Award Winning Poetry

This is Just to Say

Sidman, Joyce. This is Just to Say: Poems of Apology and Forgiveness. Ill. by Pamela Zagarenski. Boston, MA:  Houghton Mifflin Co. 2007.

ISBN 0618616802

About the Book:

After studying the poem “This is Just to Say” by William Carlos William, a sixth grade class begins a poetry project of writing their own poems of apology. The poems deal with humorous topics such as stealing jelly donuts and throwing to hard in a dodge ball game to serious topics such as losing a pet and dealing with family separation. Along with the poems of apology in part one comes part two: the responses of the apology recipients. Some of the responses offer forgiveness, while others do not.

Critical Analysis:

Sidman’s includes a range of poems including poems that rhyme, free verse poems, and haiku. The multiple rhythms of the poems are appealing and will hold the attention of adolescent readers.  The change in rhythm is appropriate not only for the intended audience, but also for the range of topics. For example, the voice and rhythm in the dodge ball apology poem is light-hearted and evokes an emotion of humor and fun. In Jewel’s Next Time poem the tone turns serious as she writes about her father leaving the family. The tone and voice is appropriate throughout the various poems. The inner thoughts of the people in the poems seem reveal typical feelings of the adolescent age. The anthology as a whole is unique because surrounding the poems of apology and forgiveness, is a story of a sixth grade class developing and growing from an opportunity to share their experiences. 

Pamela Zagarenski creates whimsical illustrations throughout the entire anthology of poems. The illustrations complement the tone of the poems. The illustrations are respectful when the poems are serious and only add to the humor when the poems intend to make readers smile. The illustrations capture the attention of readers with clever details such as using snippets of a dictionary entry as clothing for several of the characters.

Awards & Reviews:

Claudia Lewis Poetry Award

Texas Bluebonnet Award

Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award Honor Book

“Packed with the intensity of everyday pain and sorrow, kids and adults exchange words that convey grief, delight, love and acceptance of themselves and others.”--Kirkus Review

“Captivating.”--Booklist

“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.”--School Library Journal

Connections:

*After reading the poems in Sidman’s anthology, write your own poem of apology.

*Discuss voice in the poems and find evidence in the poems that support your understanding.

*Read Forgive Me, I Meant to Do it: False Apology Poems by Gail Carson