This Is Just to Say: Poems of Apology and Forgiveness

by Joyce Sidman, Pamela Zagarenski (Illustrator)

When Mrs. Merz asks her sixth grade class to write poems of apology, they end up liking their poems so much that they decide to put them together into a book. Not only that, but they get the people to whom they apologized to write poems back.

In haiku, pantoums, two-part poems, snippets, and rhymes, Mrs. Merz’s class writes of crushes, overbearing parents, loving and losing pets, and more. Some poets are deeply sorry; some not at all. Some are forgiven; some are not. In each pair of poems a relationship, a connection, is revealed.

Genres: Poetry, Picture Books, Childrens, Nonfiction, Middle Grade, Humor, Friendship

48 pages, Hardcover

First published April 9, 2007

About the author

The Newbery Honor winner Joyce Sidman is today's foremost nature poet for children. Accolades for her books include two Caldecott Honors, a Lee Bennet Hopkins Award, winner of the Claudia Lews Award, and many stars and best of lists. For her award-winning body of work, she won the Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. She lives in Wayzata, Minnesota. Visit www.joycesidman.com

Reviews

[Noninuna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, I was fooled. Hahaha.. I.was.totally.fooled!🤣 I thought this book is a collection of poetry resulting from an assignment from a teacher in a school somewhere in the U.S but it's not. It IS a collection of poetry assignment but from a fictional school,fictional students,fictional teacher & stories.

Anyway, the sincerity of the poems is real. One part of the book is part for the apologetic poems and the other half is the responds for part 1. One particular poem stuck with me where the writer asked her father why he was always away & the response from her dad broke my heart. Like seriously, tears just came and I had to reach for a tissue (Glad I was alone in the office).

The illustrations are so artsy & pretty... here an example:

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like the idea of this book, poems of apology and their responses of forgiveness, but I was distracted by the fact that they were all written by one person. The book jacket makes it seem as if a sixth grade class has written poems of apology to one another and received poems of forgiveness back. This isn't the case, the author has simply used this idea as the framework for her compilation (which was kind of a bummer). I also wished the apology and forgiveness poems were together, with one on each side of the page. As it reads now all of the apology poems and in the from (part 1) and all of the forgiveness poems are in the back (part 2), this makes things harder to follow as you have to flip back and forth to read the pairs of poems.

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are really wonderful poems for older children. Some are funny, some are poignant, and some are truly heartbreaking and not suitable for very young kids. This poetry book has a wonderful premise: the first half of the book has poems of apology and the second half are poems of forgiveness (or not) in response. I had to look back a couple of times to match them up properly, but most were memorable enough to not have to do that. I loved these poems, and it would make a wonderful class project for this (sixth grade) age group.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun idea this class had to publish their collective work. Great poems!

[Cara Turski · Rating 5 out of 5]

“This is Just to Say” is a brilliant collection of apology poems written by a mock 6th grade class. The apologies are followed by a collection of responses to the original poems. The “classroom project” was inspired by William Carlos Williams’ poem This is Just to Say.

The illustrations made this book fun and accessible. Most students view poetry as drab, old-people stuff but these illustrations show otherwise. They are funky and use bright colors. Zagarenski said she wanted it to be authentic with what students might doodle on—notebook paper, newspaper, and reinforcement dots. The illustrations are contemporary and resemble what a middle school student might journal.

The poems are brilliant. They range from comical to heartbreaking to familiar. The book is very well designed. Each poem uses a different font and format making it very authentic and interesting. The book is believable.

This is a great example of a poetry picture book because it uses so many different types of poems. It also shows that poetry can be accessible to younger students and can be fun. It is appropriate for 5th-8th grade. It would be too advanced for younger elementary students.

Teachers could use this book to read aloud to their classes throughout the year. They can also have their students research the types of poems used and then create their own class anthology.

