I did a lot of reading and rereading novels in verse in honor of National Poetry Month. Here are some of my favorites by Sharon Creech:
Love That Dog - A boy named Jack learns to write poetry thanks to the classic poems shared by his teacher Miss Stretchberry. Jack comes to terms with love and loss and also makes a connection with famous author and poet, Mr. Walter Dean Myers. I have read and reread this over and over again and love it more each time.
Hate That Cat - Jack is back and still writing poetry. He hates the cat that lives in his neighborhood and thinks he hates all cats until Miss Stretchberry gives him a kitten to take care of. Then everything changes. I love this almost as much as Love That Dog.
Heartbeat - Annie loves to run. She loves the rhythmic sound of her feet and heartbeat when she's running. Thump thump. It helps her makes sense of the changes that are happening all around her. Her mother is expecting a baby, and her grandfather forgets stuff and her friend Max keeps pressuring her to join the track team and life is hard. Except when she is running.
Moo - Reena and her family move to Maine. Reena and her little brother Luke help out a few days a week at Mrs. Falala's farm where they get to know Paulie the Pig, China the Cat, Edna the Snake and a Belted Galloway cow named Zora. Reena and Luke grow into their Maine lives and become more accepting of their surroundings. Zora is the star of the show, in case you were curious.
Saving Winslow - Louie's father brings home a newborn miniature donkey who lost his mother. Louie nurses the little donkey back to health and names him Winslow. Tender correlations between animal and human babies and how creatures rely on each other for survival, companionship and love.
All of these books will touch your heart, guaranteed. And because they are novels in verse, they are relatively quick reads.