This is Just to Say: Poems of Apology and Forgiveness (Sidman)

Sidman, Joyce. This is Just to Say: Poems of Apology and Forgiveness. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin , 2007. ISBN 9780618616800

Sidman shows us what it means to be human in her book This is Just to Say: Poems of Apology and Forgiveness. Although written for a younger audience, this unique collection of poetry beautifully expresses the universal emotions of regret, guilt, grief, anger, pleasure, humor, and forgiveness. Memorable metaphors are sprinkled throughout Sidman’s poetry. Phrases such as “laugh that starts tidal waves”, “dust thick as velvet”, and “his toes whispered on our hands” create amazingly clear mental images that will remain with the reader long after the poem has been read.

The book is composed of a variety of poetic forms, including haiku and pantoum, that are meant to be the individual works of a fictional sixth grade class. In Part 1 of the collection, each student has written a unique poem that expresses apology, or lack thereof.  In return, Part 2 contains a poetic response for each apology. This layout might have some readers frustrated with the flipping back and forth between pages, but it does serve to create a high level of interaction with the text. The child-like and yet highly complex illustrations are a combination of mixed media that includes both computer graphics, wood, paper, and canvas.

The last poem of This is Just to Say exemplifies the work. “Ode to Slow-Hand” is expressive and purposeful with word choice. However, it is unique in that it is written from the whole group’s perspective. In it the class offers forgiveness to the anonymous student who admitted to stealing and then neglectfully killing the class lizard, Slow-Hand. Make the most of this poem’s special quality by reading the poem in a call and response format.

Ode to Slow-Hand

the way his heart beat in his throat
the way his toes whispered on our hands

los perdonamos

his skin: rough green cloth
the color of new leaves

los perdonamos

his belly: soft as an old balloon
his tongue: lightning's flicker

los perdonamos

the sad way he left us
the sad way you feel

los perdonamos
we forgive you

Introduce “Ode to Slow-Hand” by first reading “How Slow-Hand Lizard Died”.  After reading this anonymous poem of apology once or twice, ask students what they thought of the poem. List on the board the changes the main character went through. Ask the class to brainstorm how they think Mrs. Merz and the other students might have responded to the letter. Were they relieved to find out what happened, angry at his needless death, or sad for the person who carried the guilt? After this discussion, introduce “Ode to Slow-Hand”. Read the poem through several times and then invite students to participate in a call and response. One student (or the educator) can read the couplets and the class can respond with “los perdonamos” which means we forgive you in Spanish.

You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You: Very Short Mother Goose Tails to Read Together (Performance)

Hoberman, Mary A. You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You: Very Short Mother Goose Tails to Read Together. Ill. by Michael Emerley. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2005. ISBN 9780316207157

You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You: Very Short Mother Goose Tails to Read Together is book three in the You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You series by Mary Ann Hoberman. In it classic Mother Goose rhymes are turned on their heads with silly rhymes that are more fun when read by two. Many of the poems will leave readers in peals of laughter, especially when the time is taken to act out the outrageous situations of the characters like Peter the Pumpkin Eater and Humpty Dumpty. Strong rhythm and rhyming patterns in every poem make this book perfect for younger children. Cheerful cartoon characters illustrate the poems and give students learning English hints to possibly unfamiliar words such as “lean” and “fiddle”.

Present Hoberman’s “Little Miss Muffet” after exploring the classic Mother Goose nursery rhyme. Post Hoberman’s version so that everyone has viewing access to the poem. Read the poem aloud to students, giving them the chance to listen, enjoy, and read along. After students begin to feel comfortable with the poem, encourage them to read along in chorus,  joining the part of either Miss Muffet of Mrs. Spider. After several readings, allow the students to make puppets for the two characters. Possible supplies might include construction paper, markers, glue, pipe cleaners, wiggly eyes, and popsicle sticks. Students may then wish to reenact the poem in pairs or individually. Some students may even enjoy recording themselves reading and acting out the play!

excerpt from Little Miss Muffet

I’m Little Miss Muffet.
I’m here on my tuffet.
             And I am a spider
             Now hanging beside her.
             Pray, what is a tuffet,
             Dear Little Miss Muffet?
A tuffet’s a mound
Where I sit on the ground.
             And what do you eat
             When you sit on your seat?
Why, I eat curds and whey.
They’re my breakfast today.
             I do not know those words.
             What is whey? What are curds?
They are made from milk.
             How?
You must go ask the cow.
             May I sit on your tuffet
             Beside you, Miss Muffet,
             And take a short rest?
             I will be on my best.
If my tuffet were wider,
You might, Mrs. Spider;
But as you can see,
It will seat only me.