[Lauren Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

"This is Just to Say: Poems of Apology and Forgiveness" is a book full of lighthearted, and sometimes quite funny, apology letters written by sixth-grade students. The first half of the book is written in a variety of poem styles, each page with a different apology letter. The second half of the book is full of the forgiveness letters written back to the students. I think this book would be ideal for grades 3-5, because it introduces poetry in a fun way and the ideas are concrete rather than abstract. When students think of poetry, many may immediately think of "The Road Not Taken" or other famous poems that they may know of. This story shows that poetry can come in many shapes and forms! Poetry has never been my favorite genre, but I enjoyed this book because it made me laugh and I felt I could really connect with the students (and I imagine many young readers could too!). I think this book would be a great way to introduce poetry because there are many types in this one book; some rhyme while others do not, there are two-part poems and haiku's, etc. Students could then write their own apology letter, or write a forgiveness letter to their favorite apology letter in the book (in the form of a poem, of course). You could also select particular poems to discuss elements of poetry, and how this book differs from a regular picture book or other poetry you have read as a class. I gave this book five stars because it is quite frankly hard for me to find a book of poetry that I enjoy, but even I was smiling!

[Sylvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this book. Ditulis oleh Joyce Sidman, tapi seolah ditulis oleh anak-anak grade 6, yang isinya permintaan maaf. Ada permintaan maaf dari anak ke ibunya, ada yang dari murid ke guru, ada juga dari teman ke teman.

Yang unik, buku ini terbagi 2 part. Part 1 berisi puisi permintaan maaf, yang part 2 berisi jawaban dari orang-orang yang mereka mintai maaf. Kalau membaca buku ini, nggak berasa kalau ini buku ditulis oleh seorang dewasa. Seolah anak-anak ini benar-benar real dan mereka menulis puisi dan meminta maaf, kemudian mendapat respon.

Ini salah satu puisi yang ditulis oleh Alyssa untuk kakaknya Carrie:

The Black Spot

That black spot on your palm
It never goes away.
So long ago
I can hardly remember,
I stabbed you with a pencil.
Part of the lead, there,
still inside you.
And inside me, too,
something small and black.
Hidden away.
I don't know what to call it,
the nugget of darkness,
that made me stab you.
It never goes away.

Both marks, still there.
Small black
reminders.

Dan ini jawaban dari Carrie untuk Alyssa:

Roses Are Red

Roses are red,
Violets are blue.
I'm still really,
pissed off at you.

Si penulis terinspirasi oleh puisi karya William Carlos Williams, yang dipilih untuk dijadikan judul buku ini. Gini puisinya:

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

Ilustrasinya bagus.

[Esther Barajikian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Through this collection of poems, the reader catches a glimpse into the way that children think and feel, at least through the eyes of the author, Joyce Sidman. The first half of the book consists of a collection of short poems written by the imaginary class of teacher, Mrs. Merz. These poems express words of apology for a variety of "offenses" such as getting carried away in a dodgeball game, stabbing a sister with a pencil, and breaking garage windows - to name a few.

The second half of the book consists of a collection of "forgiveness poems" written by those who were "offended" by the children. Among the writers are a hamster who forgives his small owner for catching him and returning him to his cage, a mother who forgives her daughter for breaking a special Christmas ornament, and a school secretary who offers forgiveness to a little boy who steals jelly doughnuts from the teacher's lounge - to name a few.

I gave the book a 3-star rating because I genuinely enjoyed it. Joyce Sidman's word choice and poem topics almost convinced me that the poems had been written by actual students. She had a wonderful way of expressing her insights through the eyes of children. The poems of forgiveness revealed an understanding that many of misbehaviors of children are not intentional or purposefully hurtful. She portrayed forgiveness as a wonderful reality that each of us deserves. I am quite sure that children would enjoy this collection of poems and would readily relate to the experiences of Ms. Merz's class.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspired by WCW's "This is Just to Say," a fictional class writes and sends a set of apology poems and then receives responses, in poetry, of course.

I rather like this faux anthology. It's been done than I expected. Sidman went farther than just lighthearted fair and the book is better for it. This isn't to say it's not fun, because it is. It's just that the variety--of styles, of topics--make it good.

This thing has so many uses. Kids will get a kick out of it as well parents. Teachers/Librarians could easily use this for a poetry project. So many ideas!

