Sorry

This is a rather simple story at first look. But it is so very much more. It tell how two brothers living in a small cabin in the North Country, suddenly have a spat over lumpy oatmeal which effected the lives of several generations to come. I enjoyed the story, there was much to be learned here and the text was written in a nice, folk tale manner...very readable. I was very, very impressed with the illustrations. If you look quite closely at them, i.e. the illustrations, you can certainy see the influence of Thomas Hart Benton's work, never a bad thing in my opinion as I feel he was one of our countries best painters. The pictures are wonderfully executed, follow the text perfectly and are a delight in themselves. (some of these painting are actually good enough to frame for the wall, if you had the originals or nice prints). The story is a wonderful tool to open the discussion up with your child about silly anger and just where it can lead. We all know families that have been torn apart, friendship ruined, etc. by just such silly and little things. All in all, this is one of the better books in this particular genre I've read for quite some time now. Recommend this one highly.

Ebenezer and Obadiah are brothers living and working together on their New England farm. Ebenezer plowed the fields and cooked while Obadiah milked the cow and cleaned and all went well until the morning Obadiah took a bite of his oatmeal and muttered "lumps". Ebenezer was so insulted that he picked up the bowl and dumped the oatmeal on Obadiah's head. Both brothers were furious and stopped talking to the other. Ebenezer waited for Obadiah to apologize, but he didn't. Obadiah waited for Ebenezer to say he was sorry, but that never happened. And with that, the feud began and the brothers never spoke to each other again. Soon, Obadiah sawed off his half of the farmhouse and dragged it across the valley to the next hillside. Both brothers' farms prospered. They married and had children and grandchildren and even great-grandchildren who never spoke to each other. They grew very, very old. Then one day their great-grandson's met at the wall that divided their properties..... Jean Van Leeuwen has written a simple, poignant, yet powerful story about how such a little thing as acknowledging a mistake and saying "I'm sorry", can change the course of lives forever. Her expressive text with its gentle message and air of sadness, is beautifully complemented by Brad Sneed's bold, rich watercolor illustrations, full of wonderful farm life detail, that pull you into the story and the brother's lives. Perfect for youngsters 5-9, Sorry is told with great honesty and wisdom and should open the door to some important discussions about pride and forgiveness.

Be sure and read this or you'll be sorry! Fun, folksy illustrations to a story illustrating the power of one small word that can be surprisingly hard to say. Two close brothers have a falling out due to "lumpy" oatmeal. The brothers never speak again and when the brothers marry and have families the feud continues...