Use this poem within a larger unit on farms for a fun extension. As a field trip, visit a farm or a dairy factory to learn where milk comes from and how it gets made into cheese curds and other dairy products. If a field trip is not possible, try a virtual tour, such as the one of Wensleydale Creamery at http://www.wensleydale.co.uk/virtual-tour/.

Jazz (Hopkins Award)

Myers, Walter D. Jazz. Ill. by Christopher Myers. New York: Holiday House, 2009. ISBN 9780823421732

 Walter Dean Myers has provided an excellent collection of poetry in Jazz. It begins with an interesting history lesson on the musical art form and ends with a glossary and time line. These added elements provide the reader with the background knowledge necessary to appreciate the poems on several levels, including sound and meaning. Vibrant imagery is used throughout, such as music that is “burning up the ceiling” in “Oh, Miss Kitty,” and the “blood dark studio” in “Session 1”. White space is used skillfully, like in “Stride” where it is used to show off the beat of swing music. Throughout the book, key words are emphasized in colorful embellished handwriting that contrasts with the straight white font of the poems, hinting at the spontaneity of jazz music. Bold paintings give another element of movement to the rhythmic, fluid poetry.

“Twenty-Finger Jack” is a joyful poem from Jazz that begs to be read aloud with a smile and some foot tapping. First listen to a little jazz music while reading the book’s introduction. Read the poem aloud, paying careful attention to line breaks as they build into the poems rhythmic structure.

Twenty-Finger Jack

Well, the walls are shaking,
and the ceiling’s coming down
‘Cause twenty-finger Jack
has just come back to town
The keyboard’s jumping,
and the music's going round
and round
If he had and sense,
he left if in the lost-and-found
Here he go

Be ba boodie, be ba boodie, boo
Be ba boodie, be ba ba ba, boodie, boo

There’s a steady beat walking,
and the melody’s talking, too
If you ain’t moving,
there must be something wrong with you
My knees don’t like it,
but my feet just got to dance
My heels can’t follow,
but my toes will take a chance

Be ba boodie, be ba boodie, boo
Be ba boodie, be ba ba ba, boodie, boo

Drop your blues,
and throw away that frown
‘Cause twenty-finger Jack
has just come back to town

After reading this poem give students drums, tambourines, and maracas. If no instruments are available, instruct students how to use open palms to make beats on their desk tops. Practice making steady rhythms as a class. Next, tie in what students have learned about fractions, having students create half beats and quarter beats. For an extension activity invite the local high school’s percussion line to play at your school.

Animal Poems of the Iguazú (Science)

Alarcón, Francisco X. Animal Poems of the Iguazú. Ill. by Maya C. Gonzalez. San Francisco,
California: Childrens Book Press, 2008. ISBN 9780892392254

Francisco Alarcón paints beautiful images of the Iguazú waterfalls through his masterful use of language in this collection of bilingual poems. In “Red Earth” the reader’s senses are fully engaged as the earth is compared to “ground/ dried chiles/ and peppers/ like ground/ cinnamon/ and chocolate powder” and the imagination is stretched in “Guarani Myth” as waterfalls give birth to clouds. Readers will become fully engaged as they learn about the unique animal life, history, and landforms of the rainforest found between the countries of Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina. The entire book has been written by the author in both Spanish and English, with the addition of the occasional Guarani word that is native to Iguazú. Bold, bright illustrations fill up each page with their mixture of cut paper and paintings. The occasional concrete poem adds to the visual appeal of the book. The fun loving spirit of the book is sure to engage readers and encourage appreciation of one of the world’s natural wonders.

Jaguarete
(Jaguar)

some say
I’m now almost
extinct in this park

but the people
who say this
don’t know

that by smelling
the orchids
in the trees

they’re sensing
the fragrance
of my chops

that by hearing
the rumbling
of the waterfalls

they’re listening
to my ancestors’
great roar

that by observing
the constellations
of the night sky
they’re gazing
at the star spots
on my fur

that I am and
always will be
the wild

untamed
living spirit
of this jungle

Have students close their eyes as you read this poem slowly without revealing the title. Read it a second time and have students discuss their observations. Ask students what animal they think the poem is talking about. Write down predictions and then ask students to come to the board and underline words and phrases that justify their predictions. Allow students to eliminate predictions as more attention is given to key phrases like “star spots” and “great roar”. After the class has chosen their top three animal predictions, reveal the poem’s title.

