Newbery Honor author Gail Carson Levine (Ella Enchanted) puts a devilishly comical twist on a famous verse by William Carlos Williams with this collection of 46 poems.
She models each "false apology" poem on the form Williams created, which appears on page 21 ("This is just to say/ I have eaten/ the plums/ that were in/ the icebox..."), after her introduction to the collection on page 18 ("where/ my editor excruciatingly loudly/ screeched/ it does not belong")--itself fashioned after his poem. As she did with her book Writing Magic, Levine offers perceptive observations on the craft, analyzing Williams's form and delivering her points in a fittingly sardonic tone: "You can abandon the form completely and write false apology poems in your own cruel way," she advises.
She models a way for children to explore the topics at their fingertips. Her poems' subjects range from Barbie dolls to a lucky baseball cap, as well as classic nursery rhymes and songs, such as a brilliant riff on "Row Row Row Your Boat" and the "Itsy Bitsy Spider." And of course fairy tales, which Levine has retold so masterfully--her past heroines Cinderella, Snow White and the Princess (of "Pea" fame) all make appearances here. The witch from Hansel and Gretel and the cow from Jack and the Beanstalk deliver particularly delectable confessions. If a few fall short of that high standard, readers will forgive her. Overall, Levine creates an anthology that will keep children laughing, and serves as an irresistible invitation to try some stanzas of their own. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness