This is Just To Say: Poems of Apology and Forgiveness

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Sidman, Joyce. This is Just To Say: Poems of Apology and Forgiveness. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers, 2007.  ISBN 0618616802

2. PLOT SUMMARY

As part of a poetry unit, a class of 6th graders were asked to write poems of apology to one another. The poems were given to the intended recipient, and a response was then written back to the original person. This book compiles all of the poems, both the apologies and responses, and offers a glimpse into the lives of the students in this classroom. The students write in various poetic forms and on subjects ranging from problems at home to conflicts at school. The book even includes illustrations from one of the classmates.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This book is a topical anthology written primarily by sixth grade students, however, there are some adult responses as well. The authors employ the use of a variety of unique poetic structures including haiku, pantoum, and even snippets leading to a variance in the rhyme and rhythm from page to page depending upon the author’s chosen style. Most would be considered free verse, but the use of stanzas as well as intentional line breaks and punctuation helps the reader to feel the emotion and understand the meaning of the poems.

Many of these poems are rather light hearted and are apologies for things like stealing food or hitting someone with a dodgeball. One author apologizes “but not really.” Others are much more serious and truly tug at the reader’s heartstrings. The poem “Next Time” which was written to an absent father was filled with the emotion and angst that, unfortunately, many students have to endure. Luckily, there was a beautiful response along with a footnote in Part 2, but I would have preferred for those pieces to have been published side by side in order to maintain the power of the emotion that is written into those lines. Wanting to read both the apology and the response can become a bit cumbersome with this book because not all of the poems have a response, and, for those that do, the reader must flip back and forth to find out what is said and if forgiveness is offered.

The illustrations in this book were created by one of the students in the class. The drawings are more childlike and whimsical rather than the professional images in most picture books but still manage to convey the appropriate tone and emotion that is elicited in the poem including happiness, sadness, guilt, fear, anger, and disappointment. The colors vary from vibrant and bright to more warm and muted, adding to the genuineness of most of the apologies. What started as a simple class assignment has created a well written and incredibly enjoyable book of poems for all readers.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

2007 SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR

2009 BLUEBONNET AWARD NOMINEE

From Publisher’s Weekly: "This often humorous and touching anthology . . . successfully navigate[s] the complicated terrain for those who seek forgiveness.”

From School Library Journal, starred review: “Sidman’s ear is keen, capturing many voices. Her skill as a poet accessible to young people is unmatched . . . This is an important book both for its creativity and for its wisdom.”

From Kirkus: “. . . this series of poems was inspired by William  Carlos Williams's famous poem of the same title regarding a theft of plums. . . . Packed with the intensity of everyday pain and sorrow, kids and adults exchange the words that convey grief, delight, love and acceptance of themselves and others.”

5. CONNECTIONS

Gather other poetry books by Sidman such as:

•                      What the Heart Knows: Chants, Charms, and Blessings. ISBN 0544106164

•                      Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night. ISBN 0547152280

•                      Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors. ISBN 0547014945

Gather other humorous poetry books such as:

•                      Levine, Gail Carson. Forgive Me, I Meant to Do It: False Apology Poems. ISBN 0061787256

•                      Prelutsky, Jack. The Sheriff of Rottenshot. ISBN 068800198X

•                      Fitzmaurice, Gabriel. Do Teachers Go to the Toilet? ISBN 1856356574

Have students attempt their own apology poems and responses.