A note on the organization: I'm sure some people don't like how the book was laid out for the poem and its match are not side by side. However, reading the apology ones was quite a thing. There was a rhythm and an emotion created by reading the mass of them together that could not have been replicated by reading the apology and then the forgiveness (but you could try this tack, too.) It fit the "assignment" as well. You have to put yourself out there and wait to see what you get.

That said, I had the book open in two places for the forgiveness poems, glancing at the first before reading the second. The book is short so this is no hard task.

Quibble: I wish Sidman had made it clear that students did not write these poems.

[Bernice · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a neat book! This book was originally written by a class of sixth graders who were working on an assignment to write poems to say you're sorry. It turned out so successful that they turned it into a book. It didn't stop there! In addition, they all got to write responses to the people whom they apologized to. They also had an artistic classmate create all of the illustrations. This is definitely a one-of-a-kind story! I loved how the apologies were sometimes not apologies, but excuses. It reminded so much of how childrens' minds work. It is definitely something funny and lighthearted to share with older elementary students. There are some sincere apologies that maybe some parents need to hear. It was actually pretty touching and I felt badly after reading some of the poems. On the other hand, there are of course some poems that could also give children some insights..that accidents happen! :) I loved seeing the responses. It really shows that writing notes and communicating does wonders!

[Meggie Donovan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used this book to teach a poetry writing unit to 7th graders this past fall. In truth--this book of poems might be one of my favorite collections of poetry. Modeled after William Carlos Williams's poem "This is just to say." this funny and touching book is a wonderful way to introduce poetry in a non-threatening way. I think many students have this conception that poems need to rhyme and be full of flowery and elaborate language. Sideman's poems are about every day moments and emotions we feel both as children and as adults. It inspires the reader to widen their lens past misconceptions of what we can call "poetry" and opens a space for them to create poems of apology and forgiveness of their very own. My favorite poems in this anthology would have to be "To Manga, my hamster" and "What girls want".

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very touching collection of poems. A group of 6th graders wrote poems apologizing to someone. The people that received the poems wrote back. Some of the poems were written by a group effort to fill in the gaps. The poems have a lot of emotion, which make them authentically interesting. The illustrations add to the sweetness of the poems and really fit with the tone.

I think this book would be great for introducing poetry to middle school students. It would show them how to write about their life and emotions to create great poems. I would keep this book in my classroom library to inspire students to use poetry as a way to communicate with others and to interact with their own emotions.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I'm biased about this book, it's because it was given to me by good friends who wished us well as we read it together - thank you Rachel, thank you Noel, thank you Greg. And "well" is what we are as we have enjoyed reading it together - the last book of 2012. Sidman's verse (divided between the apologies in the first half followed by the corresponding forgivenesses in the second) and Zagarenski's illustrations are magical, sometimes very touching and always unexpected (especially in the forgiveness in response to the apology! Only one minor complaint (that requires no apology) about this book - I wish that the apology and corresponding forgiveness had been paired in the the book, rather than separated into sections, so that we didn't have to go back and forth.

[Haley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Texas Bluebonnet for the '08-'09 school year. Joyce Sidman creates a classroom where students write poems of apologies in their 6th grade English class. Those people that the poems were directed to write back their responses in poetry form for the second half of the book. I loved the poems! Some of them were quite funny.

[Miss Leinbach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poetry
4-6

This book succinctly demonstrates the power of poetry: simple in concept, deeply moving.

Written by a fifth-grade class after studying a mentor text poem, the first half is poems by the students to someone they feel they need to apologize to. These poems are funny and heartbreaking, but the tears came for me as I read several of the poems in the second half: the responses from the recipients of the first poems.

As a teaching tool, this book is powerful because it is another class doing exactly the same thing our class might be doing- studying a mentor text and writing our own works. But it was professionally published, and now is used as a mentor text itself!

As a work of art, this collection of poems tell the stories of average kids with average problems and average worries to a distinctly above-average effect. As I connected each response back to the original apology poem, I became invested in the lives of both parties. Will the school secretary forgive the boy for stealing jelly donuts out of the teacher's lounge? (Yes, but she still had to call his mother.) From over-enthusiastic dodge ball incident apologies between friends to an apology from a son to his mother for being a disappointment to her and a failure for not winning a spelling bee, the poems run the gamut of emotions and experiences.

