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Reverso Poems
Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reverso Poems
What’s brewing when two favorites—poetry and fairy tales—are turned (literally) on their heads? It’s a revolutionary recipe: an infectious new genre of poetry and a lovably modern take on classic stories. First, read the poems forward (how old-fashioned!), then reverse the lines and read again to give familiar tales, from Sleeping Beauty to that Charming Prince, a delicious new spin. Witty, irreverent, and warm, this gorgeously illustrated and utterly unique offering holds a mirror up to language and fairy tales, and renews the fun and magic of both.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published March 4, 2010
About the author
Marilyn Singer
151 books101 followersMarilyn Singer was born in the Bronx (New York City) on October 3, 1948 and lived most of her early life in N. Massapequa (Long Island), NY. She attended Queens College, City University of New York, and for her junior year, Reading University, England. She holds a B.A. in English from Queens and an M.A. in Communications from New York University.
In 1974, after teaching English in New York City high schools for several years, she began to write - initially film notes, catalogues, teacher's guides and film strips. Then, one day, when she was sitting in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, she penned a story featuring talking insect characters she'd made up when she was eight. Encouraged by the responses she got, she wrote more stories and in 1976 her first book, The Dog Who Insisted He Wasn't, was published by E.P.Dutton & Co.
Since then, Marilyn has published over seventy books for children and young adults. Her genres are many and varied, including realistic novels, fantasies, non-fiction, fairy tales, picture books, mysteries and poetry. She likes writing many different kinds of books because it's challenging and it keeps her from getting bored. She has won several Children's Choice and Parents' Choice Awards, as well as the following: the Creature Carnival, Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award Honor Book, 2005; I Believe in Water: Twelve Brushes with Religion, New York Public Library's "Best Books for the Teen Age," 2001; Stay True: Short Stories for Strong Girls, Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults, 2000 (YALSA); On the Same Day in March, Booklist's Top Ten Science Books of 2000; NCSS-CBC Notable Book, 2000; Deal with a Ghost, finalist, YA category, Edgar Award, 1998; It Can't Hurt Forever, Maud Hart Lovelace Award, 1983; The Course of True Love Never Did Run Smooth, ALA Best Book for Young Adults, 1983; Turtle in July, NCTE Notable, N.Y.Times Best Illustrated and Time Magazine Best Children's Books of 1989; Turtle in July was also a Reading Rainbow review book.
Marilyn currently lives in Brooklyn, NY, with her husband Steve; their standard poodle Oggi, a cousin of their beloved and recently departed poodle Easy, seen in the home page photo; a cat named August ; two collared doves named Jubilee and Holiday; and a starling named Darling. Her interests include dog training, reading, hiking, bird-watching, gardening, meditation, playing computer adventure games and going to the movies and the theatre. She's also a major Star Trek fan.
In 1974, after teaching English in New York City high schools for several years, she began to write - initially film notes, catalogues, teacher's guides and film strips. Then, one day, when she was sitting in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, she penned a story featuring talking insect characters she'd made up when she was eight. Encouraged by the responses she got, she wrote more stories and in 1976 her first book, The Dog Who Insisted He Wasn't, was published by E.P.Dutton & Co.
Since then, Marilyn has published over seventy books for children and young adults. Her genres are many and varied, including realistic novels, fantasies, non-fiction, fairy tales, picture books, mysteries and poetry. She likes writing many different kinds of books because it's challenging and it keeps her from getting bored. She has won several Children's Choice and Parents' Choice Awards, as well as the following: the Creature Carnival, Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award Honor Book, 2005; I Believe in Water: Twelve Brushes with Religion, New York Public Library's "Best Books for the Teen Age," 2001; Stay True: Short Stories for Strong Girls, Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults, 2000 (YALSA); On the Same Day in March, Booklist's Top Ten Science Books of 2000; NCSS-CBC Notable Book, 2000; Deal with a Ghost, finalist, YA category, Edgar Award, 1998; It Can't Hurt Forever, Maud Hart Lovelace Award, 1983; The Course of True Love Never Did Run Smooth, ALA Best Book for Young Adults, 1983; Turtle in July, NCTE Notable, N.Y.Times Best Illustrated and Time Magazine Best Children's Books of 1989; Turtle in July was also a Reading Rainbow review book.
Marilyn currently lives in Brooklyn, NY, with her husband Steve; their standard poodle Oggi, a cousin of their beloved and recently departed poodle Easy, seen in the home page photo; a cat named August ; two collared doves named Jubilee and Holiday; and a starling named Darling. Her interests include dog training, reading, hiking, bird-watching, gardening, meditation, playing computer adventure games and going to the movies and the theatre. She's also a major Star Trek fan.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 948 reviews
March 19, 2019
This book was delightful. It took me 2 poems before I got what was going on and it tickled me. There is a poem about a fairy tale character on half the page and then the other half of the page is the same poem read backward. It’s written smartly, so it reads well both ways and tells the story from two different angles.
