Love That Dog by Sharon Creech

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

Girls do. (1)
~~~
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. (5)

Jack, a student in Miss Stretchberry's class, does not like poetry. He does not understand poetry, and does not want to write poetry. But in this book written entirely as a collection of poems, we begin to see Jack find an appreciation of poetry. We learn about his dog, his life, and the poet Mr. Walter Dean Meyers. On the last pages of Love That Dog, Sharon Creech even publishes some of the poems that Miss Stretchberry uses in her class. It's a great way to kick off National Poetry Month this April!