National Poetry Month / Love That Dog

I can't get enough of this little book by Sharon Creech. You can read it in an hour, but it sticks with you.

Written in free verse, as a "diary" of an elementary school student, the story follows Jack and his experiences with poetry in class. He doesn't like poetry. Poetry is for girls. He said so in his required diary:

JACK

Room 105 — MISS STRETCHBERRY


SEPTEMBER 13


I don’t want to
because boys
don’t write poetry.


Girls do.

Yet, somehow, poetry begins to grow on Jack. At last, he stumbles on the poem "Love That Boy" by Walter Dean Meyers (see first stanza excerpt, below), and it strikes a chord deep inside him. It makes him think of his dog, who died. From that point forward, Jack learns to cope with his grief and express himself through free verse. He begins to write about how he "Loves that dog," just like Walter Dean Meyers loved "that boy."

Walter Dean Meyers


Love That Boy


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!"

What do YOU love?