I also love the artwork. There is one page of art with a line down the middle of it as well and it is both stories told and the shapes blend into each other from each page. This book is the very definition of clever. I thoroughly enjoyed this little surprise.
The children enjoyed this book, but they didn’t think it was a s great as I did. The niece loved the artwork and when I pointed out what the words were doing, so thought it was interesting. She gave it 4 stars. The nephew didn’t care about the wordplay, but he thought it interesting with the mirror picture and the poems made his giggle a little. He gave it 3 stars.
I also love the artwork. There is one page of art with a line down the middle of it as well and it is both stories told and the shapes blend into each other from each page. This book is the very definition of clever. I thoroughly enjoyed this little surprise.
The children enjoyed this book, but they didn’t think it was a s great as I did. The niece loved the artwork and when I pointed out what the words were doing, so thought it was interesting. She gave it 4 stars. The nephew didn’t care about the wordplay, but he thought it interesting with the mirror picture and the poems made his giggle a little. He gave it 3 stars.
May 4, 2010
I like to think that the world of children's literature has gained a bit more respect in the last decade or so. Folks notice it and reference it more often. And as sales continue to be good and scholars take note of it more often, its sub-genres proliferate and gain acceptance. Graphic novelists of children's fare increase. Non-fiction writers for kids demand more attention. And then there are the poets. Poets like Marilyn Singer who has been doing good steady work for years and years. I'm looking at my watch and I see that it's just about time that Ms. Singer get her due. How clever of her to make it easy on me by producing a poetry picture book that is not only fun, not only clever, and not only beautiful to look at, but also has a good FIVE stars from five professional review journals. Mirror Mirror is everything a person wants in a book for kids. It's enjoyable for children, who will pore over the wordplay for long stretches of time, and it's clever enough for the gatekeepers (librarians, teachers, parents, etc.) who want a poetry book for kids that doesn't take them to Snoresville, USA. Mirror Mirror, in short, delivers.
Better flip to the back of the book (how appropriate!) if you want an explanation of what's going on here. Says the last page, "We read most poems down a page. But what if we read them up?" Calling such poems "reversos", Singer's concept is simple. Each poem is repeated. The one on the left is read down. Then Singer takes the same words, puts in some slightly different punctuation, and when each line is read backwards it tells an entirely new story. The stories in this book are fairy tales and Singer not only tells the tales frontwards and backwards but gives them new stories too. The ugly duckling, for example, has some doubts of his own potential beauty. In his upbeat poem he says confidently, "Plain to see - / look at me. / A beauty I'll be." Then doubts set in and he sighs, "A beauty I'll be? / Look at me - / plain to see." One of the smartest books out there for kids, young readers will be entranced by Singer's wordplay and Masse's lovely (if not equally clever) illustrations.
When I first heard of a "reverso" I thought it meant a poem where every single word is backwards when it repeats. Fortunately, Singer has no wish to drive herself bonkers. It's not every word that's backwards, but lines. This makes for great wordplay, and some creative solutions. My favorite is the poem that I think also comes across as the cleverest. "In the Hood" is a Little Red Riding Hood take. It's short, so I can write it in full here. On the Little Red side of the equation it reads, "In my hood / skipping through the wood / carrying a basket / picking berries to eat - / juicy and sweet / what a treat! / But a girl / mustn't dawdle. / After all, Grandma's waiting." The wolf replies, "After all, Grandma's waiting, / mustn't dawdle . . . / But a girl! / What a treat - / juicy and sweet, / picking berries to eat, / carrying a basket, / skipping through the wood / in my `hood."
Alas, not every poem is equally strong. I found I was a little baffled by the Rapunzel verses, since I couldn't figure out who was telling each of the two poems. Generally speaking, though, these glitches are the exception rather than the rule. And if you don't care for one poem, you're bound to think another is fantastic.
Most folks will probably look at the pictures here and assume that illustrator Josee Masse utilizes a kind of paint on wood technique similar to the work of Stefano Vitale. Not the case, I assure you. According to her editor, "she painted the pieces of art with acrylic paint on illustration board. She uses an undercoat of acrylic which is what gives the texture . . . . Then she builds up colors on top of that". These puppies clearly took serious work to make. What I like about the pictures too is how well she has split the pictures that accompany the poems into two mirror-like images. Their details reflect how well Masse has understood the text too. For example, in the poem "Do You Know My Name?" the girl from the Rumpelstiltskin story laments that even though she's the beloved heroine, no one ever knows her name. On the opposite page we see the little man dancing beside a fire that burns his name into smoke, while on the other side that smoke has turned into golden thread that spells out nothing at all. Extra points to Masse for taking the time to draw a correct bobbin on a spinning wheel too. Most artists of that story don't take the time (Paul Zelinsky being an exception).
