Dogku

Dogku

by: Andrew Clements & Tim Bowers

Clements, A., & Bowers, T. (2007). Dogku. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

When a stray dog begins wandering through a neighborhood during the wee hours of the morning, he decides to stay on a back-porch that he has found.  He is embraced by the family that lives there and is given a bath and some food, but the Dad is not as fond as the rest of the family.  Written completely in haikus, you go on a journey to see if the dog has really found his forever home.

Haikus are a great way to introduce a specific form of poetry.  The amount of haikus that the students would be exposed to in this book is a very good aspect.  I think that the pictures are colorful as well which helps.  As a class, reading this story could be used to later use it to teach a lesson, or for simple enjoyment.  Clements is a great author, so this could supplement an author study, too. 

Lessons for Dogku