| Title | : | The Poet's Dog |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 006229265X |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780062292650 |
| Format Type | : | ebook |
| Number of Pages | : | 112 |
| Publication | : | First published September 13, 2016 |
| Awards | : | Vermont Golden Dome Book Award (2018) |
Teddy is a gifted dog. Raised in a cabin by a poet named Sylvan, he grew up listening to sonnets read aloud and the comforting clicking of a keyboard. Although Teddy understands words, Sylvan always told him there are only two kinds of people in the world who can hear Teddy speak: poets and children.
Then one day Teddy learns that Sylvan was right. When Teddy finds Nickel and Flora trapped in a snowstorm, he tells them that he will bring them home—and they understand him. The children are afraid of the howling wind, but not of Teddy’s words. They follow him to a cabin in the woods, where the dog used to live with Sylvan . . . only now his owner is gone.
As they hole up in the cabin for shelter, Teddy is flooded with memories of Sylvan. What will Teddy do when his new friends go home? Can they help one another find what they have lost?
The Poet's Dog Reviews
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Alternate title: How to Cry in 90 Pages or Less
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This is a very moving book about loss, moving on and trust. Two children are lost in a snowstorm and found by a very special Irish Wolfhound. This is a short book and very moving, hard not to cry at the end. This could be a good book for an older child to read that struggled with longer books or one who had experienced a loss. This was happy and sad and ideal for dog lovers.
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I forgot to mark this one as read because finishing it was not a tremendously memorable event. The cover is gorgeous but there is something about the story that felt a bit off to me. I found it somewhat confusing as a read aloud book because it jumped around to tell the story in an attempt to slowly reveal plot details. Good but not amazing.
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4/5
This very brief book is narrated by Teddy, who is an Irish Wolfhound. He knows words because he was rescued by and lived in a cozy cabin in the woods with a poet named Sylvan. While Teddy can speak words, only poets and children can understand him. On a freezing, snowy night, Teddy comes across twelve year-old Nickel (Nicholas) and his eight year-old sister Flora shivering near an icy pond. They had been riding with their mother in a car, which got stuck in the snow. Their mother left them to go get help. The children hadn’t waited for her return, but luckily Teddy found them. The three of them wait out the storm in Sylvan’s cottage.
As it turns out, Teddy’s quite a melancholy dog because Sylvan is gone. The story proceeds in two time periods: the present narrative of the three in the storm and Teddy’s recollections of his life with Sylvan. Once the storm is over, Ellie, a former student of Sylvan’s, finds them in the cabin, and all will become well. A simple and sad story, beautifully told. Heart-warming throughout. You can imagine where it goes. My nine year-old granddaughter loves this book and has read it many times over. I can see why. -
This is a children’s book. I never care what age a book is for... I just care that it’s wonderful like this book is.
My mind is full of a dog and a poet. Jewels. A blizzard. Frosting. Yeats. Words and names. Grief. Hope. An Irish wolfhound. Charlotte’s Web. Creative soup. Snow.
I read the kindle version on sale today. I just came across it and thought, “Why not?” I will have to buy the tree book version of it so it can live in my library... adding its lovely voice to the voices of my other books.
Isn’t it splendiferous to just accidentally (serendipitously) come across a book only to find that it is just perfectly exactly what you wanted to read in that moment even though you didn’t know it?
Beautiful book. Read it. -
“Dogs speak words
But only poets
And children
Hear”
I found this while browsing in the library and was instantly intrigued by the cover (and *dogs*). I was happy to discover it was written by the author of Sarah, Plain, and Tall , which third-grade me loved.
The Poet’s Dog is a gem of a book. Told from a dog’s point-of-view, it’s a tale love, death, and family. There are snowed-in nights in a cabin, a talking dog with a gentle soul, and poetry.
I would have loved this book as a kid and I love it now. It would be a great book to read-aloud with children. -
A charming little fable about children, lost during a snowstorm, who are taken in by a dog. Because, you see, children and poets can understand dogs when they speak, and so Teddy and Nickel and Flora wait out the storm, eating delicious things cooked by little Flora, and hearing stories from Teddy about his person, the poet Sylvan. A wonderful winter book!
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Dogs speak words
But only poets and children
Hear
- P.M.
When a dog named Teddy finds them alone in a fierce winter storm, Nickel and Flora are brave but afraid. He brings them to a Poet's cabin full of light, food, and love. But where is the Poet?
A story of the wonder of words and winter. A tale of memories and moving on.