I can't help but think that with the success of this book Singer and Masse will simply have to give in to the demands of their fans and do a sequel of sorts. Why, they could take nursery rhymes in the second! Then classic children's books in the third. Then famous women from history, tall tales, presidents, the list goes on and on. For now, though, we can enjoy this single reverso collection, possibly the first of its kind for kids. Beautiful both as object and as a way of getting kids interested in poetic forms, this is a must purchase for any library or home collection. One of a kind.
Ages 4-8
Better flip to the back of the book (how appropriate!) if you want an explanation of what's going on here. Says the last page, "We read most poems down a page. But what if we read them up?" Calling such poems "reversos", Singer's concept is simple. Each poem is repeated. The one on the left is read down. Then Singer takes the same words, puts in some slightly different punctuation, and when each line is read backwards it tells an entirely new story. The stories in this book are fairy tales and Singer not only tells the tales frontwards and backwards but gives them new stories too. The ugly duckling, for example, has some doubts of his own potential beauty. In his upbeat poem he says confidently, "Plain to see - / look at me. / A beauty I'll be." Then doubts set in and he sighs, "A beauty I'll be? / Look at me - / plain to see." One of the smartest books out there for kids, young readers will be entranced by Singer's wordplay and Masse's lovely (if not equally clever) illustrations.
When I first heard of a "reverso" I thought it meant a poem where every single word is backwards when it repeats. Fortunately, Singer has no wish to drive herself bonkers. It's not every word that's backwards, but lines. This makes for great wordplay, and some creative solutions. My favorite is the poem that I think also comes across as the cleverest. "In the Hood" is a Little Red Riding Hood take. It's short, so I can write it in full here. On the Little Red side of the equation it reads, "In my hood / skipping through the wood / carrying a basket / picking berries to eat - / juicy and sweet / what a treat! / But a girl / mustn't dawdle. / After all, Grandma's waiting." The wolf replies, "After all, Grandma's waiting, / mustn't dawdle . . . / But a girl! / What a treat - / juicy and sweet, / picking berries to eat, / carrying a basket, / skipping through the wood / in my `hood."
Alas, not every poem is equally strong. I found I was a little baffled by the Rapunzel verses, since I couldn't figure out who was telling each of the two poems. Generally speaking, though, these glitches are the exception rather than the rule. And if you don't care for one poem, you're bound to think another is fantastic.
Most folks will probably look at the pictures here and assume that illustrator Josee Masse utilizes a kind of paint on wood technique similar to the work of Stefano Vitale. Not the case, I assure you. According to her editor, "she painted the pieces of art with acrylic paint on illustration board. She uses an undercoat of acrylic which is what gives the texture . . . . Then she builds up colors on top of that". These puppies clearly took serious work to make. What I like about the pictures too is how well she has split the pictures that accompany the poems into two mirror-like images. Their details reflect how well Masse has understood the text too. For example, in the poem "Do You Know My Name?" the girl from the Rumpelstiltskin story laments that even though she's the beloved heroine, no one ever knows her name. On the opposite page we see the little man dancing beside a fire that burns his name into smoke, while on the other side that smoke has turned into golden thread that spells out nothing at all. Extra points to Masse for taking the time to draw a correct bobbin on a spinning wheel too. Most artists of that story don't take the time (Paul Zelinsky being an exception).
I can't help but think that with the success of this book Singer and Masse will simply have to give in to the demands of their fans and do a sequel of sorts. Why, they could take nursery rhymes in the second! Then classic children's books in the third. Then famous women from history, tall tales, presidents, the list goes on and on. For now, though, we can enjoy this single reverso collection, possibly the first of its kind for kids. Beautiful both as object and as a way of getting kids interested in poetic forms, this is a must purchase for any library or home collection. One of a kind.
Ages 4-8
January 30, 2011
These reverso poems (read the same going down as going up) are clever. They don’t always work 100% but they work well enough and they’re very impressive given how hard they are to write/construct. They’re fiendishly difficult to write; I can tell. The ones I liked best were the ones that specifically gave the perspectives of two different characters depending on whether they were read up or down.
All the fairy tales included are favorites from my childhood, and I also like the author’s first ever reverso poem, one that she wrote about her cat, and shares in the About the Reverso section in the back of the book. This book is a wonderful complement to the original fairy tales and probably best enjoyed by children who are first familiar with the actual tales. They’re great fun, and less frightening than the fairy tales themselves.
I was so fascinated with how these poems worked that I practically ignored the illustrations during my first reading. I had to go back and look at them more carefully. They’re in a style I’m not wild about, but they’re fun to view alongside these poems.
I haven’t been in much of a fairy tale mood lately so in a way I think I enjoyed these poems more than the full fairy tales. They’re a novelty.
All the fairy tales included are favorites from my childhood, and I also like the author’s first ever reverso poem, one that she wrote about her cat, and shares in the About the Reverso section in the back of the book. This book is a wonderful complement to the original fairy tales and probably best enjoyed by children who are first familiar with the actual tales. They’re great fun, and less frightening than the fairy tales themselves.
