Hate That Cat
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Overview
Jack
Room 204—Miss Stretchberry
February 25
Today the fat black cat
up in the tree by the bus stop
dropped a nut on my head
thunk
and when I yelled at it
that fat black cat said
Murr-mee-urrr
in a
nasty
spiteful
way.
I hate that cat.
This is the story of
Jack
words
sounds
silence
teacher
and cat.
Synopsis
Jack Room 204 - Miss Stretchberry February 25 Today the fat black cat up in the tree by the bus stop dropped a nut on my head
thunk
and when I yelled at it that fat black cat said
Murr-mee-urrr
in a
nasty spiteful way.
I hate that cat.
This is the story of
Jack words sounds silence teacher and cat.
Children's Literature
The honest, observant, and expressive Jack is sure about two things: he hates poetry and cats. His journey begins in Miss Stretchberry's classroom where he faces the challenge of expressing himself through poetry. He encounters problems along the way including his Uncle Bill, who, unlike Miss Stretchberry, insists that good poetry consists of long lines, symbolism and regular rhyme and meter. Jack tangles with the likes of alliteration, consonance, metaphors and onomatopoeia, but by the end of the school year he finds new meaning and purpose for such conventions and learns to appreciate the diverse beauties of both sound and silence. His evolving relationship with poetry mirrors his relationships with cats. Jack's initial aversion to felines transforms one Christmas morning when a tiny, mewing kitten crawls from underneath the wrappings scattered around the tree and straight into his heart. Author Sharon Creech invites emerging poets to commiserate with Jack as he learns to navigate the world of poetry and tempts seasoned poets to appreciate her crafty allusions and creative expression. Figurative language, poetic devices and visual word manipulation abound in this book of poetry. Reviewer: Stacey L. Hester
Editorials
Children's Literature -
The honest, observant, and expressive Jack is sure about two things: he hates poetry and cats. His journey begins in Miss Stretchberry's classroom where he faces the challenge of expressing himself through poetry. He encounters problems along the way including his Uncle Bill, who, unlike Miss Stretchberry, insists that good poetry consists of long lines, symbolism and regular rhyme and meter. Jack tangles with the likes of alliteration, consonance, metaphors and onomatopoeia, but by the end of the school year he finds new meaning and purpose for such conventions and learns to appreciate the diverse beauties of both sound and silence. His evolving relationship with poetry mirrors his relationships with cats. Jack's initial aversion to felines transforms one Christmas morning when a tiny, mewing kitten crawls from underneath the wrappings scattered around the tree and straight into his heart. Author Sharon Creech invites emerging poets to commiserate with Jack as he learns to navigate the world of poetry and tempts seasoned poets to appreciate her crafty allusions and creative expression. Figurative language, poetic devices and visual word manipulation abound in this book of poetry. Reviewer: Stacey L. HesterSchool Library Journal
Gr 3-7
Sharon Creech's free-verse novel (2008) continues the story of Jack, first introduced in Love That Dog (2001, both HarperCollins/Joanna Cotler Books). Jack is delighted that his teacher from the previous year, Miss Stretchberry, has also moved up a grade. For the second year in a row, Jack is encouraged to express his thoughts and feelings through a poetry journal. Miss Stretchberry introduces her class to the works of a variety of poets, and also introduces Jack to a kitten who captures his hear. As Jack explores rhythm and sound, he also wonders how poetry is experienced by those who cannot hear, such as his mother, who communicates her appreciation of Jack's poetry through sign language. The novel's combination of formats-journal and verse-is well narrated by Scott Wolf whose youthful diction captures the spirit of Jack's exuberant blank verse; his use of pauses and emphasis hints at the structure of the words on the page. The recording includes an appendix of some of the poems used in the class. This story will be enjoyed by reluctant readers for the accessible story line, and applauded by teachers for the embedded lessons in writing and poetry appreciation.-Misti Tidman, Boyd County Public Library, Ashland, KY