Dogku

Dogku is about a stray dog finding a home and throughout the book, it shows how a dog's life is when the kids are at school and parents are at work. Towards the end of the book, he begins to believe that the family is going to give him away, but they surprise him with a bed, food bowl, toys, and a

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collar, making him a member of the family. It's also written in Haiku.

I didn't realize it was written in Haiku until I was finished reading it. The art is really good and it encourages you to read more. This is also a cute look into the life of a dog.

This book is good to read when a child gets a new dog. It is also helpful to read when you are teaching about how a dog thinks or when you want to make the children smile. It is also helpful if you are teaching about different styles of poetry and how it can be fun.

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Cute, fun poems but do not stick to a traditional haiku. But each haiku works in the whole story, just not alone.

Clements introduces the haiku to young children in this story of a little dog. A family takes on the challenge of a dog and his first couple of days with them are told in this story. The pictures are bright and will grasp children's attention.

The tale of a dog searching for a family told in Haiku.

A story of a stray dog finding a family of his own is sweet enough, but the use of haiku to tell tell it makes this book more entertaining.

This is a poetry book on haiku poems based on a stray dog trying to find a family. It could be used for early readers when trying to introduce haiku poems. For a lesson I would: introduce haiku poems, read the story, and have students write their own haiku poems.

Summary: Dogku is written in a Haiku poem style. The poem is about a stray dog who is taken in by a nice family. The poem tells you about what the dog does all day while the children are at school and how he feels. The family names the dog Mooch and decide to keep him.

Personal reaction: I like

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that this story is a simple haiku poem and is easy to follow. This story makes poetry fun and exciting. The children will want to find out if the family is going to keep the dog or take him to the pound. The illustrations help tell the story.

Classroom ideas:
1. Read this book before discussing Haiku poetry.
2. Have the children attempt to write their own haiku poem.

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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.

Summary:
This story is written in a Haiku style of poetry. A stray dog is taken in by a loving family.The story follows what the dog does when left alone while the children are at school. The dog starts to worry that the family is going to give him away, but really they are just getting him

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presents.

Personal Reaction:
I thought this was a great little story to introduce children to haiku. The haiku shown are simple and easy for children to follow. The illustrations are great and go right along with the story shown from the dog's point of view.

Classroom Extensions:
Read this story in a unit of poetry while going over haiku. The students can write their own haiku.

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I enjoyed this story about a dog finding a home, and I really enjoyed the illustrations.

summary: This book is about a stray dog who is adopted into a family.

classroom connection: This book could be used to teach how effective adopting a dog could be. Kids would see that they are really saving his life.

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

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which it reads like a story.

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Summary:
The book Dog Ku is a really cute poetic book! The book really flows together! First the dog sits lonely on this families porch, and they take the dog in get it cleaned up and some food. They give the dog a name, and the school bus picks the kids up. Soon the dog is home alone tears the

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house up! Everyone gets home and talks about taking it to the pound, so the father leaves and comes back with a bed, food and a toy! The dog has found a new home!

Personal Reaction:
I really enjoyed this story! I thought it was really cute and I think the children would really enjoy it! This story would show students what it is like to have a dog!

Classroom Extension Ideas:
1. I will read this story and talk about it being a poem and explain how this poem is a haiku.
2. I will then have each student write there own haiku.

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This book was unlike many books that I have seen for children. It gave the general idea across but not in a normal story setting. This would be great for all students in kinder through 1st.

This was recommended by the librarian. It is a book written in haiku verse about a lost dog who finds a home. The theme of the book is that good things come to those whom wait.

I enjoyed the book. It takes a less popular poetry form and combines it with a heartwarming subject. The book is also

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primarily told in the perspective of the dog; a different point of view.

I like Clement's word choices. By writing a book in haiku format, he really had to think about his word selections. He includes sounds of dogs barking. I like the idea of seeing a dog's typical day as well.

I liked the illustrations for the book. The pictures include perspectives from a watering can, and from the point of view of a squirrel in a tree. The illustrations depicting Mooch going through the laundry and trash are typical dog behaviors, which is nice to see The illustration of Mooch sticking his head out the window made me smile. I also like the description as "adventures in smell". I liked the different perspectives, under the table, looking out a window, looking in a window, seeing feet go through a door. The emotions of the family members faces also help add to the story.

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Summary:
This book is about the average day in a dog's life. It shows him getting a new family, waiting for the kids to come home from school, and just being a lazy dog in the form of haiku.

Personal Reaction:
I was really excited to read this book because it's different than most poetic children's

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stories. Plus it was written from a dog's point-of-view, so I thought that was interesting.

Classroom Extensions:
1. Have children write one or two haiku's about things they do throughout their day.
2. Discuss the form in which haiku's are written.

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Poetry was what I was looking for. I found Dogku, a story told all in haiku. I remembered reading and writing haiku poems in elementary school. The 17-syllable poem that has three lines with five syllables then seven syllables, and then five syllables. They were fun to write but not easy. I was

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skeptical that a whole book could tell a story with just haiku and Mr. Clements did it and did it well. When asked why he wrote this book in all haiku, Mr. Clements explained that a book is a “small container-not many pages, not many words. Adorable dog +haiku= Dogku. It is a fun, feel-good puppy story.
The writing is what stands out the most. Every page is made up with a haiku. The first page haiku is,
“There on the back steps,
the eyes of a hungry dog.
Will she shut the door? “
Then it goes on from there. First there is the bath, then playing with the children, going for a ride and meeting his neighbors. The haikus about being left alone made me smile. It was, “The house is quiet.
No kids, no mom, and no food.
What’s a dog to do?”
Next page says, “Chew on dirty socks.
Roll around in week old trash.
Ahh…that’s much better.”
I do not think there is anyone that cannot relate to this if they have ever had a dog. Mr. Clements did a great job not only writing haiku but also telling the story and capturing the emotions of the puppy, especially when the puppy thinks he hears the word pound and is worried he will not be staying. Thank goodness he was wrong.
The illustrations are good. Not out of the ordinary but good. They are colorful and fun. Of course the puppy is too cute! Tim Bowers does a good job showing the feelings of the puppy. My favorite illustrations are when he is chewing the dirty socks and when he is getting a drink of water from the watering can. The illustrations and haikus go well together.
This brings me to the point of view. The point of view of the story is from the puppy. It is interesting to read the story through his eyes. I think this is different and makes the book that much more interesting.
This is a unique puppy story with a message that tells the reader how important it can be to an abandoned puppy to be rescued and love by a forever family.

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Cute dog looking for a home. A homeless dog gets food, bath and loving kids. His view on getting a home, left alone. His view on a daily routine, his dreams missed the children gets into mischief. He thinks they are taking him to the pound again, but no he gets adopted. really cute!!

I liked the book "Dogku". The entire book is made up of haikus. This makes the book have very little words, but the words say a lot. The illustrations are cartoonish and help the reader understand what is going on in the book. For example, the haiku talks about the dog making a mess, and the

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picture show him tearing up a couch. The big idea of this book is the story of a lost dog.

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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

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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 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!

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Written in Haiku, very cute!

I've never seen a story told entirely in haiku before. And now I know why it is not common.