by Sharon Creech HarperTrophy, 2003 Review by Christian Perring, Ph.D. Mar 25th 2003
Love That Dog is an unusual and charming book for
children by Sharon Creech it is a collection of poems.In a sense they are fictional poems, because
they are written from the point of view of Jack, a young boy.Jack writes poems for his teacher, after she
has shown him poems by more famous poets.They include The Red Wheelbarrow by William Carlos Williams, The
Tiger by William Blake, dog by Valerie Worth, Love That Boy by Walter Dean
Myers.Through the progression of
Jacks poems, we see him move from skepticism to enthusiasm about poetry, and
he starts to express his feelings.Gradually, Jack writes more about his old dog, Sky, who was killed when
he was hit by a car.So, this is a
story about the healing power of poetry for children dealing with grief.Recommended.
Christian Perring, Ph.D., is
Chair of the Philosophy Department at Dowling College, Long Island, and editor
of Metapsychology Online Review. His main research is on philosophical
issues in medicine, psychiatry and psychology.