For an extension activity have students create their own poem using “Jaguarete” as a template. The titles of their poems will be their own name. An example poem might be called “John” and begin with “some say/ I’m growing to be/ just like my father/ but the people/ who say this/ don’t know”. Students will have fun writing about the differences between how other people perceive them and they perceive themselves.

Lady Liberty, A Biography (Social Studies)

Rappaport, Doreen. Lady Liberty, A Biography. Ill. by Matt Tavares. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press, 2008. ISBN 9780763625306

Lady Liberty, A Biography is the historical account of the Statue of Liberty from its inception to its unveiling. Rappaport has creatively chosen to write this account through sequential narrative poems from the viewpoints of various historical figures involved in the statue’s creation.The book includes breathtaking illustrations by Matt Tavares that culminate in a large fold out image of an untarnished Lady Liberty on the day of her unveiling. This image elicited oohs and aahs from my own students as I displayed the image during a reading of the biography. Personal accounts of the statue’s impact as a symbol of freedom, along with dimensions and a listing of important dates add fun notes of trivia for readers to peruse. This biography of a famous American icon will capture the interest of students although the text contains a level of language that will require scaffolding for primary aged students.


Excerpt from “Marie Simon” in Lady Liberty

After months of work,
we have finished the right arm and torch.
Now we start on the left hand.
We go back to Bartholdi’s four-foot clay model.

The pointers measure her forearm, wrist,
fingers, nails, and tablet.
They multiply each part by two
to build a model twice as big.

Again, they measure and multiply,
this time by four.
Slowly. Carefully. Section by section,
the workers build a bigger model.
Bartholdi moves about like a prowling tiger,
reminding everyone to be precise.

This fun poem can be used to incorporate art and math into a lesson on American history! Learning about American symbols is a typical objective found in many elementary students’ curriculum. Read Lady Liberty, A Biography as a supplement to this unit of study. Students who are simultaneously learning their multiplication facts will enjoy understanding multiplication’s real life uses. Reread this poem to the students during a math lesson. Have students explain what is happening in the poem and how multiplication was critical to creating an accurate replica of the original model.

Give students a simple sketch, such as that of a flower, on grid paper. Have students multiply the measurements of each stroke by 4 and then enlarge the sketch on grid paper using their new measurements. Students can then water color their carefully replicated and enlarged image!

The Poet Slave of Cuba, a Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano (Biography)

Engle, Margarita. The Poet Slave of Cuba, a Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano. Ill. by Sean Qualls. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company, 2008. ISBN 9780805077063

The Poet Slave of Cuba, a Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano is a vibrant take on a traditional biographical text. Instead of timelines and facts, the incredible tale of Manzano’s life it told through narrative poetry. Graceful and honest verses give the reader a glimpse of what slavery looked and felt like in Cuba during the 1800s. The biography begins with Manzano’s birth and follows his life as he is both celebrated and held captive for his incredible genius and gift with words. The verse novel concludes with Manzano’s eventual escape out of slavery as he flees his cruel owner. Black and white illustrations capture the emotional essence of the poems and the viewpoint they represent.


Below is a poem written from Juan’s perspective. It can be found on page 59 of The Poet Slave of Cuba, a Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano.

Sleep enchants the human spirit.
Each time I fall into dreams
while holding the lantern
she sends me once again
to the stocks
that trap of splintered, bloodstained wood
where ankles, neck, and wrists
are locked in place.

I feel like an ox in its yoke
except that pairs of oxen are free to move
pulling the plow
tearing down trees
making way for more sugarcane fields
on this island
where once
there were forests of cool, soothing shade
and clearings of warm
clear light
and narrow pathways leading
away.


This poem is the perfect accompaniment to a study on the topic of slavery. Begin one day’s class discussion on slavery by reading this poem slowly. If necessary read the poem a second time, allowing students to dwell on the poem’s meaning. Allow students to share how the poem impacted them and the various emotions that the poem conveyed.

For an extension activity, explain how the poem clearly expresses the feeling of being trapped or constrained. Have students express the dichotomy between freedom and constraints through the creation of a song, poem, art piece, or essay.

Other suggested readings that might accompany the topic of slavery include:
Hill, Laban C. Dave the Potter, Artist, Poet, Slave. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2010. ISBN 978-0316107310
Levine, Ellen. Henry's Freedom Box, a True Story from the Underground Railroad. Ill. by Kadir Nelson. New York, NY: Scholastic Press, 2007. ISBN 978-0439777339
Winter, Jeanette. Follow the Drinking Gourd. Dragonfly, 1993. ISBN 978-0679819974