Return to Miss Stretchberry's class with Jack, the reluctant poet, who over the course of a year encounters new and challenging things like metaphors, alliterations, onomatopoeia, and one mean fat black cat! The Newbery Medal-winning author of Walk Two Moons, Sharon Creech, introduced Jack in Love That Dog, a New York Times bestseller. Both Love That Dog and Hate That Cat are approachable, funny, warm-hearted introductions to poetry told from the point of view of a very real kid wrestling with school assignments. These books are fast reads that will be welcomed by middle graders as they too wonder how poetry and schoolwork connect with their interests and how to uncover their true voices. In Hate That Cat, Jack is only trying to save that fat black cat stuck in the tree by his bus stop—but the cat scratches him instead! At school Miss Stretchberry begins teaching new poems, everything from William Carlos Williams to Valerie Worth to T.S. Eliot. As the year progresses, Jack gradually learns to love that cat and finds new ways to express himself.

Enjoy three bestselling middle grade novels about animals—Love That Dog, Hate That Cat, and Moo—by beloved Newbery Medal winner Sharon Creech in this paperback box set! Creech fans will love this perfect holiday gift and companion to her latest novel, Saving Winslow, about a young boy who befriends an ailing newborn donkey and nurses him back to health. Love That Dog: A boy named Jack finds his voice with the help of a teacher, a pencil, some yellow paper, and, of course, a dog. “A really special triumph.” —Kirkus (starred review) Hate That Cat: Jack is back, along with his one-of-a-kind teacher, a fat cat, and a beautiful surprise. “Readers will be touched and inspired.”—School Library Journal Moo: When Reena's family moves to Maine, she forms an unexpected bond with an ornery cow named Zora. “Vivid, emotion-packed images and characters that will stay with readers.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)