Love That Dog

Written by Sharon Creech

Narrated by Scott Wolf

The Newbery Medal-winning author of Walk Two Moons, Sharon Creech, brings readers a story with enormous heart. This middle grade audiobook is an excellent choice for tween readers in grades 5 to 6, especially during homeschooling. It’s a fun way to keep your child entertained and engaged while not in the classroom.

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.""

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: May 17, 2005
• ISBN: 9780060848446

Sharon Creech

Sharon Creech has written twenty-one books for young people and is published in over twenty languages. Her books have received awards in both the U.S. and abroad, including the Newbery Medal for Walk Two Moons, the Newbery Honor for The Wanderer, and Great Britain’s Carnegie Medal for Ruby Holler. Before beginning her writing career, Sharon Creech taught English for fifteen years in England and Switzerland. She and her husband now live in Maine, “lured there by our grandchildren,” Creech says. www.sharoncreech.com

Reviews for Love That Dog

[brookemattingly-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Summary:Love That Dog is a short chapter book complied of journal entries by the main character Jack. He writes his journal entries as a series of free-verse poems from his own point of view. In his class, his teacher Mrs. Stretchberry has been showing the students different poems and different ways to write poems. Jack hates poetry at first and journals his opinions of it in what looks like poems even though their just regular sentences. Once he begins writing his thoughts in poetry looking style, he starts to believe that what he’s writing could actually be poetry. Through this process, Jacks realizes that with the help of his teacher, a pencil, some yellow paper and a dog, he is able to enjoy and write poetry. He eventually feels like he has found his own voice and isn’t afraid anymore to share it with his peers. Comments (opinions/arguments):At first this story was quite confusing because by looking at it you would think it was a series of poems. Although it looks this way, it is actually a journalistic writing approach made to look like it’s in poem form. Once I started to understand the story, the cleverness of the authors writing style really stood out. I really liked that she wrote the story this way because it ended up being very fun and humorous, but also taught a valuable lesson. I really enjoyed the story line behind this book. I think children will find the main character Jack to be very funny. His opinions are hilarious, but honest and he seems very relatable to most students. I like that he hates poetry and only thinks it’s for girls and questions all the poems his teacher shows the class. It’s interesting to see how Jack hates poetry and doesn’t understand it, but by writing his journal entries in a poetic style, he realizes that he can create poems too. By the end of the story, the message is clear that Jack has found his own voice through poems. It really expresses to the reader that you might be surprised by your abilities to create something if you try new things. I also really liked that the author added the actual poems in the back of the book that are talked about throughout the story. This helps the reader to understand the context of the story better.

[annikasmith · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a book of poetry, but it is also realistic fiction. It is a short story about a boy who starts out hating poetry and the book follows his change of heart towards it. He begins to understand that he can write poetry himself and be proud of his work as well as appreciate and understand other poet's work. It is set in present day and is a realistic depiction of a boy's learning.

[francescadefreitas · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

(SPOILERS)I loath book about pets that die, and surely enough yellow dogs have kicked it in the name of art. But I enjoyed the style of this story - it is told in poems written by Jack. Jack doesn't like the idea of writing poetry, but has to for school, and we read as he grows to enjoy reading and writing poetry, he even starts to encourage others. I'm not a big fan of poetry myself, and I was tickled that Jack shared my opinion of Robert Frost, and that the poem that first caught his attention was one of my favourites by William Blake.

[bookconcierge · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a slim novel told entirely in verse. Jack is struggling with his English class. It’s bad enough they have to read poems but Miss Stretchberry wants the children to write poems! Cautiously, Jack explores this new way of expressing himself. Despite his claims that he doesn’t understand, can’t do it, or that his brain is empty, he does eventually find a way to express his feelings for his dog Sky.

Love this book
Like trout love a brook
I said, I love this book
Like a trout loves a brook
Love to read it in the morning
Love it in my little reading nook
Love this book!

[athenamilis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is now one of my all-time favorite books! This story is about a young student named Jack who writes to his teacher Mrs. Stretchberry in journal and poetry form. His poems slowly describe what happened to his beloved dog. The student learns to like poetry and becomes deeply inspired by the poet Walter Dean Myers. I cannot think of any of the weakness of this book except that I wish it were longer and I wish there were more books written in the same style. I feel that elementary, middle, and high school students would enjoy reading this short novel. I can't wait to read it to my 10th grade English students before we study poetry. It can be used to show the power of poetry to help us deal with life's difficulties and the students would be able to relate to dreading poetry before they get into it.

