Hate That Cat

This is a sequel to Sharon Creech’s much praised Love That Dog. It takes the same verse novel form, presented as a series of poems written by Jack in response to the promptings of his English teacher, Mrs Stretchberry. Once again, these short glimpses into Jack’s life and feelings are shaped by the poets and poems that Mrs Stretchberry introduces to him. Now it’s William Carlos Williams rather than Walter Dean Myers that provides the principal inspiration, but there are other mentors, like Poe and Tennyson, stretching Jack’s notion of poetry and his writing technique, as his teacher introduces him to literary devices like onomatopoeia and assonance. Deceptively simple and transparent, Creech’s second celebration of the power of poetry to capture the moment and realise some understanding of self and others is as sensitive and subtle as her first. It follows Jack from an acceptance of the premature death of his much loved dog to the beginning of a relationship with a new and different pet and, as he thinks about how his deaf mother might experience poetry, prompts him to explore the relationship of sound, rhythm, meaning and feeling. The two books together offer a sympathetic and humorous view of a child coming to terms with the loss and fear in his life through his own efforts and in his own words. They are also an enthralling introduction to poetry’s unique appeal. Jack’s poems are followed by the texts of the poems that form his inspiration, and by a ‘Class Poetry Shelf’ that includes bibliographical details of the works of over 40 American poets suitable for young people.