Gifted, lonely Teddy had been left alone in Sylvan's cabin. The melancholic pup's intuition and intellect proved beyond measure as he took care of the two children that came into his care. Such grief and sadness yet love and hope welled within his soul, that it easily wrapped around my own.
From a curmudgeonly, wise poet, to a caring student, to two sweet, scared, poignant children, love never truly left Teddy's life even though he felt alone in his grief. Each life had been warped by its own pain, unique the character. We know them for so little time, predominantly for the ways they came into Teddy's life, yet it's impossible not to feel for each member of the supporting cast. I adored how sometimes their pain brought them together in ways they weren't expecting.
Words and man's best friend are often the heroes we didn't know we were looking for. A tale of giving back and listening for the love you were given. Blending together a normal narrative and poetry, this quick, simple tale speaks volumes. Teddy's recollections of his time with Sylvan and the present day story in the cabin were equally sweet and moving. Patrica MacLachlan's hopefully solemn prose of surviving loss, recapturing love, friendship, moving forward and helping others, wrap around you like a blanket on a cold winter's night. Turning my eyes into fountains, The Poet's Dog will never leave my heart.
Next time you hug your snuggly pup, take care to listen up. -
This is quite...slight. I'm sure a certain type of person would find it profound and beautiful, but that person is emphatically not me.
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4 star
A very good juvenile fiction poetry book, narrated by a talking dog. Highlights grief, love, redemption and overall goodness. -
Sweet story about words and the value they have in our lives. Beautiful writing, reminding us of the beauty in a bond with a dog.
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Look, it's a magical gem of a children's book narrated by a dog. Obviously I loved it. The perfect cosy read for Fall/Winter.
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One of my favourite friends was visiting last week and I was very excited because I was meeting her after many years. Time flew by after she arrived and before we knew we were at the airport, saying goodbye. I didn't want to go home after that as I felt it would be too depressing, and so to cheer myself up, I went to the bookshop instead. What is the point of going to the bookshop if we don't buy a book? 😁 This one, 'The Poet's Dog' by Patricia MacLachlan caught my eye first and I couldn't resist getting it - who can resist a book about a poet and a dog? I have been reading it for the past two days and I just finished reading it.
The story told in 'The Poet's Dog' goes like this. Teddy is a dog. He is the dog of a poet called Sylvan. As Teddy describes it -
"I'm a dog. I should tell you that right away. But I grew up with words. A poet named Sylvan found me at the shelter and took me home. He laid down a red rug for me by the fire, and I grew up to the clicking of his keyboard as he wrote. He wrote all day. And he read to me."
At the time the story starts, there is a blizzard, and Teddy finds a boy and a girl outside, who seem to be lost. He helps them and gets them inside the house. We know about Sylvan at this point, but Sylvan doesn't seem to be in the house. What happens after that - who are these two children? What happened to Sylvan? Do these three, the girl, the boy and the dog, survive the blizzard? - forms the rest of the story. I don't want to say more, because I want you to read the story and experience the pleasure and joy it offers, for yourself.
'The Poet's Dog' is a beautiful book. It is about love, friendship, family, loss, grief, and finding love again. It is also about this beautiful furry bundle, which has a heart of gold, and which offers unconventional love, which we call a dog. Teddy is such a charming narrator and we see the whole story unfolding through Teddy's eyes. I loved the characters, Flora (the girl), Nickel (the boy), Sylvan and Ellie (Sylvan's student). The book had bigger-than-normal font with generous spacing between lines. Patricia MacLachlan's storytelling style and dialogue were beautiful and spare and stylish and such a pleasure to read.
'The Poet's Dog' is just 88 pages long, and I loved it so much that I was sad when it ended. It is a beautiful, poignant book and one of my favourite reads of the year. If you have dog babies at home, you will love this book. -
I have been a fan of Patricia MacLachlan's for many, many years. I truly love her. Unfortunately, publishing this title as is does not do MacLachlan any favor. It is an extremely short volume. Generally that would not be much a problem. However, there is just too much of everything left out. Even a reader with the best imagination would have difficulty trying to flesh out the tale. Several pages were emotional and magical. The best a children's author could hope to achieve. In a way it only makes me sadder for the potential of this title. I think it had a chance for true greatness. Instead it seemed like the very long version of a story submitted to Cricket Magazine. I had a similar reaction to Louis Sachar's Fuzzy Mud. Although I didn't like it nearly as much as The Poet's Dog, it also seemed very incomplete. I don't know if it is a rush from the publisher to complete a project or poor advice and editing. Either way it makes me very unhappy to give a star author like MacLachlan 3 stars. It is an honest review. The cover art by the way is magnificent.
