From Newbery Medal winner Patricia MacLachlan comes a poignant story about two children, a poet, and a dog and how they help one another survive loss and recapture love. 3 starred reviews. "Just what I needed," raves Brightly. "It's a heart-warming story of loss and love that filled me with hope for a better future and renewed my belief in good." Teddy is a gifted dog. Raised in a cabin by a poet named Sylvan, he grew up listening to sonnets read aloud and the comforting clicking of a keyboard. Although Teddy understands words, Sylvan always told him there are only two kinds of people in the world who can hear Teddy speak: poets and children. Then one day Teddy learns that Sylvan was right. When Teddy finds Nickel and Flora trapped in a snowstorm, he tells them that he will bring them home—and they understand him. The children are afraid of the howling wind, but not of Teddy’s words. They follow him to a cabin in the woods, where the dog used to live with Sylvan . . . only now his owner is gone. As they hole up in the cabin for shelter, Teddy is flooded with memories of Sylvan. What will Teddy do when his new friends go home? Can they help one another find what they have lost? Gr 3–5—Nikel and his sister Flora are caught in a blizzard. Left in a car by their mother, who went to get help and did not return, they are saved by Teddy; it's a heroic act for a human but all the more impressive for a dog. Teddy was once rescued himself, taken from a shelter by a poet named Sylvan, who surrounded him with words and read him Shakespeare, James Joyce, and C.S. Lewis, as well as his favorite book, Donald Hall's Ox-Cart Man. Though Teddy comprehends words, only poets and children can understand the canine. Nikel, Flora, and Teddy spend several days together at the dog's cabin while the blizzard rages on, and Teddy tells the children about his life with Sylvan and how Sylvan recently passed away. Similar in length to a beginning reader, the novel has sophisticated vocabulary and sensitive subject matter that make it better suited for mature young readers; it would also work as a classroom or one-on-one read aloud. MacLachlan writes with a quiet cadence readers will savor, as the book alternates between the present and Teddy's life with Sylvan, with italics alerting readers to the shift in time. VERDICT Though this contemplative fantasy explores grief, it is also about overcoming loss and is resolved in a way that will comfort sensitive readers. A strong purchase for larger fiction collections.—Juliet Morefield, Multnomah County Library, OR Praise for THE TRUTH OF ME: “Brief but emotionally intense...MacLachlan demonstrates her mastery of elegantly unfolding a tale and gently plucking at readers’ heartstrings without taking a maudlin tone.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review) Praise for KINDRED SOULS: “MacLachlan handles a familiar theme with grace, providing a lens into an uncanny intergenerational bond, as well as the kindness and generosity of love.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review) Praise for WORD AFTER WORD AFTER WORD: “Showing great respect for her readers and her craft, Newbery Award winner Patricia MacLachlan makes every word count in Lucy’s smooth-flowing, economic narrative.” - Booklist (starred review) ★ “Readers will find their own jewel in this gem of a book.” - Booklist (starred review) “A tender story of love and grief, The Poet’s Dog perfectly illustrates how special friends can heal a broken heart.” - Jo Knowles, author of See You At Harry's “A master storyteller in gorgeous form. The Poet’s Dog is a joy from page one.” - Emily Jenkins, author of Toys Go Out and coauthor of Upside-Down Magic Emily Jenkins, author of Toys Go Out and coauthor of Upside-Down Magic “Dog-lovers and budding poets with a taste for quiet whimsy, or fans of MacLachlan’s measured and lyrical writing, may want to check this out.” - Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books “This enchanting tale of friendship—of the canine and poetic kind—will warm your heart like a firelit cabin on a snowy night. I loved it!” - Laura Resau, author of The Lightning Queen and Star in the Forest “An evocative gem, laced with the power to nurture every reader’s inner poet.” - Leslie Connor, author of Waiting for Normal and All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook “Patricia MacLachlan’s spare, direct words allows room for the reader to crawl inside the spaces between. The Poet’s Dog is so satisfying and poignant.” - Lynda Mullaly Hunt, New York Times Bestselling author of Fish in a Tree ★ “Magical. A quiet, elegant, poignant story suffused with humor, heart, and goodness.” - Kirkus Reviews (starred review) ★ “A spare, moving tale. Using simple words that even youngest readers will understand and enjoy, MacLachlan tackles subjects such as death and mourning with understated grace.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Though this contemplative fantasy explores grief, it is also about overcoming loss and is resolved