I'm sorry

by Mercer Mayer, Gina Mayer

Through Mercer Mayer's humorous and touching story, young readers will learn about the true meaning of saying "I'm sorry." Find out what happens to Little Critter when he says it too much.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Family

23 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Mercer Mayer is an American children's author and illustrator. He has published over 300 books, using a wide range of illustrative styles. Mayer is best known for his Little Critter and Little Monster series of books.

Reviews

[Rossy]

Saying "I'm sorry" is not enough sometimes, you have to be more careful and try not to do it again :)

[Emily Dee]

Keira (7 years old): It was good because it was funny in its repetetiveness. It taught the lesson that just saying sorry isn't good enough when you make a mistake

[Becky]

First sentence: Whenever I do something wrong, I just say "I'm sorry."

Premise/plot: Little Critter is always careful to say, "I'm sorry." But he is definitely not always careful in the first place.

My thoughts: I liked this one. I didn't love, love, love it like I have other Little Critter titles. But it was definitely an enjoyable read. Little Critter can make a BIG, BIG, BIG mess. In this one, he learns--perhaps temporarily--that you have to be careful and considerate in the first place. Saying "I'm sorry" and then not changing your behavior shows you're not really that sorry.

This one reminded me of a Daniel Tiger song. Saying I'm sorry is the FIRST step, not the only step.

Text: 3 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 6 out of 10

[Alyssa]

Used for story time!

[Amanda Kearney]

Summary: "I'm Sorry" is a picture book about a young boy who messes up a lot, and every time he does he says "I'm sorry." He gets his sister's stuff dirty, makes a mess when taking a bath, makes way too much noise and wakes his younger brother up, doesn't watch his brother when he is told, doesn't eat his broccoli, doesn't clean his room, and etc. Every time he does something wrong he just says "I'm sorry." Throughout the book, the boy saying "I'm sorry" starts to wear off. His parents tell him he needs to actually be more careful. In the end, the boy realizes that sometimes just saying "I'm sorry" isn't good enough and he is going to actually need to try to be more careful!

My thoughts: I really loved this book. I remember my parents reading me Mercer Mayer books in my childhood, so it was neat to read again, even if it's around 15 years later. I also really liked the message of this book. Kids make mistakes, but they need to learn from it. If they don't learn from their mistakes, it makes their parents lives a lot harder. I wouldn't read this book to my class if they were above 1-2 grade because it would be a little too childish for them. However, It is a good book to read to beginner readers though.

In my classroom: I would read this to a preschool or maybe kindergarten classroom that is just learning to read. I think that it teaches kids an important lesson on saying "I'm sorry" for making mistakes. However, sometimes I'm sorry is overused and they actually need to try and be more careful. The young boy in this messed up a lot, and he said I am sorry a lot. If kids mess up, they need to learn from their mistakes and realize that "I'm sorry" does not always fix everything. This would be a great book to read out loud to my class, and I think parents would even like this book too.

[Sarah]

LC says sorry when he messes up. Mom teaches him that saying sorry isn't always enough, and that he needs to be more responsible.

[Megan Ballard]

When things go completely wrong and accidents happen, it is right to say,"I'm sorry." The character in this story provides examples of all the times he has messed up and needed to apologize. I enjoyed this book because I thought it was a cute story to teach kids how to apologize. I would use this in my classroom to express the point of being careful with each other's belongings and feelings because sometimes just saying,"I'm sorry," is not good enough.

[Sarah]

One thing I look for when reading a children's book is that morals and simple manners are shown/addressed. There are many instances when Brother Critter is genuinely sorry and faking being sorry. It's a good book to explain to children what the differences between the two are.

[Lila Lovebug]

I read this by myself on January 21, 2019.

[Liz Todd]

Apologize

[Tabitha Vanover]

Shows children that just because you say your sorry doesn't mean it will fix everything. It good to say your sorry but it's better to be careful.

[IUS F19 Katelyn Butler]

This is great to teach manners.

[Lacey Hall]

Helps young kids learn the true meaning of apologizing for their mistakes.

[Fran Hernandez]

Good for teaching children the importance of honesty.

[Tonia Christle]

Not so bad. I think it could have been better, but I do still have a fondness for Little Critter books.

[Lauren Hunter]

This book has a good message for the kids who would listen to or read this story. It is important to say sorry, but sometimes it is not a good enough response if overused.

[Amy]

Little Critters are so cute!!!!

[Rosa Cline]

Mercer Mayer Little Critter books are always a nice read. The illustrations are always fun for the little guys to look at while you are reading to them. In this book the wording is basic but not super basic. A beginning reader could probably eventually learn to read on their own but starting out would need a little help. Litte Critter is always saying "I'm sorry" for things he's done and eventually he learns that you can't just always say it, without learning to change your ways to back up what you say.

[Jane]

I'm Sorry by Gina and Mercer Mayer is about a little boy that says, "I'm Sorry," whenever he makes a mistake. Finally his mother tells him saying, "I'm Sorry, just isn't enough because you need to learn to be more careful. It is a good lesson for young children delivered in a cute story to teach responsibility.

[Ryan]

I learned that accidents happens sometimes. You should try not to get your new shoes in the mud or your new shoes will get all dirty. Accidents happen when sometimes you turn the tv up too loud and you forgot to ask mommy if it's ok. And that's all I learned.

[Evie]

You know, as I read, I said to myself, "Wow this kid just needs to be more careful. He says he's sorry, but just keeps doing whatever he wants." And then the ending happened: sometimes "sorry" isn't good enough and you just need to be more careful. Goooood lesson.

[Adrienne]

I like how Little Critter learns to apologize, acknowledges that sometimes he isn't sorry, and learns that sometimes you have to do better than just apologize. Very true to children's (and sometimes adults') behavior.

[Holliann]

This is great for little kids. Especially 2 year olds!

[Michelle Carter]

Sometimes saying "I'm sorry" isn't enough, especially if you don't mean it or you keep doing the same thing over and over. Our little friend learns that actions speak louder than words.

[Eva-Marie Nevarez]

One of the better books in my opinion. Julia really liked this one too. Sometimes the Critter books get a little old for me but this one I can always read with no problem.

[Lajune Neal]

This is an absolute adorable story! This is a great family book and is also good to read to children who do things and believe that everything is okay if they just say they are sorry all the time.

[Theresa]

a cute story with a cute idea, using the stories of his daily life to teach children.

[Gianni Llano]

I loved the lesson at the end. It was valuable to tell children that sometimes sorry isn't enough, and they just need to be more careful.

[Alexis]

Good story line