Dear Ms. Creech,
Thank you for LOVE THAT DOG,
for making my teacher heart
imagine lessons,
think of ways to connect language
to life’s small moments
(like a dog lolling in the afternoon sun)
and give voice to the big
(like losing that dog so loved).
I admire the way poetry became
an everyday
classroom event
and
by the end of the story,
wasn’t something just for fluttery girls
but was accessible and meaningful
to any child.
Thank you for giving Jack
the room to experiment with language,
for pushing him beyond his comfort level
with his best in mind,
for letting him dream
an Important Poet cared —
and then letting that dream come true.
I wish I’d discovered your book
while still teaching.
I know just how I’d share it.
But now,
I hope others might catch the same
hopefulness I’ve found
here, in your story,
and share the
freedom,
possibility,
and
beauty
poetry can bring.
Even to boys
like Jack.
Sincerely,
Caroline Starr Rose
Click here to learn more about the Verse Novel Challenge.
Love that book!
(And your poem–so good.)
I loved that book too.
Oh, I’m so glad you read this book! I read it for your verse novel challenge a month or so ago and thought you would enjoy it.
I’ve got that book in my classroom, but haven’t picked it up yet. I think I will now! 🙂
I love that book so much; the crafting astounds me. It is beautiful, and so is its author.
A verse letter to celebrate a verse novel! How lovely!
I’ve got to read this one–it’s on the list.
Glad to see you’re all settled in, Caroline. Congrats on the move back out West!
Miss Stretchberry, what a funny name. I don’t know where boys get the idea that only girls write poetry, since most famous poetry in history was written by men. So sad. I haven’t actually read this book, just the sample pages. Looks cute. I need to read more verse novels.
Caroline, are you serious? It looks to me from recent posts as if you and I may be very close neighbors!
If so, we must have coffee!!!
Your New Mexican cyber friend,
Rosslyn
I’m glad I found your blog, Caroline, and even more glad that you enjoyed LOVE THAT DOG.
Thank you so much, Sharon. You’ve made my day!