From the Newbery Medal-winning author of Sarah, Plain and Tall comes a new gem about a wise poet, two resilient children and the dog they all love.
Teddy is an Irish wolfhound with a love for words, instilled in him by his owner, Sylvan. Rescued from a shelter and taken home to Sylvan’s secluded cabin in the woods, Teddy grows up with words and soon learns to use them himself. Although Teddy can understand words, Sylvan teaches him that there are only two kinds of people who can understand him: poets and children.
When wandering around the woods in a snowstorm one day, Teddy finds two stranded children, Nickel and Flora, and tells them that he will rescue them, just as Sylvan once did for him. They follow him back to the cabin, where they begin to realize that the healing they seek can be found in each other.
The Poet’s Dog is sweet and heartwarming, while the simplicity of Patricia MacLachlan’s prose allows for the poignancy of the story to shine through. This is an unassuming masterpiece, the kind that endures and will be cherished by generations of children, becoming dog-eared with age and love.
This article was originally published in the September 2016 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.
