I Did It, I'm Sorry

I Did It, I'm Sorry

Written by: Caralyn Buehner & Mark Buehner

Brief Summary: I Did it, I'm Sorry offers a scenario with a follow-up 'quiz' on each page of the book. In each scenario an animal is in a dilemma! The correct solution for that dilemma is based on what 'good behavior' for that situation should be performed. After the child chooses which solution is correct (designated by the letter choice of a, b, or c) they need to look within that page's illustration to see if the letter they chose is hidden within the picture. If the letter is found within the picture, then they chose the right solution! If not, then they need to try again.

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I found this book to be rather humorous. The dilemmas that the various animals find themselves in are uniquely and cleverly made-up. The situations that arise deal with following rules, listening to your parents, telling the truth, and much more! This book would be a great way for parents to reinforce proper behavior with their child(ren). The book recommends that it's audience be between the ages of 4 and 8; I would change this age range to 6-12. The word choice throughout the book is somewhat complicated and some of the ideas may take a bit of experience to understand. For example:

Even though she studied hard for this test, Ima Scalebody can't remember where sea horses graze. Ima thinks that Lynn

Finn will know the right answer, and she is tempted to peek and see what Lynn has written down.

What should Ima do?

a. Tell her teacher she is feeling sea sick.

b. Take the bait, and copy Lynn's answer.

c. Sink or swim on her own.

I personally was a bit confused when reading the above situation. It is obvious that 'c' is the right answer but the wording was throwing me off. I actually read the question to my fiance and he as well was a bit confused. Because of this children may find this book to be difficult and unpleasant to read. However, children in middle elementary may find this book appealing due to the complicated wording. Furthermore, regarding the above question, I feel that the concept of cheating may not be relevant to younger students, especially students as young as 4 and 5 years old.

The full-page picture that aids each situation and answer is similar to an I Spy book. In order to check to see if the chosen answer is correct one must try and find the corresponding letter within the picture. The illustrations are detailed and it often took me 30 seconds up to a minute to find the letter I was looking for. More than once I found myself using the answer key on the back page of the book for some help. This is another reason why I feel that students in middle-elementary may find this book appealing.

Overall I would recommend this book to my students as an individual read and also to the parents of students who are younger. I think this book would be a great way for a teacher to reinforce good behavior in her students. Perhaps every week one animal's dilemma can be read out loud for the class to hear, and the students could form small groups and discuss their thoughts.