[mluke04 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Love That Dog is written as a young boy's poetry journal. He tries new ways to write poetry as his teacher teaches him. As well as being the genre of the book, presenting the book as a poetry journal is effective because the reader gets to see the boy as he grows in his appreciation of poetry and his willingness to share his work. Poetry soon becomes the boy's way to release feelings of hurt and sadness. The reader is really able to relate to the boy because they are reading his journal.Media: N/A

[ekanderson_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In one of his first poems, Jack writes about a blue car, upon which so much depends, in the style of William Carlos Williams. When asked for an explanation, he refuses to divulge any information. He also does not want to write about pets, as he no longer has one. But Miss Stretchberry eventually coaxes a story out of him, and as Jack's confidence grows, he finds himself sharing work with the class, and even writing a poem-letter to Walter Dean Meyers, his new favorite writer. Love That Dog chronicles a year-long assignment completed by Jack, a student in Miss Stretchberry's class, who does not want to write poetry. This is a novel-in-verse composed by Jack, who address his teacher at first with reluctance, and then with curiosity as he finds that he enjoys some of the poetry that Miss Stretchberry reads in class. The voice of Jack is perfect, and Creech cleverly implies a dialogue with just his work. Jack's story is touching, fun, and encouraging - it's perfect for a classroom discussion or a rainy day on the couch.

[riley1878 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a great book! It has a wonderful example for a technique to use in the classroom to teach poetry.

[jyasinchuk_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

At it's best Love that Dog is a story about how poetry (and the love of it) can inspire writing and reading in individuals!. While the young protagonist, Jack, declares to his teacher that he does not want to write poetry, he secretly writes poetry using his own voice; the highlight is an amazing poem about his own dog. And a visit to school from author/poet Walter Dean Myers! Recommended for Grade 5-9 students.

[jessotto · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What an adorable book!! Jack hates poetry and thinks it's for girls, but, his teacher Mrs. Sketchberry won't stop assigning poetry lessons. Jack can't avoid then anymore and eventually learns that maybe his good at this poetry stuff. He realizes this after Mrs. Sketchberry introduces a canon to the class and from there Jack really starts to become open to poetry. With the help of his dog, and a pencil- and of course Mrs. Sketchberry- we can see just how big Jacks heart is and the love that he has for his dog. A long read but a good read- I think this could really be good to use in maybe a 5th grade classroom to open up some eyes who may not be keen to the poetry idea.

[kiah_7 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love this book!! It made me cry when in the book when the boy Jack has a dog and it gets ran over by a car. Its very sad but Jack learns to accept it and move on with life. Love That Dog is a wonderful amazing story. Everyone should read this book!!

[emilywilhite · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Review: This book is a good example of poetry because it is characterized by poetry form and includes poetry elements such as symbolism and layered meanings. The poetry is written in a diary of a young boy named Jack whose preference and liking of poetry grows as the book progresses.Level: Intermediate, Middle School

[isaacfellows · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Love this book. It makes poetry come alive. Doing a circle reading of the whole book with older elementary children would be fun.

[scote23 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have to say, Sharon Creech books are usually hit or miss for me. I loved Bloomability, but wasn't too impressed by Walk Two Moons or The Castle Corona. This book falls into the love category. Told entirely in poems, a young boy slowly reveals the story of his dog. I laughed and I cried.

[rachelonishi · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a book that was created in diary form about a boy, Jack, who does not believe that he can write poetry. He slowly ventures into the writing of poetry and eventually becomes confident in his skills as a poet. His teacher introduces him to many different poets and he writes about how he feels about the poems that he is exposed to. He takes a particular liking to the poet Walter Dean Myers and is compelled to write him and invite him to his classroom. Throughout the book Jack uses poetry to deal with the death of his dog Sky. We find out near the end of the book that the dog he is writing most of his poems about died after he was hit by a car. This was extremely sad and made me think about my own dog who recently passed away. I would only have children who are ten and older read this book because I think the topic of death can be a difficult topic to handle. Altogether I think the text difficulty and meaning is meant for the upper elementary school grades. This book is listed at the 4.9 reading level. I would have my students read this book to show them that all students can be poets. They would then be required to write a type of poem that the read in the book.

