Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Mean-spirited mischief and gruesome scenarios are part of the fun in these fractured-fairy-tale poems, which include wry takes on the Brothers Grimm, Mother Goose nonsense, and popular folklore. Written in the form of false apologies inspired by William Carlos Williams' poem This Is Just to Say, the accessible free verse, along with wild line cartoons, shows the ugly standoffs and power plays between familiar characters. Snow White leaves willingly with the witch rather than staying with the dwarfs, who snore, pick their noses, and never bathe. Rapunzel lops off her braid, telling her would-be suitor, You're not worth / the pain / in my scalp. The Beast burps after gobbling down Beauty for breakfast, then asks her father for another daughter. The princess always knew about the pea, which helped immeasurably / in faking / the true princess test. In an author's note, Levine includes Williams' poem and encourages readers to write their own false-apology verses, in your own cruel ways. But, she warns, You have to be mean and grouchy. Of course, the subversive, cranky tone is the appeal, as is the close look at popular sayings: ever thought about what it means to say Blood is thicker than water ? Readers will enjoy sharing the surprising selections, which will make them rethink what they thought they knew.--Rochman, Hazel Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Levine models more than 40 poems after William Carlos Williams's "This Is Just to Say," taking its quasi-repentant tone to a whole new level (and sticking more closely to the format of the original than the poems in Joyce Sidman's 2007 collection This Is Just to Say). Cordell's pen-and-ink art is sprinkled with impish people, animals, and personified objects. Several poems reference nursery rhymes, literature, and fairy tales ("I, Rapunzel,/ and not the witch/ have lopped off/ my braid/ which/ you daily/ climbed/ to me/ Forgive me/ you're not worth/ the pain/ in my scalp"), and Levine has fun with readers, too, mock-threatening those who skip around the book ("Forgive me/ I put the curse of the mummy/ on anyone/ who reads out of order"). Poetry fans fine-tuning their sense of sarcasm need look no further. Ages 6-9. Agent: Ginger Knowlton, Curtis Brown. Illustrator's agent: Rosemary Stimola, Stimola Literary Studio. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-6-These spare, sly poems use inference to tell tall tales of deceit and betrayal among family members, friends, and fairy-tale characters. "I have shortened my nose with your saw/because honestly telling lies is so much fun./Forgive me I don't care about becoming a real boy." (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Levine unapologetically riffs on William Carlos Williams's poem "This Is Just to Say" in this collection of light verse that shows readers there's a lot more to be un-sorry about besides purloined chilled plums. With gleeful abandon, she looks to fairy tales and nursery rhymes for subject matter, as when she tells the Itsy Bitsy Spider to get a life; "This is just to say / I have torn / down / the water / spout / which / you obsessively / wanted to climb up / and slide off forever / Forgive me / kick your habit / spin a web / catch a bug." Other scenarios have kids taking revenge on adults -- planting poison ivy, for instance, on a skinflint's lawn with the caveat "Forgive me / next time / pay me / for mowing." Accompanied by an appropriately scruffy, subversive black-and-white cartoon, each poem mimics Williams's structure. The humor level of the collection is uneven, but Levine's spirited encouragement of readers (in an "introduction" that she cheekily places twenty pages into the book) to take Williams's form and write their own false apology poems will likely be heeded. After all, who can resist her permission to "get yourself into a grouchy mood" because these poems "should be mean, or what's the point"? christine m. heppermann(c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
(Illustrated poems. 6 up)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
