Dogku

Oh my goodness I loved this book. I have two rescue puppies of my own so this book really hit home.
Mooch, the dog - or main character - in this book was great. His thoughts, actions and behaviors were exactly what you'd expect. I specifically like the pages 15-16 because the things Mooch is doing are exactly what I *know* my rescue puppies are doing when home alone. Going along with this page, the illustrations are easy to interpret and a little silly. This definitely attracts the audience. Page nineteen's illustration made me laugh out loud; it was very appropriate to the mood of the story! Each page contains haikus and is may sound kind of grammatically incorrect- but is not! Page 19's text states, "Squirrel sits in tree. Mooch sits show more below, looking up. Who has more patience?" Towards the end, when Mooch was afraid he was going to get sent to the pound, I definitely feel as though this is a situation that many students have experienced or heard of having to happen.
With my circumstance of being a huge dog person and having two dogs, I would say that the big idea/ message of this story is to be appreciative of what you have. This family did not have to take Mooch in, but they did, and everybody seemed very happy. It also definitely emphasizes the importance of making decisions that can benefit more than just yourself! show less

I really liked this haiku poem since it's very sweet and amusing and allows everyone with a dog as a pet to relate to. It also shows readers how haiku poems word and how it ties into sentence structure. The illustrations are very vivid and detailed which allow them to depict the poem very well, in which it reads like a story.

This was a cute story about an abandoned dog told in Haiku. It tell about his day at his new house alone. Then once everyone comes home he thinks they are getting rid of him, but in the end the dad comes home with a bed and new toys for him. I thought this was a cute book and I would have it in my classroom library. I would suggest this book to teachers if they are teaching haiku.

A cute book written in haiku about a stray dog who is taken in by a caring family. The dog gets bored when the children go to school and gets into a bit of trouble.

I am a sucker for any sweet story about a dog and the fact that this one is written in Haiku makes it even cuter. This is a great book to introduce your students to what a Haiku is. I usually read it through once and ask if they notice any type of pattern. Then explain what a Haiku is, then we reread it and count the syllables, then we work on writing our own. The story is cute, happy and this book is a great addition to any library.

I was not expecting to like this book, as I do not like poetry all too much, but I did end up liking the book for a couple of reasons. I liked how the writer wrote just in haikus and how the illustrator createdthis type of poetry as it can be hard to tell a story with it. The fact that this author linked many haikus together to create a detailed story illustrations that enhanced the story. The fact that the writer wrote in just haikus is very interesting as not many writers use was very unique, at least in my opinion. The haiku tell the story of the dog's day from his point of view, " Nose out the window, ears flapping, hair pushed straight back. Adventures in smell." I also really like how the illustrations were done, as they really show more add detail to the story being told. An example of this is during the previous stated haiku, the image takes up two pages and is of the dog with his head on the window, and his ears being pushed back and waving in the wind from the car driving. This adds detail that the haiku cannot, as the haiku is a set number of words. The message of this story is that poems, when linked together, can tell a story and that a not all poems are boring. show less

I loved this short book about a stray dog and his journey to adoption and finding his new home. The book is written entirely in haiku’s; there is a haiku on each page. Each of the haiku’s show the simplicity of a dog’s life and his love for his adopted family. It shows how the dog is slowly accepted into the family and is able to find his forever home. Haiku’s are really easy to read and hold a very specific tone and beat that makes it appropriate for children. This book is a really good way to introduce poetry to young children. The topic of the story is also something that children can relate to and makes it easy for children to develop an interest in poetry and haiku’s. The haiku’s written in the story are very show more descriptive and use a lot of sensory imagery: “Nose out the window/ ears flapping, hair pushed straight back./ Adventures in smell.” This is a good way for young children to begin using their visualizing skills. Finally, I love the bright colors and details of the pictures in this book. Every hair on the dog is drawn, but the drawings are more cartoon styled than realistic, so it gives the book a more child-friendly feel, while describing the book events in detail. Without the pictures in the book, readers would not be able to fully follow along with the story and get the whole experience of the contents of the book. show less