[mkm_11 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Genre: Realistic Fiction (Poetry Emphasis)Genre Critique: This book portrayed realistic fiction through the use of characters, setting, and events that could be played out daily in any normal classroom. Although a fictitious story, students like Jack are in most classrooms. Finding ways as teachers to incorporate strategic lessons into the unit like the teacher in this book did (different types of poems) helps these students to better understand and even enjoy the assignment.Review/Critique: I thought this book was interesting, and I right from the beginning wondered where the teacher was going to take her lesson so that Jack would get more involved. It was really cool to see his progressions throughout the book as he started to be more encouraged and begin to understand and enjoy poetry.Media: N/A (Pencil writing of a picture poetry example)

[wiremonkey · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Short and sweet and beautiful and a perfect introduction to poetry for kids.

[btivis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Love That Dog is a wonderful book about a boy entering the world of poetry. He is shy and lost in the beginning, but he emerges as a confident young writer. The book is written as a journal in free verse and, in the end, joins together to make a beautiful story. It shows us all poetry does not have to follow a special format or rhyme at th eend of certain lines. It shows us that any story from the heart is beautiful and poetic and shows the true artistic ability of a person.I absolutely loved this book. It was a beautiful story that made me cry. The entire book is full of raw emotion that we have all felt in our lives.I would use this book to show students that it is normal to feel nervous when they are writing. I hope they would learn from Jack's experiences with poetry and see that they can become good writers as well.

[abergsman-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow. I was not prepared for the emotions this book brought out! A wonderfully well written story in poem form. My daughter and I took turns reading aloud each of the journal entries of a young student named Jack who was reluctant to write poetry.

We laughed. No...we belly-laughed at some parts, howling with glee.

We cried...buckets. Towards the end...you'll know it when you get there. Despite being heavily foreshadowed, I was completely unprepared for the raw emotions that particular section evoked.

The character development was completely refreshing, a rare find in contemporary children's literature.

Highly recommend, but if you have a sensitive child--particularly if they are bothered by tragic things happening to pets--I would recommend a quick pre-read first.

[4sarad_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A VERY quick read... finished it in less than an hour. I think all students can relate to Jack, the main character. He's being forced to write poems and he does NOT like poetry, and anyways only girls write poetry. From there you see him blossom as a writer and really write some moving pieces. The novel is all in verse, and as I said, a quick and easy read. The book really makes you want to read and write poetry... I found it very inspiring.

[fonsecaelib530a · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Creech, S. (2001). Love that dog. New York: HarperCollins.Grades 2 through 4Jack has been reading poetry in class. Prompted by his teacher, he starts trying his hand at writing poems inspired by what he has been reading. At first, Jack is reluctant about sharing his poems with his classmates. He doubts his ability to write and fears criticism from his peers. The more his confidence grows, the more prolific he becomes as a poet. Little by little, he opens up about his dog, Sky, and what happens to him. Jack’s love of poetry helps him bring poet Walter Dean Myers to his school and helps him work through the love of his beloved dog.Love that dog is a beautifully crafted story about a boy who finds in poetry a way work through the loss of his precious dog. Structured as a series of poems, the plot unravels through Jack’s first-person account. With each poem, the reader learns more about what happened to Sky and gets deeper and deeper into Jack’s emotions. Modeling Jack’s writing on the works of great names such as Walter Dean Myers, William Blake and William Carlos Williams, Creech develops one year in the life of a boy told through poetry. Poetry, Creech implies, is a state of mind, and there is a poet inside each one of us. Creech creates a remarkably believable third grader in Jack with the help of simple vocabulary and sentences; this simplicity, however, does not take away from the depth of complexity of the character’s feelings. The experience of losing a beloved pet is a universal one, and readers everywhere can relate to the pain of the loss and the slow process of healing.

[jmbridger_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A clever book written in poetic style that tells the story of a young boy who is reluctant to study poetry.

[lcaitday · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the perfect book to make children see that poems do not have to be the complicated, overanalyzed things found in English class. Jack is a young boy assigned to write poems in a class. HE thinks he can’t and poems are boring, like more kids. Eventually he gains respect for the art of poetry and opens up to the teacher about different things like his insecurities and his dog that sadly got hit by a car. The entire story is told through Jack’s poetry journal and explores different formats from free verse to strict rhymes to poems that make shapes. The book also references existing poetry, both well and lesser known poems that the audience may recognize descriptions of or read in the appendix at the end of the book. The writing is moving, but simple enough to make it believable a child is writing it. The book is great for middle readers exploring new uses of poetry or debriefing children on their own experiences of grief. Highly Recommended.

