-Might be a Spoiler Alert-

We dabbled in poetry this month with a read aloud titled Love That Dog by Newberry Medal Winner Sharon Creech. This lyrical novel introduced the class to many different types of poetry through the growing interest of Jack, a character who began the book by stubbornly insisting to his teacher that “boys don’t write poetry.”  As Jack was exposed to classics which included “The Red Wheelbarrow” by William Carlos Wiliams, “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening” and “The Pasture” by Robert Frost, “The Tiger” by William Blake, “Dog” by Valerie Worth, and a few others, he began to express himself by using these poems to create similar versions, which served to unravel the tale of an event in his life.

I especially enjoyed the author’s use of recurring objects and poetry, and I loved the craft of having the teacher’s voice expressed in Jack’s reaction to her comments which let the reader know that the teacher was the facilitator while remaining focused on Jack.  The class was eager to hear each poem and predicted how Jack would use it to create his own.  They were even inspired to write versions of “The Red Wheelbarrow” just like Jack, in which they composed sixteen word poems about something that “so much depends upon.”

Jack’s favorite poem was “Love That Boy” by Walter Dean Myers. This poem evoked feelings that brought resolution and acceptance for Jack. As a result, he was inspired to compose his own version, “Love That Dog” in honor of his dog.