I was so fascinated with how these poems worked that I practically ignored the illustrations during my first reading. I had to go back and look at them more carefully. They’re in a style I’m not wild about, but they’re fun to view alongside these poems.
I haven’t been in much of a fairy tale mood lately so in a way I think I enjoyed these poems more than the full fairy tales. They’re a novelty.
January 13, 2011
This book is so much fun for word-lovers! Singer's poetry takes the form of reversos--a poem that reads one way down but takes on a new meaning when read "up" (reversed, with changes in punctuation and capitalization). As Singer notes in her Author's Note, this is especially effective in telling two sides of one story.
Here, the stories presented are fairy tales. I really enjoyed the selection but felt that some of the poems were more successful than others. In a few cases, it just seemed too awkward and obvious trying to fit the reverso. But, some were just gorgeous and I loved the way they conveyed both sides of a story, such as in "Beauty and the Beast" and "Cinderella"
Overall, I definitely recommend this to poetry lovers and fairytale fans. The artwork makes a nice compliment; while not always in reverso format, I did like the two perspectives in "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" You'll also see it appearing on the mock Caldecott lists here on GoodReads so I imagine there are others out there who liked it even more than I did.
Here, the stories presented are fairy tales. I really enjoyed the selection but felt that some of the poems were more successful than others. In a few cases, it just seemed too awkward and obvious trying to fit the reverso. But, some were just gorgeous and I loved the way they conveyed both sides of a story, such as in "Beauty and the Beast" and "Cinderella"
Overall, I definitely recommend this to poetry lovers and fairytale fans. The artwork makes a nice compliment; while not always in reverso format, I did like the two perspectives in "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" You'll also see it appearing on the mock Caldecott lists here on GoodReads so I imagine there are others out there who liked it even more than I did.
March 5, 2020
Marilyn Singer presents fourteen "reverso" poems in this delightful picture-book, each of which offers a dual retelling of a classic fairy-tale. Read down the page, the poem tells one side of the story, but when the lines are printed in the opposite order, it gives another perspective. Consider In the Hood, from both Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf's perspective:
In my hood / skipping through the wood, / carrying a basket, /
picking berries to eat - / juicy and sweet / what a treat! /
But a girl / mustn't dawdle. / After all, Grandma's waiting.
After all, Grandmother's waiting / mustn't dawdle... / But a girl! /
What a treat - / juicy and sweet, / picking berries to eat, /
carrying a basket, / skipping through the wood / in my 'hood.
Some of these selections work better than others, but when done right, they are immensely appealing and quite thought-provoking. They're obviously also very clever! The illustrations are colorful, and while I wouldn't describe them as a particular favorite, I appreciated the way in which the dual nature of the poems in question is captured in the artwork.
I was a little confused to see that the author claims to have invented this form, which she has named the "reverso," as I believe that the ancient Greeks and Romans also had (very short) "palindrome poems," and the epic Sanskrit poems Kirātārjunīya and Shishupala Vadha (neither of which I have read) are said to contain longer passages in the form. But leaving that aside (after all, not everyone has studied ancient literature!), I do think that, in the field of contemporary poetry, and specifically, children's poetry, Singer has done something innovative and exciting. I consider it an added bonus that she chose to experiment with this new form in order to retell fairy-tales!
In my hood / skipping through the wood, / carrying a basket, /
picking berries to eat - / juicy and sweet / what a treat! /
But a girl / mustn't dawdle. / After all, Grandma's waiting.
After all, Grandmother's waiting / mustn't dawdle... / But a girl! /
What a treat - / juicy and sweet, / picking berries to eat, /
carrying a basket, / skipping through the wood / in my 'hood.
Some of these selections work better than others, but when done right, they are immensely appealing and quite thought-provoking. They're obviously also very clever! The illustrations are colorful, and while I wouldn't describe them as a particular favorite, I appreciated the way in which the dual nature of the poems in question is captured in the artwork.
I was a little confused to see that the author claims to have invented this form, which she has named the "reverso," as I believe that the ancient Greeks and Romans also had (very short) "palindrome poems," and the epic Sanskrit poems Kirātārjunīya and Shishupala Vadha (neither of which I have read) are said to contain longer passages in the form. But leaving that aside (after all, not everyone has studied ancient literature!), I do think that, in the field of contemporary poetry, and specifically, children's poetry, Singer has done something innovative and exciting. I consider it an added bonus that she chose to experiment with this new form in order to retell fairy-tales!
June 3, 2019
Isn't
this
a fairy tale?
A fairy tale
this
isn't . . .
Using the same poem, but reversed, Singer cleverly manages to tell both sides of the story when it comes to Red Riding Hood and the wolf, Goldilocks and the bears, and other familiar characters. A fun book with lovely artwork by Josée Masse.
this
a fairy tale?
