Dogku

Dogku

By Andrew Clements

Scholastic Inc., 2007

30 pages 

Poetry

Dogku is an adorable picture book written using only haiku poetry. The book captivates your attention beginning with the front page displaying Mooch's sweet puppy face. It tells the story of a stray dog who shows up on a young family's front door. It tells of how they fed him, his adventures through the day, and the eventual acceptance into the family. The entire story is written using haiku poetry.

Clements illustrations tug at your heartstrings. He uses oil paint on canvas to illustrate the emotional adventure of Mooch. Most illustrations are double-page spreads without gutters, but there are a few vignettes. My favorite pictures are the car ride adventure and the family meeting. Clements does a great job of making you feel like you are right in the story with his illustrations. The emotions on the people's faces are easily understood and the actions and positions of the puppy are so natural.            

     This book would be a wonderful read-aloud or an LEA because it is a story most children can relate to. It leaves lots of room for discussion. This book is obviously an excellent source for haiku poetry and makes a somewhat daunting and challenging poem much more fun. Thirdly, this book could be used when talking about emotions and feelings. The feelings of every character are easily understood through the emotions on the faces and leaves lots of room for further discussion.