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A very quick read (a short story of 88 pages), MacLachlan's story is precise, warm as much as it is cold, yet uplifting. When two children find themselves alone in the forest after their family car veers off the snow-thick road, they are rescued by a talking dog (at least, he can be heard by children and poets). Whilst the storm rages, he becomes their guardian and it is during this time, the three of them learn about the power of words over lives and the nature of the human (and canine) spirit. I don't quite know how MacLachlan packs so much into such a short space when the book is not in verse form. But she does. I don't know how I feel about the ending. This is not to detract but rather I haven't quick touched upon the pulse of what MacLachlan is saying. Yet.
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A moving story about life and death and what lives on. The Poet's Dog is Teddy, an Irish Wolfhound, and he is the thread that connects the past and the present. Through him, the love of his former owner, Sylvan, who gave him words, and taught him to save others, lives on. A slim and meditative book about love and caring for others during hardship.
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A dog rescues two children lost in a snow storm, and as they spend a few days together, they learn about each other. An imaginative story about the power of words.
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This book was stunning. I loved it. This book takes what you know a story like this to be like, but then flips it around and tells it to you from the perspective of a talking dog. I cried, but it was beautiful and moving. So many wonderful things I could say about this book.
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The title, the book cover, and the opening little poem draw you in like the book will be something mysterious and cool, but sorry, it didn't work for me. To me it draws you in to wander around and not go anywhere.
The book opens with a little poem in the bottom right corner of two otherwise blank pages:
Dogs speak words
But only poets
And Children
Hear
- PM
I think you should take what images and thoughts your own imagination can make from that snippet of a poem, and from brief details of what the book is about: a wolfhound rescues 2 children in a snowstorm and take them to a poets cabin and stop with any thoughts in your head and not bother to read the book.
I know there are the artsy folks that do get something more out of it and don't really care that it didn't go anywhere concrete, and if you are that sort, it is ok. I always say people can like what they like and it is ok if you liked this book. Maybe you can even say - that because you wandered around following the words of the book you had those images and thoughts of your imagination. Maybe so, but I can imagine all that could have gone in to this book but wasn't there, so that is why I say don't read the book, but just imagine what you would like to be in that book and enjoy your own imagination instead.
:-) -
Another poignant book by
Patricia MacLachlan. Pure pleasure to read with a sweetness of a talking dog, a snow storm and two beautiful children. -
This is a lovely story.
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Even in her final decade, Patricia MacLachlan never lost her lovely writing touch, a quality that infuses The Poet's Dog with comfort and warmth. Teddy, an Irish wolfhound who lived with a poet named Sylvan until the man went away, finds two children outside Sylvan's old house in a blizzard. Eleven-year-old Nicholas (Nickel) and eight-year-old Flora were stranded in their mother's car in the storm when she went for help. She took so long returning that the kids left the car and found Teddy, who herds them inside the house. They'll have food and warmth here until the snowfall abates and their mother comes back.
Teddy has felt lonely since losing Sylvan. The poet adored Teddy, and in fact could understand the dog's human words. Most people can't, but Sylvan never struggled with a syllable, and Teddy is relieved to discover Nickel and Flora are the same way. As they settle into the house at Teddy's invitation, the kids refrain from asking about Sylvan's closed computer and other belongings. Teddy will speak of it when he's ready.
"Being alone confuses the truth about time."
—The Poet's Dog, P. 5
It was illness that snatched Sylvan, lung discomfort that turned to fever and then worse. His human friend Ellie drove him to the doctor, returning with medicine to soothe his symptoms, but the poet knew his days were dwindling. No longer would he teach youth poetry classes with Teddy at his side proudly understanding every word the kids wrote; never again would there be cozy nights in front of the fireplace searching for the right phrase to cap a perfect poem. Soon Nickel and Flora, who loved Teddy from the moment they met, will be gone as well, back to their parents. Sylvan wanted nothing more than for Teddy to be loved always, just as when they lived together. Will Teddy find the people he won't leave behind, so Sylvan can truly rest?
This is the sort of story Patricia MacLachlan did well her whole career, a realistic scenario with a dusting of magic to soften it. I love the words that are some of the last Sylvan ever spoke to Teddy: "I hope you find a jewel or two". Along the craggy, laborious path of life, the only thing that makes the pain and exertion worthwhile is the jewels we never lose, special people who don't get taken away as many of life's blessings do. When you find a jewel, cherish it as long as you can.
