Love+That+Dog

Creech, S. (2001). //Love that dog.// New York: NY: HarperTrophy.

2002 Christopher Award Winner (Ages 8-10)
 * Awards:**


 * Summary:** Jack does not want to have anything to do with writing poetry; he says it isn't for boys. This hilarious novel in verse follows Jack as he banters with his teacher about poetry, poets, all the while becoming an amazing poet himself.


 * Grade Level:** 4-7
 * Reading Level:** 4.5


 * Curriculum Connections:** During a poetry unit, it would be critical to look at how the poems work together to create a novel. Students need to see that novels come in many different forms and they don't have to just be in a narrative style to be considered a novel.

1.1.1 Follow an inquiry-based process in seeking knowledge in curricular subjects, and make the real-world connection for using this process in own life 1.4.4 Seek appropriate help when it is needed
 * Standards for the 21st Century Learner:**
 * 1. Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge**

2.4.3 Recognize new knowledge and understanding
 * 2. Draw conclusions, make informed decisions, apply knowledge to new situations, and create new knowledge**

4.1.1 Read, view, and listen for pleasure and personal growth 4.1.2 Read widely and fluently to make connections with self, the world, and previous reading 4.1.7 Use social networks and information tools to gather and share information 4.1.8 Use creative and artistic formats to express personal learning 4.4.1. Identify own areas of interest 4.4.6 Evaluate own ability to select resources that are engaging and appropriate for personal interests and needs
 * 4. Pursue personal and aesthetic growth**


 * Student's Personal Literature Selection:** Because of the quick nature of verse novels, this would be a great option for reluctant readers, particularly because the main character is a little reluctant himself. I have found that with many of my slower, more reluctant readers, quick simple books that they can easily finish are very important because they gain a sense of accomplishment when they have finished the selection.

Jack keeps a journal for his teacher, a charming, spare free-verse monologue that begins: "I don't want to/because boys/don't write poetry./Girls do." But his curiosity grows quickly as Miss Stretchberry feeds the class a varied menu of intriguing poems starting with William Carlos Williams's "The Red Wheelbarrow," which confuses Jack at first. Gradually, he begins to see connections between his personal experiences and the poetry of William Blake, Robert Frost, and others, and Creech's compellingly simple plot about love and loss begins to emerge. Jack is timid about the first poems he writes, but with the obvious encouragement and prodding of his masterful teacher, he gains the courage to claim them as his own in the classroom displays. When he is introduced to "Love That Boy" by Walter Dean Myers, he makes an exuberant leap of understanding. "MARCH 14/That was the best best BEST/poem/you read yesterday/by Mr. Walter Dean Myers/the best best BEST/poem/ever./I am sorry/I took the book home/without asking./I only got/one spot/on it./That's why/the page is torn./I tried to get/the spot/out." All the threads of the story are pulled together in Jack's final poem, "Love That Dog (Inspired by Walter Dean Myers)." Creech has created a poignant, funny picture of a child's encounter with the power of poetry. Readers may have a similar experience because all of the selections mentioned in the story are included at the end. This book is a tiny treasure.-Lee Bock, Glenbrook Elementary School, Pulaski, WI
 * School Library Journal Review 2001: (from Mackin)**