I'M SORRY YOU GOT MAD by Kyle Lukoff

Review by Kelly Carey

There is an art to crafting a sincere apology. In I’m Sorry You Got Mad (Dial Books for Young Readers, 2024) illustrated by Julie Kwon, author Kyle Lukoff presents letters to explore the common pitfalls along the road to a true and productive apology. Jack has knocked over Zoe’s castle and he has a lot of big feelings about it. Real regret and empathy are not Jack’s initial emotions. As he struggles to grasp what goes into a genuine apology, readers will learn from his missteps and parents and teachers will appreciate the lesson nestled deep inside a solidly entertaining story. Kwon does a fabulous job showing a very frustrated Jack while Lukoff offers up a helpful and sympathetic teacher who patiently guides Jack in the art of saying sorry “for real”. The payoff of his well-articulated apology gives the story a satisfying and heartwarming ending. 

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On Writing
Lukoff tells his entire story in an epistolary style and the result is that the reader stays firmly inside the protagonist’s head. This allows Lukoff to show his main character’s frustration and eventual emotional arc without letting the story become didactic. The text teaches the reader how to form a good apology, but by using the notes Jack writes to Zoe the lesson becomes a show don’t tell moment that makes the text fun, realistic, and heartwarming. Kwon plays with the facial expressions of the main character to give added magic to the emotions of the letters.
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This is an excellent mentor text for epistolary style and a reminder to authors to allow the illustrator space to be a full partner in the storytelling. 

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To learn more about author Kyle Lukoff visit his website here. 

To learn more about illustrator Julie Kwon visit her website here.