Hate That Cat (2008), Sharon Creech

I started reading this book in preparation of the upcoming poetry unit in my Writing class.  The book written in the form of a student's writing journal; there are poems, expressions of frustrations with the writing process, and his half of written conversations with his teacher.  The student, Jack, starts out disliking the poetry writing process, but as he is exposed to masterful poetry, he begins to become inspired.  We learn that Jack just got a kitten - he is nervous that he won't like this kitten because he has had a bad experience with a black cat in the neighborhood that he HATES.  The kitten ultimately becomes his muse and the reader is treated to adventures of a growing cat.  There are examples of poetry from William Carlos Williams, Boston born Edgar Allen Poe, and T.S. Eliot, as well as a hefty poetry resources section at the end of the book.  This was a quick read and serves as an enjoyable way to introduce poetry to a student.