The story in this book is told through a series of poems written by a young boy (mid-elementary school). The boy writes about his reactions to different famous poems and writes some poems himself. This book does a great job showing how people's reactions to poetry can change the more they are immersed in it and begin to understand it. It also shows how not all poetry will affect all people but that sometimes you find a poem that really touches you.
The little boy who writes the poems in the book starts out disliking poetry and not understanding the point but gradually begins finding things he likes in poems and writing better poetry himself as a result. The boy is eventually able to express the loss he feels from the death of his dog as well as the happiness his dog brought him through poems. This story of what poetry does for this boy is a microcosm of what poetry does for humanity. I think this would be a great book to use when beginning a unit on poetry with younger kids. Many students seem to have a knee-jerk reaction of disliking poetry but this book can help them on the road to more of an understanding for why people write and read poetry.
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