A fairy tale
this
isn't . . .
Using the same poem, but reversed, Singer cleverly manages to tell both sides of the story when it comes to Red Riding Hood and the wolf, Goldilocks and the bears, and other familiar characters. A fun book with lovely artwork by Josée Masse.
October 16, 2010
Very clever! Marilyn Singer has created a new verse form, the "reverso," in which a poem can be read from top to bottom with one meaning, and from bottom to top with another meaning. Only punctuation can be changed. These poems are based on fairy tales. Each pair of poems express 2 different viewpoints from the same fairy tale. Not easy to write, but fun to read! Recommended--I must try it!
November 18, 2010
The idea is clever but I wished there was more depth or discussion to these fairy tale poems. The concept is interesting - Singer attempts to shed light in the well-known fairy tales by exposing both sides of the story through reversible verse. Singer writes the traditional version of the story and then rewrites the same words from bottom to top. I understand that she is limited in her words since the verse has to make sense top to bottom and then bottom to top, but some of the fairy tales told from the opposite perspective fall short or flat. I thought when I picked up the book that it would be more about the untold stories from the other characters. What I did appreciate though was the attempt to consider multiple perspectives - exposing children to this idea could potentially prevent or at least raise the idea that there isn't always "one truth."
I would still use this book with my freshman when we explore fairy tales in the beginning of the year. If anything - it may be a good way to introduce the unit in terms of discussing how "there's more to fairy tales than meets the eye." I might lead with the story of Briar Rose titled "The Sleeping Beauty and the Wide-Awake Prince." The first poem is "Typical. / Hacking through briars, / looking for love - / the prince at work. / But I have to be / sleeping, / never / partying, / never / out in the world. / It's no fun being / in a fairy tale." This is the traditional story told in the perspective of Briar Rose/Sleeping Beauty - the typical damsel in distress. Then the second poem reads "In a fairy tale / it's no fun being / out in the world, / never / partying, / never / sleeping. / But I have to be / the prince at work, / looking for love, / hacking through briars. / Typical." This second poem provides the perspective of the prince - the one who has to be the savior or rescuer. Students could begin discussing all of the "untold" stories or all of the hidden messages in fairy tales.
I would still use this book with my freshman when we explore fairy tales in the beginning of the year. If anything - it may be a good way to introduce the unit in terms of discussing how "there's more to fairy tales than meets the eye." I might lead with the story of Briar Rose titled "The Sleeping Beauty and the Wide-Awake Prince." The first poem is "Typical. / Hacking through briars, / looking for love - / the prince at work. / But I have to be / sleeping, / never / partying, / never / out in the world. / It's no fun being / in a fairy tale." This is the traditional story told in the perspective of Briar Rose/Sleeping Beauty - the typical damsel in distress. Then the second poem reads "In a fairy tale / it's no fun being / out in the world, / never / partying, / never / sleeping. / But I have to be / the prince at work, / looking for love, / hacking through briars. / Typical." This second poem provides the perspective of the prince - the one who has to be the savior or rescuer. Students could begin discussing all of the "untold" stories or all of the hidden messages in fairy tales.
October 9, 2010
The thing that I love about reading and all the arts in general is that even though that particular art form has been around for hundreds or thousands of years, the well of creativity does not run dry. Marilyn Singer has created the reverso, a poem that reads backwards and forwards and composed a book about fairy tales. Here's an example:
Isn't life unfair?
Stuck in a corner,
while they're waiting for a chance
with the prince,
dancing waltz after waltz
at the ball,
I'll be shining
these shoes
till the clock strikes midnight.
Till the clock strikes midnight,
these shoes!
I'll be shining
at the ball,
dancing waltz after waltz
with the prince
while they're waiting for a chance,
stuck in a corner.
Isn't life unfair?
Brilliant, eh? I'm going to dock this book a star though, because not all of the reversos have a double meaning. Also, the poems wouldn't really be any good if you read them on their own. Anyway, kids and parents will delight in these poems and have fun reading them together. Plus, it illustrates the importance of punctuation to kids!
Mirror Mirror is rumored to be up for the Caldecott but I don't think it'll win--the brilliance of the book is not in the illustrations but in the wonderful poems. Nevertheless, the illustrations are great and help show the difference in the poems. Highly recommended.
Isn't life unfair?
Stuck in a corner,
while they're waiting for a chance
with the prince,
dancing waltz after waltz
at the ball,
I'll be shining
these shoes
till the clock strikes midnight.
Till the clock strikes midnight,
these shoes!
I'll be shining
at the ball,
dancing waltz after waltz
with the prince
while they're waiting for a chance,
stuck in a corner.
Isn't life unfair?
Brilliant, eh? I'm going to dock this book a star though, because not all of the reversos have a double meaning. Also, the poems wouldn't really be any good if you read them on their own. Anyway, kids and parents will delight in these poems and have fun reading them together. Plus, it illustrates the importance of punctuation to kids!