[tarathompson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I thinks kids would enjoy the poems the little boy wrote, especially the ones about the dog. The book really captures how children think and relate to poetry. I actually thinkteachers will enjoy this book more then there students. (9+)

[jmilton11 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Genre: Realistic FictionAge: intermediate, middle schoolMedia: noneReview: A young boy goes through the hardship of writing poetry. Once boys get around the intermediate stage, they can definitely relate. The characters, besides the guest character, are not real people.Character: Jack is a dynamic character. He does not like poetry at the beginning of the book, but by the end he likes to read and write poetry.

[abbylibrarian_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Jack doesn't like poetry. It's boring and it doesn't make any sense. Who cares about a red wheelbarrow and a white chicken? But as the weeks go by and he keeps writing about his own life through poems in his class journal, Jack begins to learn that poetry's not quite as confusing or irrelevant as he'd first thought. A gem of a book. Touching and hilarious. Great for fans of poetry and people who don't think they are fans of poetry (but soon will be).

[auntie0nanuuq · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A very clever book

written

in

poetry form.


About Jack

who at first

is hesitant

about

writing poetry.


Then shy

he writes

anonymously.


Jack gets a dog

his creativity

blooms

his classmates

are in awe.

The End.

So, yes I liked this book, it was humorous and the story of Jack, his poetry and his dog evolved very nicely.

[srearley · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Oh, this was SUCH a good book. Short and very sweet. I can picture Jack and his teacher and his classroom, and his yellow dog, and it is so amazing that Creech made me see and feel so much with in such a deceptively simple way. "Simple" because it is short, but "deceptive" because there is so much depth, both to the feelings and the language.

I was having a very bad no-good kind of day, and this book (a) made me cry but at the same time (b) made me feel better.

Loved it.

[tiffanyhickox · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I had actually heard a portion of this book in a college class - I believe in children's lit but it may have been intro to poetry - and had enjoyed the portions I heard. The book was a combination of sweet, nostalgic, heartbreaking and funny. She captures the voice of a child, one who is not very young but not yet a teen, quite well. Now I must read Hate that Cat.And a note on the narrator of the audio book - Scott Wolf - he did a good job; however, it would have been nice to have a child read it.

[briacoogle · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Love that dog is a story about a young boy who at the beginning resists writing poetry but then comes to love it. It is written by the author of Walk two Moons and is a definite heart-wrenching tale. I liked this book for a couple reasons but mostly for the way it was written. The story is written in all diary form by the main character, a young boy. I loved that the author chose to write it this way because it offers more insight into the main character and helps to really connect the reader to the story. As well as helping move the story along. In my opinion it also helps to evoke more emotion. For example throughout the whole book we read about this dog named Sky, that the main character had and how much he loved it but later on when we find out what happened to the dog and how the main character’s poems all relate to this event. It creates a more emotional connection and you really feel for the main character, as if you knew this dog too. I remember reading this book as a child and crying during this part. It was just so emotional and I felt this strong connection to the reader. It also helps the reader to relate because the reader might have gone through the same experience. I love that the author did this and feel it makes the book, as well as the story much more meaningful and is definitely something I never seen before in a children’s book. These journals are also dated throughout a school year, which is something I found extremely interesting and helped make the story more interesting because you really could see the character grow. Another reason I enjoyed it was how descriptive it was. For a children’s book, I thought it wouldn’t be as descriptive. An example of this is when you find out what happened to dog. The author went in extreme detail. I thought she would just say the dog died. Instead she led up to the event describing it saying, “Sky closed his eyes and never opened them again.” This was very vivid for a children book and not something I would ever expect but something I did kind of like because it was very unconventional. The final thing I liked was that the book at the back had all the poems that the main character talked about throughout the book. This is something I liked a lot because I feel it was nice to have because if the reader wanted to know more about those poems or read them themselves, they had the opportunity as well as being able to understand the events in the book better. All in all this book is a good book about love and loss that conveys the message that if at first you don’t like something you could end up liking it in the end.