This is Just to Say: Poems of Apology and Forgiveness

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Sidman, Joyce. 2007. THIS IS JUST TO SAY: POEMS OF APOLOGY AND FORGIVENESS. Ill. by: Pamela Zagarenski. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. ISBN: 0618616802 

  

PLOT SUMMARY

Mrs. Merz, a 6th grade teacher at Florence Scribner School, asks her class to write poems of apology after reading William Carlos Williams' poem "This Is Just to Say."  They are so impressed with the poems that are written, the class decides to turn them into a book.  The students write about a variety of subjects like dodge ball, losing pets, stealing, crushes, and friendships.  Some students are sincere in their apologies, and some aren't really sorry at all.  They ask the people to whom they have apologized to write a poem back to them in response to their poem of apology.  Some are met with responses that include forgiveness, but not all were forgiven.  

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Joyce Sidman has used many different types of poetry, everything from haiku to pantoums, to keep readers on their toes with every page turn.  The book includes poems that are about a variety of subjects and evoke a wide range of emotions from happiness to heartbreak.  The first half of the book includes the poems of apology for something the children in Mrs. Merz's imaginary class have done intentionally or unintentionally.   The second half of the book includes the responses to these apology poems.  Sidman creates a unique voice for each student in the book which helps the reader connect with the characters and makes them curious to hear what the response to the apology will be.  

Although this is a fictitious 6th grade class, the poems are written using believable language and about convincing subject matter.  For example, Carrie writes "Roses are red / Violets are blue / I'm still really / pissed off at you." in response to her sister's poem to her about stabbing her with a pencil.  Another student, Jewel, writes to her dad who has left the family again, apologizing for not being perfect.  In response, her dad writes a letter to her stating that her poem to him saved his life.  She turns his letter into a poem that is included as the response.  In a less serious pair of poems, Kyle and Reuben write about getting carried away in a doge ball game.  Everyone will be able to find at least one poem in THIS IS JUST TO SAY: POEMS OF APOLOGY AND FORGIVENESS to connect to because of the variety.  

Pamela Zagarenski uses mixed media to illustrate each poem.  She includes items drawn on notebook paper, grid paper, and even newspaper because that is similar to what kids might have sketched on.  Some illustrations cleverly include details from the poems and other illustrations take a word and depict it in a different way than it is used in the poem.  For example, in the poem "Balance," Jose is apologizing to his dad for smashing the garage window.  He claims that one window already had a crack, so to balance it out he cracked another one.  The illustration for this poem shows a person balancing on a wheel and someone balancing on top of him which is a different meaning of balance than written about in the poem.  The nontraditional illustrations are appropriate for this nontraditional collection of poems.  

AWARDS & REVIEW EXCERPTS

Awards:

Claudia Lewis Poetry Award

Cybils Poetry Award

Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award Honor Book

IRA Teacher's Choice Book

Texas Bluebonnet Award Nomination

North Carolina Junior Book Nomination

Review Excerpts:

"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." School Library Journal (May 1, 2007)

"Despite a slight uneven quality or perhaps because of it, the whole is far more captivating than expected. 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 (March 15, 2007)

"The fictional authors of the poems are featured in various activities relating to the subject of the poems and provide a very pleasant balance to the text. 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." Booklist (May 15, 2007 (Vol. 103, No. 18))

CONNECTIONS

-Reader's/Teacher's Guide that includes discussion questions, writing exercises, and helpful tips on creating a class book of poems - http://www.joycesidman.com/thiisjusttosayTG.html

-Listen to Joyce Sidman read her poems from THIS IS JUST TO SAY: POEMS OF APOLOGY AND FORGIVENESS - http://www.joycesidman.com/Listen.html

-Use these poems to teach different forms of poetry

-Use the book to teach about using voice in writing

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-BLUE LIPSTICK: CONCRETE POEMS by: John Grandits. ISBN: 0618568603 

-SWIRL BY SWIRL: SPIRALS IN NATURE by Joyce Sidman. ISBN: 054731583X 

-THE WORLD ACCORDING TO DOG: POEMS AND TEEN VOICES by Joyce Sidman. ISBN: 0618174974