A Poem to Start the Week: Love that brother!

September 13

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

Girls do.

So begins Sharon Creech's wonderful little book, Love That Dog. It is another of those books I must read to my fourth-graders each year. Written entirely in verse, it is the story of a boy irritated at his teacher's insistence that he write poetry.

By way of this aggravating instructor, Jack is introduced to William Carlos Williams, Robert Frost, William Blake and, most importantly, to Walter Dean Myers. Along the way he changes his mind about poetry. When Jack writes "inspired by" Myers he produces his own little masterpiece poem, the title poem of the book, "Love That Dog".

At the back of the book is a short anthology of the poems mentioned in the book.

After we read it, of course, my students get their own chance to write "inspired by" Walter Dean Myers. My nine and ten year old students have produced lots of "Love That..." poems. My favorite is by Kylee. She added a beautiful little ironic twist.

Here's the first stanza of the poem that inspired Jack.

Love that boy,
like a rabbit loves to run

I said I love that boy
like a rabbit loves to run

Love to call him in the morning
love to call him
“Hey there, son!”

from "Love That Boy" by Walter Dean Myers

Here's Jack's "inspired by" response:

Love That dog
like a bird loves to fly.

I said I love that dog
like a bird loves to fly.

Love to call him in the morning
love to call him
"Hey there Sky."

by Jack from the book, Love That Dog, by Sharon Creech

And here is Kylee's effort as best I remember it:

Love That Brother
like my Dad loves pink.

I said I love that brother
like my Dad loves pink.

Love to call him in the morning
Love to holler,
"Hey! You stink!"

by Kylee as her teacher remembers it.

Here's the complete Walter Dean Myers poem:

Love that Boy,
Like a rabbit loves to run.

I said I love that boy,
Like a rabbit loves to run.

Love to call him in the morning.
Love to call him,
"Hey there, son!"

He walk like his Grandpa,
Grins like his Uncle Ben.
I said he walk his his Grandpa,
And grins like his Uncle Ben.
Grins when he's happy,
When he sad, he grins again.

His mama like to hold him,
Like to feed him cherry pie.
I said his mama like to hold him.
Like to feed him that cherry pie.
She can have him now,
I'll get him by and by

He got long roads to walk down
Before the setting sun.
I said he got a long, long road to walk down
Before the setting sun.
He'll be a long stride walker,
And a good man before he done.

by Walter Dean Myers

I hereby resolve to buy a copy of Brown Angels, Myers's book that includes "Love That Boy". I already own Love That Dog.
I've written before about some of my favorites among children's books here, here, here, here, and here.

You can read some of my own efforts at poetry here.

By the way, the new Caldecott and Newbery Award were announced this week. I can't wait to get my hands on the Newbery Award winner The Higher Power of Lucky. Cynthia Lord's Rules, one of the three Newbery Honor books this year, also sounds like a interesting book.

Here's a previous Poem to Start the Week: Oh Frabjous Day!