Perhaps the dialogue mechanism for Teddy to speak to sensitive humans is hard to believe, and coincidence leans heavier on the narrative than need be, but I rate The Poet's Dog two and a half stars. Its gentle message is appreciated. -
3.5/5 stars
This was a nice quick read that held more emotions than seemed possible for such a short book.
I saw this on display at my library and decided to pick it up, it looked intriguing because it was told from the dogs point of view and seemed to maybe be wintery because of the snow. (I'm trying to get into the Christmas spirit sort of). Since it was a Juvenile book and less than 90 pages I thought, why not?
The flashbacks to the dog's time with Sylvan, the poet, really added on a bit of depth and tragedy to the story. However I did not cry...I felt sad and a bit taken aback at some parts but no tears. It just wasn't too much substance to get attached to, I guess.
I kept questioning the reality and how much of the story actually happened...(I've read too many books to not think that a twist could be coming up or that everything is imaginary, or something like that.)
I noticed some things...So how did Teddy not know Flora and Nickle's father, if he had gone to class at the Poet's house before, and how did he know about the poem Sylvan wrote, like how long ago was Teddy adopted?... Maybe I'm just missing it, but idk. And how old is Teddy? And is it just a coincidence that Teddy is the same breed and looks just like Ruby's old dog? And how did Sylvan come up with the "prophecy" of the two jewels? Idk? seems a bit sketchy to me but then I tell myself that this story is told by a dog, and how serious is this book? I'm just confusing myself...and none of that probably even happened, and it was just the dogs imagination...Im overthinking everything and I think it is time to stop now.
I enjoyed reading in the dog's POV but pictured him as the dog from UP, a golden retriever. 3.5/5 stars
This was a nice quick read that held more emotions than seemed possible for such a short book.
I saw this on display at my library and decided to pick it up, it looked intriguing because it was told from the dogs point of view and seemed to maybe be wintery because of the snow. (I'm trying to get into the Christmas spirit sort of). Since it was a Juvenile book and less than 90 pages I thought, why not?
The flashbacks to the dog's time with Sylvan, the poet, really added on a bit of depth and tragedy to the story. However I did not cry...I felt sad and a bit taken aback at some parts but no tears. It just wasn't too much substance to get attached to, I guess.
I kept questioning the reality and how much of the story actually happened...(I've read too many books to not think that a twist could be coming up or that everything is imaginary, or something like that.)
I noticed some things...So how did Teddy not know Flora and Nickle's father, if he had gone to class at the Poet's house before, and how did he know about the poem Sylvan wrote, like how long ago was Teddy adopted?... Maybe I'm just missing it, but idk. And how old is Teddy? And is it just a coincidence that Teddy is the same breed and looks just like Ruby's old dog? And how did Sylvan come up with the "prophecy" of the two jewels? Idk? seems a bit sketchy to me but then I tell myself that this story is told by a dog, and how serious is this book? I'm just confusing myself...and none of that probably even happened, and it was just the dogs imagination...Im overthinking everything and I think it is time to stop now.
I enjoyed reading in the dog's POV but pictured him as the dog from UP, a golden retriever. 3.5/5 stars
This was a nice quick read that held more emotions than seemed possible for such a short book.
I saw this on display at my library and decided to pick it up, it looked intriguing because it was told from the dogs point of view and seemed to maybe be wintery because of the snow. (I'm trying to get into the Christmas spirit sort of). Since it was a Juvenile book and less than 90 pages I thought, why not?
The flashbacks to the dog's time with Sylvan, the poet, really added on a bit of depth and tragedy to the story. However I did not cry...I felt sad and a bit taken aback at some parts but no tears. It just wasn't too much substance to get attached to, I guess.
I kept questioning the reality and how much of the story actually happened...(I've read too many books to not think that a twist could be coming up or that everything is imaginary, or something like that.)
I noticed some things...So how did Teddy not know Flora and Nickle's father, if he had gone to class at the Poet's house before, and how did he know about the poem Sylvan wrote, like how long ago was Teddy adopted?... Maybe I'm just missing it, but idk. And how old is Teddy? And is it just a coincidence that Teddy is the same breed and looks just like Ruby's old dog? And how did Sylvan come up with the "prophecy" of the two jewels? Idk? seems a bit sketchy to me but then I tell myself that this story is told by a dog, and how serious is this book? I'm just confusing myself...and none of that probably even happened, and it was just the dogs imagination...Im overthinking everything and I think it is time to stop now.
