I'm Sorry You Got Mad

The apology many of us are REALLY thinking.

This is a beautiful capturing of the many stages an apology goes through before it reaches the point of being a meaningful and true apology. It might start with “I’m sorry you got mad”, as Jack’s first letter to Zoe begins, but as Jack continues to work at his letter, he starts to pick apart why he did the thing he did (knock down Zoe’s castle) and how he can make it up to Zoe (help her build another one). I thought this was a great way to introduce the concept of thinking through apologies and consequences to young children, and it’s entertaining for adult readers who may recognize our own impulse reactions in the characters as well.