I'm Sorry

by Michael Ian Black, Debbie Ridpath Ohi (Illustrator)

Overview

In this fourth book in the series from New York Times bestselling author Michael Ian Black and celebrated illustrator Debbie Ridpath Ohi, a flamingo and a very sorry potato learn how to mend hurt feelings.

Flamingo is upset. Very upset.

Potato is sorry. Very sorry. In fact, he is the sorriest.

But he doesn’t know how to tell Flamingo. He would rather run away to the South Pole and live with penguins. He’d rather wear a disguise for the rest of time. But will that be enough to fix their friendship? Will they ever go back to being a girl, a potato, and a flamingo again?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781534415881
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Publication date:	09/07/2021
Series:	I'm Books Series
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	643,746
Product dimensions:	8.80(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD460L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Michael Ian Black is a writer, comedian, and actor who has appeared on Another Period, The Jim Gaffigan Show, and Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp. He created and starred in many television series, has written screenplays, and regularly tours the country as a stand-up comedian. Michael is the bestselling author of the book My Custom Van, the memoir You’re Not Doing It Right, and the children’s books Chicken Cheeks, The Purple Kangaroo, A Pig Parade Is a Terrible Idea, I’m Bored, Naked!, Cock-a-Doodle-Doo-Bop!, and I’m Sorry. Michael lives in Connecticut with his wife and two children.

Debbie Ridpath Ohi’s writing or art has appeared in over twenty books for young people. She is the award-winning author and illustrator of Where Are My Books?, I Want to Read ALL the Books, and Sam & Eva with Simon & Schuster. Her illustrations appear in books by Judy Blume, Michael Ian Black, and Linda Sue Park, among others. Debbie lives with her husband in Toronto, Canada. For more info, see DebbieOhi.com.

Editorial Reviews

10/01/2021

PreS-Gr 3—A girl, a potato, and a flamingo walk into a book—and the author is back with another installment in his series exploring feelings. A young, pale-skinned girl with dark pigtails encounters her friend Flamingo nursing some bruised feelings. The girl discovers that their mutual friend Potato dished out some hurtful words. Readers never learn what words were spoken, but the girl insists that Potato must hash things out with Flamingo. Potato is nervous, aware that he must get to the root of the issue. Instead, the spud humorously suggests whipping up a towering sandwich for Flamingo, fleeing to live with penguins in the South Pole (who have mastered the selfie stick), or choosing to live as a wanted outlaw. Potato complains that "saying I'm sorry is maybe the hardest thing to say in the entire world." Ohi's digitally rendered illustrations are boldly colored and outlined in thick black lines. The colors of dialogue for the girl, Potato, and Flamingo cleverly match an identifying feature of each character, assisting readers in following along. With a more serious tone than other books in the series, Black manages to season Potato's tough task with witty banter. VERDICT This book that playfully demonstrates how to apologize and forgive is a good title for SEL collections.—Emily Brush, Novi P.L., MI

School Library Journal

2021-06-02
A potato apologizes to a flamingo.

We don’t exactly know what Potato said to Flamingo, but we know it was hurtful enough for Flamingo to be sad and Potato to feel awful about it. The White, pigtailed child who has rounded out the trio in such previous humorous social-emotional titles as I’m Bored (2012), I’m Sad (2018), and I’m Worried (2019) works on resolving this conflict, emphasizing to Potato that he needs to apologize and that giving Flamingo a sandwich or disguising himself as a cowboy won’t do the trick. Of course Potato apologizes, and of course Flamingo accepts after emphasizing how hurtful the comment was, but the resolution feels unearned. We never learn what, exactly, Potato said to Flamingo. It’s unclear why Potato feels gut-wrenching remorse but is unable to apologize given that a more-common reaction is denial or justification. The conflict seems straightforward and one-sided rather than reflecting the messy realities that come when children (or anyone) hurt each other’s feelings. And the end gag with penguins feels extraneous rather than integral. Apologizing well is a hard and important skill to learn, and this theme comes with countless possible interpretations. Black’s addition is well meaning but adds little complexity to the challenging concept.

Sorry, but this is not the best in the series. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews