Review: Poetic Form

Title: Dogku

Author: Andrew Clements

Illustrator: Tim Bowers

ISBN: 978-0-689-85823-9

Citation: Clements, Andrew. Dogku. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2007.

Awards: Named one of the Bank Street Best Books of the Year in 2007, listed as a KIND Children's Book Award Honor Book, and winner of the Kentucky Bluegrass Award

Review: Andrew Clements takes a departure from his well-known novels in writing Dogku. This tale of a stray dog trying to find a home with a loving family is written through a series of haiku poems. The reader follows the plot as the dog begins on a doorstep, "There on the back steps,/the eyes of a hungry dog./Will she shut the door?", the family decides what should be done, "Family meeting./There are words and words and words./Did someone say "pound"?", and finally decide to keep him, "A new doggy bed!/Food, a bowl, a squeaky toy!/Mooch has found his home." Cleverly written and accompanied by the vivid oil paintings of Tim Bowers, children will fall in love with Mooch and may not even realize they are reading poetry. Andrew Clements goes as far as writing the author's note, synopsis, and even including a haiku from the illustrator in this unique picture book. Readers of all ages will reevaluate their views of haiku after reading Dogku and may even find themselves experimenting with some haiku of their own.

Potential Use: Dogku provides educators and parents with the opportunity to introduce the often-feared haiku poetic form through an accessible, enjoyable story. This book could be used to introduce the 17 syllable haiku format to young students, perhaps as early as first or second grade. Educators could read the story aloud all the way through first, then go back and help students count the syllables on each page to reinforce the 5/7/5 haiku format. Students will likely be intrigued that even the synopsis, author note, and illustrator note are written in haiku; be sure to share these with the students as well.

Synopsis (in front cover)

A tale in haiku

of one adorable dog.

Let's find him a home.

Author Note (in back cover)

An idea knocks.

I open, think, write, and smile.

And then it's your turn.

Illustrator Note (in back cover)

I love to draw dogs.

I had fun reading Dogku—

And hope you do too!

Following these activities, encourage students to write some haikus of their own. After they practice, have the entire class write and illustrate a haiku based on a theme (e.g. Catku, Treeku, Familyku). Use these themed haikus to create a class book.