Hate That Cat

Talmage just said, "Mom, I like you so much." That's why I had children. For the love.

I read Love That Dog by Sharon Creech a couple of years ago and absolutely loved it. This is pretty much the same book. Creech uses a fun format--writing from the perspective of a ten year old who is learning about poetry. The boy's poems compose the novel. I loved the ideas of the first book, that you learn about yourself and experiences by writing about them (that's the main reason I write about books on this blog--because I know what I think about the books when I write about them). It also brought back my love for poetry, a love that kind of got quashed when I spent all my time writing argumentatively. I think I need to throw more books of poetry into my reading list. Any suggestions?

This book explored some of the tools for writing poetry--figurative language, meter, etc. I also liked that the boy changes his opinion during the year; as he writes about an idea he finds that idea evolving.

My favorite poem in the book is inspired by Alfred Lord Tennyson:

The Kitten

She pats the package with padded paws
and pulls apart the golden gauze
with her tiny furry jaws.

The like an acrobat she leaps
legs and ribbon in a heap
tangled round and tangled deep.

I like words.

I do want to read Walk Two Moons now. Creech won a Newberry for that book and I've heard many people recommend it.

Okay, that's all.