And the biggest tear-jerker? The response to the spelling bee failure: it was not written by his mother, but by another student in the class, with the byline noting that the poem is by the student in place of the mother, because the mother thought this was silly and pointless. (I'm paraphrasing, but that's the idea.) The poem from a father to his daughter telling her that his leaving the family was not her fault was also an emotional experience.

What an example to students of how poetry can help us deal with our own emotions and also help us communicate with other people.

Text set ideas: poetry, emotional awareness

[Jackie Ostrowicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful children's book based on William Carlos Williams poem, "This Is Just to Say." Williams' poem is itself an apology poem and reads:

"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'

The book chronicles apology poems from sixth graders, written as part of a poetry unit at their school, and has two parts. The first part consists of apologies, and the second part consists of those who were apologized to writing responses (in poem format). The two poems that broke my heart were written to a student's dog, who had to be put to sleep, and a student's father, who left their family.

"It Was Quiet" was dedicated to Einstein, the dog.

"It was quiet. No machines beeped.
You looked like you were sleeping.
Your nose was still wet.
Your ears were still silky.
But inside, something was crumbling....

...Is death ever right?
I don't know, but I hated having to choose it.
And I hate the quiet in our house
without you."

"Next Time" was dedicated to the father.

"You went away and left me,
It's not the first time....

...Please, please come back.
Don't leave me spinning alone,
like a slow, sad tornado.

I'm sorry, Daddy.

Next time I'll be
perfect."

This book is amazing. You won't regret reading or buying it.

[Linda Lipko · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always, the combination of Sidman's writing and Zagarenski's artistry is a joy to read!

This is a compilation of sixth grade students who express their sorrow and apologies. A lovely book!

Reading this book of apologies, I remembered that a long overdue apology should have occurred to Mrs. Rader, my third (or fourth) grade teacher. I didn't like her at all. As a introverted, quiet child, to me, she seemed very rough. She made me stay inside of the class while others where outside on the playground because she insisted I "indent" my writing. I did not know what indent meant, and she really wasn't good, or patient in explaining it to me.

Later that day, in a spelling book there was a cartoon- like image of a woman in a footed tub, and the woman was scrubbing away with lots of bubbles and a wooden scrub brush. Out loud, I said "This is Mrs. Radar!!!"

My second punishment of the day, was to sit outside the classroom on the wooden steps, watching as the music teacher entered the classroom. Mrs. Radar knew I loved the music teacher and how much it would hurt not to be able to sing and spend time with her. When Mrs. Brown saw my tears, she kindly asked why I was in the hall; I said it was because I hated Mrs. Rader!

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the concept but not the layout. The first half of the book are the apologies and the second half of the book are the responses. So the reader is flipping back and forth to see how the apologies were received. I think the format would have been more inviting if the apology and the response were side by side. Both the apologies and responses are wonderfully unique and sincere. A favorite pairing is one where a girl apologizes to her sister for physically hurting her and her sister responds by saying, " I am still pissed off at you." What could be more realistic?! Still marveling over this book and how to utilize it with students or have it as a model for conflict resolution in some way. Wouldn't it be a wonder, especially on the world stage, if people made it a habit to exchange poems of apology and forgiveness? We can dream!

[Cristie of Crops and Craps and Things Long Since Past · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a compilation of apologies from school children and the recipients' responses to them. Some are funny. Some are cute. Some are heartbreaking. I found it hard to read simply because of the tears clouding my vision.

There are some serious topics in this anthology - abandonment, death, disappointment - that might be too mature for younger audiences. Also, even though this is a children's book, there is a point in one of the poems where the writer blasphemes against Jesus Christ.

This is my new favorite book. Some poems made me laugh and some made me cry. The book is fairly short, but I spent more time rereading, pondering, and sharing with others the contents of each of the letters included in the book. Children would love the relatable poems and the choppy illustrations.

