This is Just to Say: Poems of Apology and Forgiveness None Edition by Sidman, Joyce published by HMH Books for Young Readers (2007) (this is an affiliate link) is another amazing book by Joyce Sidman and Pamela Zagarenski. The premise of these poems of apology and forgiveness is that Mrs. Merz, sixth-grade teacher, asks her students to write poems of apology to someone. The students end up asking the person (or whoever) to write back a poem of forgiveness. One of the students in the class did the illustrations. I really enjoyed this book! Surprisingly, it holds together as a whole story, not just a collection of poems. I found myself flipping back and forth between the sections on apology and forgiveness so I could read the responses to each apology.
HMH published the hardcover edition of the book in 2007, and recommend it for children aged eight to twelve. (and it’s good for 60 year-olds, too!)
Cover from the paperback version
The inspiration for poems of apology and forgiveness
The poems (and the title) were inspired by this poem by William Carlos Williams. It’s just an apology to his wife. I don’t know if she forgave him.
This is just to say
I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox
and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast
Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold
William Carlos Williams
Poems of Apology
The first half of the book contains the poems of apology. The apologies are given to a wide variety of people, from Mrs. Garcia in the office, to the statue of Florence P. Scribner, to their teacher, various friends and family members, a hamster, a lizard, and a dog, and one to an anonymous love. They also come with varying degrees of sincerity and moods ranging from sincere to sad to humorous.
You can hear Joyce Sidman read the poem from Ricky to his hamster, Manga, here. He wonders if Manga would be happier living free rather than in a cage.
A less serious apology comes from Maria to her mom for staling the brownies: “The gooey hunks of chocolate winked at me as I gobbled them. Afterward, the pan gaped like an accusing eye. My head said, Oops! but my stomach said, Heavenly!”
The saddest one is from Jewel apologizing to her Daddy for leaving her again and again because she cried too much as a baby, messed up at school, because she saw something she shouldn’t have and for reasons she doesn’t know, “but whatever it is, I can fix it. Please, please come back. Don’t leave me spinning alone, like a slow, sad tornado.”
Poems of Forgiveness
Not all of the receivers of apologies forgive the sender. And some of the forgiveness poems were written on behalf of the recipient.
Daron wrote back to Bao Vang on behalf of the statue of Florence Scribner. (Bao Vang apologized for rubbing her nose for luck before spelling tests) He writes: “I was a child like you. I used to run. I used to play. Now I am old. and cold…I think maybe spelling isn’t so important. Friends are important. Kindness is important…So come rub my nose again, girl. come warm me up a little.”
The hamster (Ricky writes on his behalf) apologizes back for biting Ricky’s mom’s finger and saying that his life isn’t so bad.
Jewel’s dad writes back, late, to say that she is perfect just the way she is and nothing that happened is her fault. He says her poem saved his life.
And, of course, there are many more responses in this delightful book about the important gestures of apology and forgiveness.
Illustrations
Pamela Zagarenski is a painter and sculptor, in addition to illustrating books. And, oh my, I love her work.
In this book, she “made sketches o the kinds of paper kids might have–anything from journal pages to notebook paper to paper bags, newspaper, graph paper, school supplies.” Some of the clothing in the sketches is even made from the dictionary entry for apology.
I’ve reviewed one other book these 2 fine artists did together. They are both amazing and wonderful artists on their own. But something magical happens when they collaborate.