I enjoyed reading in the dog's POV but pictured him as the dog from UP, a golden retriever.
Nice story overall. -
Let me preface my review by stating that as a middle school teacher, I usually read books through the dual lenses of what I think and what I think my readers will think. There are some books where what I think, what my readers think, and what younger readers think is similar. This book.... I can't tell yet.
It's about a talking dog who rescues two children from the harm of a storm. (There is a device for the talking dog ... the talking dog belonged to a poet who read out loud to him and learned to express his ideas in language that way.) The dog is without his owner and the children aren't able to reach their parents, so the three of them keep each other company in a small cabin in the woods. Sounds cozy, right?
For this title to be a stronger title for a middle grades audience, I would have wanted to see more immediate danger and peril, like
The Honest Truth. I also wanted to see a more developed dog character -- if I had the honor of hearing my golden retriever dog-niece talk, she'd spend a lot of time saying, "I love you," "Can I eat this?" "Hold my hand, please," and "I don't usually like having my tail touched, but for you, I'll make an exception."
Readers looking for a speedier book than most MG titles might warm to this one. At 89 pages with generous margins and spacing, it's a good deal for a reader who needs volume-building confidence.
(Review from ARC) -
I have to start this review by saying I love Patricia MacLachlan. I truly do. Publishing this title as is I don't think did the author any favors nor will win her a new audience. It is an inexplicably short book. There is generally nothing wrong with that but more of everything needed to be told. A reader can have the best imagination possible but there is just too much left out. There are a few incredibly beautiful, emotional pages. I ultimately walked away feeling "Is that it?" It seemed more like a lengthy version of a story submitted to Cricket Magazine. I am saddened by the lost potential of The Poet's Dog. I have fantasies in my head of what MacLachlan may have been thinking or what she could have written. It might have been glorious. On a side note-the cover art is imaginative and stunning.
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Four-and-a-half. Almost five. A beautiful story narrated by Teddy, a dog. Teddy lived with a poet-teacher in a cabin in the woods until the poet died. He taught Teddy that poets and children understand the language of dogs...and Teddy sees it play out with the poet's students...some can hear him and understand. Most cannot, because they are not poets.
After the poet's death, Teddy lives in the cabin, with the help of another poet who visits and keeps things running. But one night, during a huge snowstorm, Teddy finds two children lost in the storm. He brings them to his home, and they learn more about each other.
Such a simple story...yet a profound picture of grief and loss and recovery. This coming from a cat person who desperately wishes my cats could have talked to me.
Short, deceptively simple, but beautiful. Find the jewels. There will always be a jewel or two. -
It had its moments of beautiful prose, but overall I just didn't get it. These kids (ages 8 and 12) are left alone in a car during a blizzard by their mother, then left alone again by someone who happens upon their car, and then later an adult who comes by the cabin they found shelter in leaves them alone again (after they've been missing for many days) to go home and call their parents. She even mentions that their story was on the news but their parents weren't worried. WHAT?! Everyone besides the magical talking dog was so lax about the well-being of these kids. I don't know if I was just over-analyzing or something, but the whole situation just didn't make sense.
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What a beautiful little story. (*little-it's very short and I read the whole thing in about 20 minutes. That did not lessen my delight with it.) Is it a bit of magical realism? Whimsy? This is the kind of story that speaks to me. She says the dog can talk to the poet? OK, then I believe it. The dog is able to talk to the children and they can all survive in a little cabin? I'm on board. I think what I really liked about this was that the focus was fully on the dog-his love for and grief for his human companion. As a dog lover I totally embraced that.
Like a poem it was, as the dog and poet would point out, poignant. Each word meaningful, leaving behind a very warm feeling in my heart. -
2.5 stars on the blog.
This story was okay. The beginning was extremely abstract and I am wondering how long it would hold a Middle Grade aged child's attention before they pushed it away. There were a couple of disbelief suspensions required that I just couldn't get past: like the authorities stopping and telling two very young kids alone in a car, in a ditch on the side of the road, that the car needs to be towed before it gets buried in snow. They would not have left the kids in the car.
I have the ebook, but I listened to to the audio version I saw they had on Hoopla, and the narrator is a little over the top with his accents. -
I wish I could give this wonderful book 6 stars. Lost children, a rescue dog, a poet, all ingredients of a fine story written by an accomplished author. I especially loved that the story is told from the dog´s point of view. Kids will gobble this book up and read it over and over. That is if they can get it away from the adults. like Patricia MacLachlan´s Sarah Plain and Tall, this book is timeless and will be read by many generations of readers.
