Published by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Summary:  When Jace and his family get a new puppy, they want to give him a cute name, but the puppy informs them that he’s too deep for that.  Jace gives him the name Thinker, and Thinker lives up to his new name, creating poems for all kinds of situations.  Jace tells the dog that he has to be quiet in public, but sometimes Thinker can’t hold back, like when Jace takes him to school for pets’ day.  Most of the poems are in Thinker’s voice, with Jace chiming in occasionally, and most are free verse, with one haiku and one rap.  Includes an author’s note with some additional thoughts about poetry.  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  This is a fun and accessible introduction to poetry for young kids with bold, colorful collage illustrations.  

Cons:  The title made me think that Jace would be the narrator.  The fact that Thinker could apparently talk in what otherwise appeared to be a realistic setting was a little confusing to me.

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