure of how to read it and struggle to find the cadence of the poem. Jack, the narrator of Love that Dog, feels all of these emotions and relates them to the reader in a way only straight-shooting boys can do. He begins the novel by writing “I don’t want to/ because boys/ don’t write poetry./ Girls do.” (Creech 1) in what appears to be a reading/writing journal for class. Through the book, Jack grows as a reader and a write, often sharing insightful reflection to the poems his teacher Miss. Stretchberry reads to the class.
The beauty of this capturing tale of free verse is the honest, reflective voice of a boy who is hurting from the loss of his dog, Sky. From the first page, the reader feels for Jack, who is reluctant to even attempt to write a poem. His honesty epitomizes how many students feel about writing poetry when he says, “Then any words/ can be a poem./ You’ve just got to/ make/ short/ lines” (Creech 3). Jack’s simple words at the beginning grow to elaborate poems, including one shaped to look like his dog, that the teacher is able to share with the class. (Jack insists that they be kept anonymous.) By the middle of the of the book, the boy who at first thought he couldn’t write a poem and that poems didn’t make sense later shares that his brain was “pop-pop-popping” (Creech 35) as he read poems and began to write his own. At the end of the book, Jack shares what he couldn’t before: the story of his own dog’s death. Poetry opened a world up for Jack, and it can for other students.
This gripping tale shares a lesson for many people. For students, it shows how poetry should be written to the beat of the writer’s heart, no matter what form that may be. For teachers, it shows how poetry should be shared and celebrated as Jack’s teacher hung up poems by her students and encouraged Jack to write Walter Dean Myers. (Also, the book is set up as an interactive journal that the teacher read regularly, which fosters a sense of security for the students to write openly.) And for the pleasure reader, it is a heartwarming reminder of the loss of a pet and those emotions that come with it.
The first poem (quoted above) is a terrific way to start this book although I believe the whole book is one to be shared with students. This book would serve well as a book club book or a literature circle book. It’s a book to be shared, discussed, and used as a springboard for writing. One poem taken and read alone doesn’t do this wonderful book justice.
Although I read this book with the intention of reviewing it for class, this book gripped my heart. As I type this review, I am sitting near my father as he fights his last battle with cancer. This book reminds us of the loss of ones we love. The poem by Walter Dean Myers and then by Jack make me think of my dad, and I could replace it with “Love that Dad.”
"Love that Boy"
By Walter Dean Myers
Love that Boy,
like a rabbit loves to run
I said I love that boy
like a rabbit loves to run
Love to call him in the morning
love to call him
“Hey there, son!”
"Love that Dog"
Inspired by Walter Dean Myers
By Jack
Love that dog,
like a bird loves to fly
I said I love that dog
like a bird loves to fly
Love to call him in the morning
love to call him
“Hey there, Sky!”
"Love that Dad"
Inspired by Walter Dean Myers and Jack
By Laura Jackson
Love that Dad,
like a book loves words
I said I love that Dad
like a book loves words
Love to call him in the morning
love to call him
“Hey there, Dad!”
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