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1368003

Love That Dog

Jack hates poetry, but he can't avoid Ms. Stretchberry's assignments. But then something amazing happens. The more he writes, the more he learns he does have something to say.

Annotation:
Forced to keep a journal of original poems as a class assignment, a boy named Jack is initially resistant to the idea of writing poetry. However, inspired by such authors as Robert Frost and Walter Dean Myers, Jack discovers that he enjoys creating poetry and even begins to try out different poetic styles. Many of Jack's poems tell of the wonderful relationship he shared with his pet dog, Sky. Ultimately, Jack's poetry allows him to mourn Sky's death while still celebrating his life and the love they shared. Named a New York Times 2001 Notable Book and one of the Best Children's Books 2001 by Publishers Weekly.

Praise

Kirkus
"Teachers will take this story to heart, recognizing Miss Stretchberry's skilled and graceful teaching and Jack's subtle emotional growth both as a person and a writer. This really special triumph is bound to be widely discussed by teachers and writers, and widely esteemed by Creech's devoted readers." 07/01/2001

New York Times Book Review
"Creech is a writer of emotionally rich fiction that has often dealt with the inner life of girls, but this time around there's an exquisite new tenderness that gives the story of a boy like Jack learning poetry the quality of a baby deer being coaxed toward a salt lick. Anything could disturb this kid; anything could send him scurrying back into hiding; but with the right handling, nothing does....Sharon Creech has achieved more than one impressive feat here. Not only has she shown young readers what a poem can do, she's also shown them what a novel can do." - Meg Wolitzer 10/21/2001

Author Bio

Sharon Creech

Although born in the United States, Sharon Creech has spent many years living in England. In fact, it was while living in England that Creech learned she had won the most prestigious American award for children's literature--the Newbery Medal for her 1995 novel WALK TWO MOONS. Creech's first book, ABSOLUTELY NORMAL CHAOS, was published in 1990. Raised in a suburb of Cleveland, Creech is a Graduate of Ohio's Hiram College and has a master's degree in English and writing from George Mason University. Creech also writes books for adults under the name Sharon Rigg.

Read A Chapter

Jack
Room 105 -- Miss Stretchberry

September 13

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

Girls do.

September 21

I tried.
Can't do it.
Brain's empty.

September 27

I don't understand
the poem about
the red wheelbarrow
and the white chickens
and why so much
depends upon
them.

If that is a poem
about the red wheelbarrow
and the white chickens
then any words
can be a poem.
You've just got to
make
short
lines.

October 4

Do you promise
not to read it
out loud?
Do you promise
not to put it
on the board?

Okay, here it is,
but I don't like it.

So much depends
upon
a blue car
splattered with mud
speeding down the road.

October 10

What do you mean'
Why does so much depend
upon
a blue car?

You didn't say before<

Click to read more...

Jack
Room 105 -- Miss Stretchberry

September 13

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

Girls do.

September 21

I tried.
Can't do it.
Brain's empty.

September 27

I don't understand
the poem about
the red wheelbarrow
and the white chickens
and why so much
depends upon
them.

If that is a poem
about the red wheelbarrow
and the white chickens
then any words
can be a poem.
You've just got to
make
short
lines.

October 4

Do you promise
not to read it
out loud?
Do you promise
not to put it
on the board?

Okay, here it is,
but I don't like it.

So much depends
upon
a blue car
splattered with mud
speeding down the road.

October 10

What do you mean'
Why does so much depend
upon
a blue car?

You didn't say before
that I had to tell why.

The wheelbarrow guy
didn't tell why.

October 17

What was up with
the snowy woods poem
you read today?

Why doesn't the person just
keep going if he's got
so many miles to go
before he sleeps?

And why do I have to tell more
about the blue car
splattered with mud
speeding down the road?

I don't want to
write about that blue car
that had miles to go
before it slept,
so many miles to go
in such a hurry.

October 24

I am sorry to say
I did not really understand
the tiger tiger burning bright poem
but at least it sounded good
in my ears.

Here is the blue car
with tiger sounds:

Blue car, blue car, shining bright
in the darkness of the night:
who could see you speeding by
like a comet in the sky?

I could see you in the night,
blue car, blue car, shining bright.
I could see you speeding by
like a comet in the sky.

Some of the tiger sounds
are still in my ears
like drums
beat-beat-beating.

October 31

Yes
you can put
the two blue-car poems
on the board
but only if
you don't put
my name
on them.

November 6

They look nice
typed up like that
on blue paper
on a yellow board.

(But still don't tell anyone
who wrote them, okay?)

(And what does anonymous mean?
Is it good?)

November 9

I don't have any pets
so I can't write about one
and especially
I can't write
a POEM
about one.

November 15

Yes, I used to have a pet.
I don't want to write about it.

You're going to ask me
Why not?
Right?

November 22

Pretend I still have that pet?

Can't I make up a pet'
a different one?
Like a tiger?
Or a hamster?
A goldfish?
Turtle?
Snail?
Worm?
Flea?

November 29

I liked those
small poems
we read today.

When they're small
like that
you can read
a whole bunch
in a short time
and then in your head
are all the pictures
of all the small things
from all the small poems.

I liked how the kitten leaped
in the cat poem
and how you could see
the long head of the horse
in the horse poem
and especially I liked the dog
in the dog poem
because that's just how
my yellow dog
used to lie down,
with his tongue all limp
and his chin
between
his paws
and how he'd sometimes
chomp at a fly
and then sleep
in his loose skin,
just like that poet,
Miss Valerie Worth,
says,
in her small
dog poem.

December 4

Why do you want
to type up what I wrote
about reading
the small poems?

It's not a poem.
Is it?

I guess you can

Continues...

Excerpted from Love That Dog by Creech, Sharon Copyright © 2004 by Sharon Creech. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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JackRoom 105 -- Miss Stretchberry

JackRoom 105 -- Miss Stretchberry

Jack
Room 105 -- Miss Stretchberry

Jack
Room 105 -- Miss Stretchberry