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Are you a dog lover? Is your family a “dog family”? Have you recently welcomed a new puppy into your family? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you are going to love the book I Didn’t Do It by Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan Charest.

We recently stumbled across this book at the library after my oldest son fell in love with the cover. We were expecting it to be a traditional story form (since we didn’t open it at all prior to reading), and were pleasantly surprised to discover that it was written in the form of free verse poetry.

Each page has a poem with a title and the poetry in the book covers different things related to dogs…from birth to choosing a name to training a dog to the ins and outs of dog ownership–but in the unique voice OF THE DOG!

If you ever thought your dog could talk I know you will love this book. The illustrations are a treasure of sweetness and match perfectly with each of the poems.

We tend to be a cat family, but this book brought a smile to our lips very easily as we giggled at the escapades of the puppies and heard “their side of the story.” I think my favorite poem was “No Name” where the dog gives his thoughts on the naming process, but I know that my boy’s favorite poem was “What Did I Do?” where the dog doesn’t understand why it’s owner didn’t like the furry creature (still alive!) that he brought into the house. It sure brought the case of the giggles.

I Didn’t Do It is about a 3rd grade reading level making it ideal for the elementary reader, or for reading aloud. I know that your children will enjoy the poetry and the illustrations as much as our family did!

I would definitely add this book to your reading collection if you are studying units on dogs, pets and/or poetry!

Find It In Your Library

• Title: I Didn’t Do It
• Author: Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan Charest
• Illustrator: Katry Schneider
• Publisher: Harper Collins, 2010
• Format: Picture Book, Hardcover
• Genre: Juvenile Fiction