Love That Dog

Creech, Sharon. (2001). Love that dog. New York: HarperCollins.

Love That Dog is a story about a boy named Jack who is a great writer but doesn’t know it yet. In class is has trouble understanding poetry. With every poem assigned he learns about the process of creating such art. He begins to write poems that he’s proud to call his own. The teacher displays these beautiful works of art in the class, at first with anonymous. Jack then proudly has his name published on his poems.

Analysis: How would this book appeal to "your" library? What other books has the author written? Are they similar or different?

 

This book would appeal to the students in my library because many young readers like picture books. This is a short picture book, but it’s a picture book that requires the reader to think due to the limited amount of text. The story is told in free verse poetry. This book could appeal to boys because the main character is a boy who discovers he is truly a poet, inspiration could be sparked by this story. Readers can identify and relate to Jack because at the beginning he can’t write and them blossoms into a great writer.  

I would sell this to readers by telling the buyers Jack’s back story and help them realize how they can relate and identify themselves with him. Then I would showcase the briefness and beauty of the poetry.  I would also add that it’s wonderful story with a fantastic character.

Some other books written by Sharon Creech are A Fine, Fine School, The Wanderer, and Hate That Cat. A Fine, Fine School is a picture book about an administrator who loves his school to the point that he elects students and teachers should be there all the time!  Illustrations are important in the story and would appeal to young readers. The Wanderer is different from Love that Dog because it is a historical fiction and it has a strong female protagonist.  Hate That Cat has similarities with Love That Dog because it’s a sequel to Jack’s story. The difference in his story is that he branches out on topics he writes about in poetry.