Plot Summary
Sidman creates an imaginary class of six-graders who each write a poem, and deliver it to the offended party, apologizing for some wrong doing. In turn, many of the recipients write a poem in response.
Critical Analysis
Sidman has created an entertaining thematic collection of apologetic poems. Through the eyes of her fictitious sixth-graders, Sidman portrays the crisis events as perceived by these tweenagers. The book title and poems were inspired by the poem of William Carlos Williams. The first half of the book contains apologetic poems for a variety of offenses such as throwing the ball too hard in dodge ball or accidently getting a friend in trouble at school. The second half of the book contains poems in response to the apologies. Sidman uses different line lengths to create a poetry mixture of flowing versus staccato lines. She varies her poetic talents with the use of haiku, pantoums (the fictional editor's favorite poetry form), two-part poems, snippets, and rhymes. The language, imagery, and word choice are very dramatic: "the principal's eyes are like hot sparks", "the gooey hunks of chocolate winked at me as I gobbled them", and "those red rubber balls thumping like heartbeats against the walls and ceilings" are prime examples. The reader is able to paint many colorful mental pictures merely through the reading of Sidman's verses.
Zagarenski uses classroom items in her illustrations throughout the book. Many characters are clothed in pages from a dictionary. Sheets of notebook and graph paper are used as the background in several illustrations. Ringed reinforcement labels are scattered haphazardly along some of the pages. The premise stated in the book is all the illustrations have been created by a student. The reader will have to decide for themselves whether this approach is creative genius or has missed the mark in adding a new dimension to Sidman's topical poems. All-in-all, this poetry collaboration would be a great addition to any collection.
Awards and Honors
Texas Bluebonnet Award Master list 2008-2009
Texas Bluebonnet nominee, 2008-2009
Claudia Lewis Poetry Award
Cybils Poetry Award
Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award Honor Book
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
IRA Teacher's Choice Award
New York Public Library's "100 Titles for Reading and Sharing"
Book Links Lasting Connection Book
Review Excerpts
"Children will find much to identify with in the situations presented in the apology poems, and they'll appreciate the resolutions given in the responses." -- Randall Enos, Booklist 5/15/07
"Sidman’s ear is keen, capturing many voices. Her skill as a poet accessible to young people is unmatched. Zagarenski’s delicately outlined collage drawings and paintings are created on mixed backgrounds–notebook paper, paper bags, newspaper, graph paper, school supplies. This is an important book both for its creativity and for its wisdom." -- Lee Bock, School Library Journal 5/1/07
"There's a range of topics and ability in the poems, from the "Roses are red / Violets are blue / I'm still really / pissed off at you" in the response section to the difficult form of a pantoum in "Spelling Bomb." 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." -- Kirkus Reviews 3/15/07
Other Books by Joyce Sidman
Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature
Song of the Water Boatman: & Other Pond Poems
Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow
Visit her website for more information: http://www.joycesidman.com/
Other Books Illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski
Sleep Like a Tiger by Mary Logue
Mites to Mastodons by Maxine Kumin
Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors by Joyce Sidman
Visit her website for more information: http://www.pamelazagarenski.com/Home.html
Book Connections
Saying I'm Sorry -- Laura Alden; Dan Siculan, Ill.
What to do When Your Mom or Dad Says --"What Should You Say, Dear?" -- Joy
Wilt Berry; Bartholomew, Ill.
Wilt Berry; Bartholomew, Ill.
Forgive Me, I Meant to do It: False Apology Poems -- Gail Carson Levine; Matthew
Cordell, Ill.
Cordell, Ill.
Connection Activities
- Have each student think of a time that either they should have apologized to someone or someone should have apologized to them. Write a poem of apology or forgiveness relating to that event.
- Pair the students and have them exchange their poems. Have each student write a responsive poem to their partner's poem.
- Have student's think of something or someone in history that did something wrong and write a poem about that event (e.g. the iceberg that sank the Titanic, the cow who allegedly started the Great Chicago Fire, or John Wilkes Booth after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln).
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