Mirror Mirror is rumored to be up for the Caldecott but I don't think it'll win--the brilliance of the book is not in the illustrations but in the wonderful poems. Nevertheless, the illustrations are great and help show the difference in the poems. Highly recommended.
June 27, 2012
I didn't enjoy these poems as much as I thought I would. The idea behind them is very clever, and I can see that Marilyn Singer has a real talent for writing them. I love the idea of having two poems that use the same lines in reverse order yet have a completely different meaning. The part I didn't like is that many of the poems feel choppy and vague. I had to reread some of them to catch the meaning - especially of the "mirror" poems. Sometimes it was hard to get the meaning of the first poem out of my head enough to catch the meaning of the mirror poem. Looking at the illustrations carefully, which are very clever and help point out the mirror aspect of this book, helped a lot. Josée Masse did a wonderful job with the illustrations!
This is a very clever idea, and could be used by teachers in either a poetry unit or a fairy tale unit. These poems could also be used to show the importance of punctuation and how a simple change in punctuation can greatly change the meaning of a sentence. I did enjoy this book, just not as much as I thought I would.
This is a very clever idea, and could be used by teachers in either a poetry unit or a fairy tale unit. These poems could also be used to show the importance of punctuation and how a simple change in punctuation can greatly change the meaning of a sentence. I did enjoy this book, just not as much as I thought I would.
May 4, 2014
“There are two sides to every story.”
Mirror, Mirror
is the fairy tale book
full of reversible verse
with fairy tale pictures
for very young kids
but mostly
for adults who actually understand these
though they are similar,
These are not true palindromes.
These are not true palindromes
though they are similar
for adults who actually understand these
but mostly
for very young kids
with fairy tale pictures
full of reversible verse
is the fairy tale book
Mirror, Mirror
“There are two sides to every story.”
This was a delightful collection of verse that showed two sides to every story with the reversible poems which were rather more clever than what I whipped off for the review. I can see why adults might appreciate the verses more than very young children, but the pictures are very child friendly. I enjoyed it.
Mirror, Mirror
is the fairy tale book
full of reversible verse
with fairy tale pictures
for very young kids
but mostly
for adults who actually understand these
though they are similar,
These are not true palindromes.
These are not true palindromes
though they are similar
for adults who actually understand these
but mostly
for very young kids
with fairy tale pictures
full of reversible verse
is the fairy tale book
Mirror, Mirror
“There are two sides to every story.”
This was a delightful collection of verse that showed two sides to every story with the reversible poems which were rather more clever than what I whipped off for the review. I can see why adults might appreciate the verses more than very young children, but the pictures are very child friendly. I enjoyed it.
April 23, 2010
This is a fabulous book of "reverso" poems with a fairy tale theme. Each poem is presented one way and then again in reverse, often with a tremendous twist in meaning. It's a fascinating work of wordsmithing and artistry, but I'm not sure our girls are quite ready for it. I certainly enjoyed it, however. I was impressed with how difficult it must be to craft a poem such as this, and I am in awe of Marilyn Singer's ability to create a new kind of poetry. The illustrations are quite nice as well.
July 7, 2016
Ellie really enjoyed listening to the audio while looking at the book, Jake...not so much..krb 7/1/16
March 9, 2017
Rating: 5
I'm in love with these twisty, upside down fairytales. The way the author was able to switched the poem on its head was amazing. I cannot wait to read more books like this one.
I'm in love with these twisty, upside down fairytales. The way the author was able to switched the poem on its head was amazing. I cannot wait to read more books like this one.
August 7, 2019
Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reverso Poems is a children's picture book of poems written by Marilyn Singer and illustrated by Josée Masse, which is an anthology of reverso poems, which are poems that could be read forward and backward, about fairytales.
Singers's poetry is rather simplistic, but ingeniously written. Singer uses "reverso" poems, a form of her creation, to show that there are two sides to every fairy tale. On each page, two poems appear, one an inversion of the other with minor changes in punctuation. Masse's illustrations cleverly represent each reverso poem with an illustration likewise.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. It is an anthology of reverso poems with accompany illustrations about the duality of fairy tales. Some fairy tales represented are: Cinderella, Snow White, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, Ugly Duckling, Snow White, Jack and the Beanstalk, The Three Bears, Hansel and Gretel, Rumpelstiltskin, The Frog Prince, and Beauty and the Beast. The poems are carefully crafted so that one could read each line of the poems forward and backward and creates a single poem being told in two perspectives for each respective fairy tale.
All in all, Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reverso Poems is a wonderful collection of reversible verse and poems that are written about popular fairy tales with wonderful duality art that accompany each pair of poems.
