“The Poet’s Dog,” by Patricia MacLachlan
Harper/Collins Publisher, 2016, 88 pages, Grades 3-5.
Poetry is the music of literature. This unusual combination of sounds, words and meter can make poetry difficult to understand but also is the reason that poems can describe feelings and situations so completely.
Since poets usually work alone, they must draw on experiences in their worlds. These can be encounters with people, nature or the world of literature. Because poets draw on such wide experiences, they make excellent teachers for those willing to listen and understand.
In this beautifully-told story, two children come into contact with a poet and learn about some of the beauties of life. Patricia MacLachlan is an elegant writer and has crafted a comforting story about this event. She entitles it, “The Poet’s Dog.”
Flora and Nickel are travelling with their mother when a blizzard strikes. Soon, they are unable to continue down the road. All around them a swirling white nightmare blankets their car. After a few hours, their mother strikes out into the storm to try to find help. The children stay in the car for many hours, but then decide that they too must try to find their way to safety.
Nickel wraps his younger sister Flora in a blanket but soon they become lost in the snow. As cold and snow increase, the children know that they will perish if someone doesn’t save them.
Just then, an Irish wolfhound arrives through the swirling gusts. He begins speaking to them. Since the children have not lost their innocence, they can understand the dog’s speech. He tells them his name is Teddy and that he will take them to a cabin in the woods to escape the snowstorm.
They trudge behind him and come to a curious cabin. When they go inside, Teddy tells them that this is Silvan’s cabin. Silvan is a poet and had rescued Teddy as a puppy. The poet has just recently died and Teddy is quite lost without his love.
As the children listen to Teddy, they find out many things. Silvan has read many poems and books to Teddy and taught him about the important things in life. This is why Teddy can talk. Teddy has also learned about love, friendship and loyalty. The children and the dog begin sharing the stories of their lives and feel a bond beginning to develop.
The days continue to pass and Flora cooks their meals, Nickel keeps trying to shovel out to the road and Teddy’s heart starts to heal. After several more days the storm ends. The children don’t know if their mother survived the blizzard, but they do know that people will be searching for them. They suddenly hear a banging on the door. What happens next?
Who is at the door? Can the rescuers understand Teddy? Why can’t the adults appreciate the beautiful world Teddy and the children have shared? How can life be like a poem? Do the children get home? What finally happens to Teddy? To find out the answers to these questions, go to the library and check out this touching book, “The Poet’s Dog” by Patricia MacLachlan.
Patricia MacLachlan writes short, poignant novels. Her prose is reassuring, comforting and pleasurable. She won the Newbery Medal for her outstanding novel “Sarah: Plain and Tall.” She holds characters in the palms of her hands as they work out and solve life’s struggles. I hope you get a chance to read this lovely novel or any of her other fine works of fiction. “The Poet’s Dog” is delightful and uplifting. Enjoy!
