Sorry (Really Sorry)
written by Joanna Cotler, illustrated by Harry Bliss
When Cow's nasty mood sets off a chain reaction of grumpiness between a group of farm yard animals, Dog turns around a bad day with a lick in this picture book about how to show kindness and empathy in the face of reactivity. Illustrated by the New York Times bestselling artist, Harry Bliss. Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
Reviews
*Starred Review Kirkus
A chain reaction of spiteful words and actions ricochets across a farmyard until an act of kindness turns things around. The entertaining text moves briskly, filled with interactions that will be amusingly familiar to both readers and listeners. Although they possess the power of speech, the animals are portrayed relatively realistically in Bliss' expressive ink-and-watercolor cartoons. The farm setting includes enough detail to ground the story without distraction from the action while the simply drawn faces, particularly the animals' eyes, convey an impressive range of emotions. An exploration of the repercussions of a bad mood could have turned into a pedantic moral tale, but Cotler and Bliss' light touch and humorous approach offer insight without judgment. Clever, funny, and true—really.
*Starred Review Publishers Weekly
At the farm where author and children’s book editor Cotler and artist Bliss’s (Good Rosie!) emotionally honest story is set, bad moods aren’t just contagious—they’re epidemic. Kindness breaks the chain, and apologies and tokens are offered all around before the friends head to the pond for some fun. The animals, rendered expressively by Bliss, learn what kids already know and adults too easily forget: the capacity to say “I’m sorry”—and mean it—is no small thing.
Review School Library Journal
Cow ends up with mud on her hooves, and she is not happy. Her bad mood starts a chain reaction of frustration and anger as all the farm animals act out against one another. When Cow makes Duck angry, Duck in turn is mean to Frog, and so on, mimicking the way that children, and adults, are often unable to express their frustration and anger and perpetuate bad feelings. Eventually, Dog stops the cycle when he offers kind words to a distraught Pig. This sparks a change in attitude, and the animals begin making amends. The small gifts and sweet words that the animals share to apologize, including a worm sandwich for Bird and a box of flies for Frog, are also humorous, making the story lighthearted and thoughtful. Bliss’s ink and watercolor images add depth to the animals’ “Sorry, not sorry” with perfect expressive facial features. VERDICT Cotler’s story is a simple yet valuable one, an excellent example for young readers, and a nice reminder for older readers that kindness goes a long way. This would be a smart choice for any collection.