Singers's poetry is rather simplistic, but ingeniously written. Singer uses "reverso" poems, a form of her creation, to show that there are two sides to every fairy tale. On each page, two poems appear, one an inversion of the other with minor changes in punctuation. Masse's illustrations cleverly represent each reverso poem with an illustration likewise.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. It is an anthology of reverso poems with accompany illustrations about the duality of fairy tales. Some fairy tales represented are: Cinderella, Snow White, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, Ugly Duckling, Snow White, Jack and the Beanstalk, The Three Bears, Hansel and Gretel, Rumpelstiltskin, The Frog Prince, and Beauty and the Beast. The poems are carefully crafted so that one could read each line of the poems forward and backward and creates a single poem being told in two perspectives for each respective fairy tale.
All in all, Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reverso Poems is a wonderful collection of reversible verse and poems that are written about popular fairy tales with wonderful duality art that accompany each pair of poems.
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February 9, 2021Kind of wished there was something more to these poems' substance, but the concept is unique and delightful! It would especially be mind-blowingly amazing to use in a poetry lesson plan for grade schoolers. The art style is also delightful!
June 8, 2022
You can definitely tell this was Singer's first published book of Reverso poems - it's just not quite as good as the other two. Still VERY clever and enjoyable, but she did improve in this style as she wrote.
I especially liked Cinderella's and Rumpelstitskin's.
I especially liked Cinderella's and Rumpelstitskin's.
March 5, 2012
Mirror Mirror is one of the most interesting poetry books I have ever seen! The overall concept of the book is to include poems about various characters from fairy tales, and then give them in reverse. These reverso poems take the exact same words from the original poem being read top to bottom and reverses the order they are said, essentially reading the poem from the bottom to the top. I did not fully understand what the book was doing until I read the author's note at the end that explained the reverso . Until that point, I thought the second poem on each page was rearranging the same words into a different order. Once I realized that the author had actually reversed the order of the words and was only allowed to change the punctuation, my mind was rather blown! It is fascinating that reversing the word order and changing some of the pauses can create an entirely different meaning. (Ah, the wonders of linguistics!). In the case of this book, the author and illustrator worked in tandem to show that one poem showed the perspective of one character from the fairy tale while the reverso showed that of another. Most of the illustrations, which are rich and vibrant oil paintings, are split-screen, with one poem's perspective depicted on one half and the other poem's on the other side.
This book is best understood by reading a sample:
The Sleeping Beatuy and the Wide-Awake Prince
Poem 1:
Typical.
Hacking through briars,
looking for love--
the prince at work.
But I have to be
sleeping,
never
partying,
never
out in the world.
It's no fun being
in a fairy tale.
Poem 2:
In a fairy tale
it's no fun being
out in the world,
never
partying,
never
sleeping.
But I have to be
the prince at work,
looking for love,
hacking through briars.
Typical.
This book could be appreciated by a wide range of students, K-9, but would work best with students in grades 2-5. Students on the younger age of that range will appreciate hearing about their favorite fairy tales and will benefit from considering each story from a different perspective. Older students will benefit from the poems for the same reasons, but could use the book a mentor text if they were to create their own reverso poem. If used with students in the upper grades (middle school and high school), the book could be used as a review of point of view and an introduction to a point of view activity/project in which students write a well known story from another character's point of view. Other mentor texts for this activity could include books like The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs as told by the Wolf to author Jon Scieszka.
ReadWriteThink (IRA/NCTE lesson plans) online actually has a full write up of a lesson plan that resembles the activity that I just described. It can be found at http://www.readwritethink.org/resourc....
This book is best understood by reading a sample:
The Sleeping Beatuy and the Wide-Awake Prince
Poem 1:
Typical.
Hacking through briars,
looking for love--
the prince at work.
But I have to be
sleeping,
never
partying,
never
out in the world.
It's no fun being
in a fairy tale.
Poem 2:
In a fairy tale
it's no fun being
out in the world,
never
partying,
never
sleeping.
But I have to be
the prince at work,
looking for love,
hacking through briars.
Typical.
This book could be appreciated by a wide range of students, K-9, but would work best with students in grades 2-5. Students on the younger age of that range will appreciate hearing about their favorite fairy tales and will benefit from considering each story from a different perspective. Older students will benefit from the poems for the same reasons, but could use the book a mentor text if they were to create their own reverso poem. If used with students in the upper grades (middle school and high school), the book could be used as a review of point of view and an introduction to a point of view activity/project in which students write a well known story from another character's point of view. Other mentor texts for this activity could include books like The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs as told by the Wolf to author Jon Scieszka.
ReadWriteThink (IRA/NCTE lesson plans) online actually has a full write up of a lesson plan that resembles the activity that I just described. It can be found at http://www.readwritethink.org/resourc....
March 15, 2018
Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse takes famous fairy tale characters and writes a poem about that character. However, right next to it, is the same poem only written backwards or reversed. Readers will read one poem explaining a story or feeling. Then they can read the poem in reverse and the poem can have a completely different story or feeling. With most of these poems, one poem can be construed as negative and down while the other is more positive and upbeat. The author might be trying to convey that there are many ways to view a situation; one can choose to be negative while another chooses to be positive.