[Samantha Ledesma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, this poetry is just gorgeous. I'm sitting here, cheeks splotchy and red from Jewel's poem, and Anthony's poem, and all the responses the students received. It's almost hard to believe that the students in this book aren't real because the emotions definitely were. My heart aches with the memories they each recalled and the friendships they each revealed. I love poetry and I've always thought that the lack of enthusiasm for it is so tragic. I would without a doubt introduce this book to kids if given the chance.

I loved the usage of different types of poems and I loved the vivid language it used. The little illustration also helped to lighten the tone, especially for the heavier poems. I have no qualms with this book.It is spectacularly well-written.

[Jennifer Sommer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roses are red, violets are blue. I'm still really pissed off at you.

This touching book began as a 6th grade class assignment where students were required to write a poem of apology. The poems are beautiful and will make you weep, but what makes this especially interesting is that poems were written in response by the people who were being asked for forgiveness. Most of the apologies are sincere, some are not. Some apologies are accepted and others are not. In addition, illustrations were added by a member of the 6th grade class making this class assignment one that is documented for all time. This will appeal to elementary aged students and might inspire teachers to experiment with their own poetry assignment.

[Taylor7778]

Source: School Library Journal Book Review Stars, 2007
Age: 6-13
Assessment of Quality: The way the poems in the second half of the book answer the apology poems in the first half of the book make the reader pay attention to and re-read many of the poems.
Assessment of potential use: This book would be great to read as a class and emulate since all of the poetry in this book was written by a class of 6th grade students.
Assessment of appeal to children: Since most of the poetry in this book are written by children, the poems are highly relatable and digestible to children.

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book honestly made me cry. The contrasting poems of apologies and forgiveness were beautifully done. Some of those things that the children apologized for tugged at my heart, and the response they were given even more so. Not only does this book show different styles of poetry, it sends a good message to children and adults. You don't really think about the things that children think about until they find the way to say it. For example, one of the poems was about a child apologizing to his brother for being a "weird kid" and the response to it had me sobbing.

[Rebekah Mears · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book of poetry was very moving. I read it believing that it was written by a group of 6th graders. The voices the author was able to capture were really beautiful. I cried and laughed throughout these poems. The set up of the book, with apology poems in the first half and responses in the second half, was interesting. I flipped back and forth to read the apology and then the response. But am interested also in reading the poems straight through. Next time. I highly recommend this book of poetry.

[Rachel Renaud · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book's genre is poetry.
What makes this book unique is that all the poems are written by actual students. A 6th grade classroom wrote apology poems and had the person they were apologizing to write a response poem.
Kids will connect to this right away!
I feel that 3rd grade and up will benefit with this book but 5th plus will really be able to relate to the poems since it was written by kids around their age.

[Tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting poetry book. It is unique because of the format of it. It is not just individual poems, but poems of apology and forgiveness. Each apology has a response of forgiveness even having some poems narrated by animals forgiving their owners. I would use this in a 4th or 5h grade classroom because of the complexity in the format of the book.

[Doug Glenning · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a nice poetry book for young people! The idea of apologies in poetry form written to someone in particular and then the recipient responding--it was very touching.

The only downside to me was that two of the poems had illusions to off-color language, which is why I didn't give it more than three stars.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A poetry book in two parts -- an apology written by a (fictional) student in Mrs. Merz's 6th grade class and a response from the subject of the apology. My favorite is the response from a big sister who is not ready to accept the apology: "Roses are red/violets are blue/I'm still really/pissed off at you."

[Jackie Law · Rating 5 out of 5]

So so wonderful. Read this book at any and every age. Take it slowly, one poem at a time and then read the apology and it's corresponding response and take them into your heart. And then... just maybe, send some apologies and responses out to othBe. In prayer or in writing, or both. Blessed be. And thank you, Joyce Sidman and Pamela Zagarenski. Fabulous

[Myka Ellenwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genre: Poetry
Grade Level: 4-7
I enjoyed reading this book. It is in two parts, the first is apology poems in different styles of poems, and the second is forgiveness poems. This book would be great when teaching about poetry and also forgiving one another.