The illustrations are amazing in this book. The colors the illustrator uses really brings the pictures to life. I also feel the illustrator had a fun time using the concept of a mirror and reflections. All of the pictures are cut in half, in some way, in order to show both stories. The illustrations are very clever and really encourage the readers to look at each picture in details. I read this as an ebook on Overdrive and I really enjoyed this version. I would recommend using the ebook so all students are able to see the poems in reverse and the illustrations that go along with the text. I found this book on Goodreads because it won the Goodreads Choice Awards Best Picture Books.
I would recommend this book for grades 3-6. This could be used during a fairy tale unit to offer different perspectives on each story. This could also be used during an SEL lesson to educate students that there are always two sides to every story. People might look at the same situation and have two different reactions. No one is right or wrong, per say, it just educates students to understand perspectives. This goes along with what the chapter said about how “we need poetry to help our children celebrate what is clear, precise, beautiful, artful and try in our language”. This book allows students to see how our words can have two different meanings depending on how we say them or think about the words. This is a great, concrete, way to show students perspective.
The illustrations are amazing in this book. The colors the illustrator uses really brings the pictures to life. I also feel the illustrator had a fun time using the concept of a mirror and reflections. All of the pictures are cut in half, in some way, in order to show both stories. The illustrations are very clever and really encourage the readers to look at each picture in details. I read this as an ebook on Overdrive and I really enjoyed this version. I would recommend using the ebook so all students are able to see the poems in reverse and the illustrations that go along with the text. I found this book on Goodreads because it won the Goodreads Choice Awards Best Picture Books.
I would recommend this book for grades 3-6. This could be used during a fairy tale unit to offer different perspectives on each story. This could also be used during an SEL lesson to educate students that there are always two sides to every story. People might look at the same situation and have two different reactions. No one is right or wrong, per say, it just educates students to understand perspectives. This goes along with what the chapter said about how “we need poetry to help our children celebrate what is clear, precise, beautiful, artful and try in our language”. This book allows students to see how our words can have two different meanings depending on how we say them or think about the words. This is a great, concrete, way to show students perspective.
July 18, 2013
Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse is a book of reverso poetry. Each poem, which has a fairy tale theme, is presented one way, then it is reversed. The poem uses the exact same words written forward and backward (with small changes in punctuation), yet each poem provides a different point of view.
I found this type of poetry to be extremely creative and appealing. It definitely takes skill to craft these poems. My only hesitation with reading this book to children would be that the technique may cause difficulty with comprehension. I do believe however that the author uses several elements of craft well, including what Fletcher calls "spoken word", voice and tension.
The very structure of the reverso poems allows the reader to get to know the characters through their words: what they say and how they say it. You also hear their inner voice. As Fletcher says, the words "carry with them the sense that someone has actually written them." The lines are personal to each of the fairy tale characters and you momentarily know what it is like to be in their shoes. Since each set of poems take an opposing perspective, tension is also a built in element. For example, one set of reverso poems is about Goldilocks and the Three Bears. When read from Goldilocks's perspective you sense her confusion at the bears anger, and her lack of remorse for entering the bears home. (I mean they did leave the door unlocked.) The 3 bears on the other hand are furious over the fact that Goldilocks doesn't think what she did is a big deal. They also think she is absurd for trying to blame them for her crime. The illustrations further serve to create tension, as they are divided down the middle with each half taking on its perspective of the story.
This book is great for demonstrating person v. person conflict, inner conflict, perspective taking, and characterization. I would use it to teach any of these elements.
**Fletcher, R. (2013). What a Writer Needs (2nd ed). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.**
I found this type of poetry to be extremely creative and appealing. It definitely takes skill to craft these poems. My only hesitation with reading this book to children would be that the technique may cause difficulty with comprehension. I do believe however that the author uses several elements of craft well, including what Fletcher calls "spoken word", voice and tension.
The very structure of the reverso poems allows the reader to get to know the characters through their words: what they say and how they say it. You also hear their inner voice. As Fletcher says, the words "carry with them the sense that someone has actually written them." The lines are personal to each of the fairy tale characters and you momentarily know what it is like to be in their shoes. Since each set of poems take an opposing perspective, tension is also a built in element. For example, one set of reverso poems is about Goldilocks and the Three Bears. When read from Goldilocks's perspective you sense her confusion at the bears anger, and her lack of remorse for entering the bears home. (I mean they did leave the door unlocked.) The 3 bears on the other hand are furious over the fact that Goldilocks doesn't think what she did is a big deal. They also think she is absurd for trying to blame them for her crime. The illustrations further serve to create tension, as they are divided down the middle with each half taking on its perspective of the story.
This book is great for demonstrating person v. person conflict, inner conflict, perspective taking, and characterization. I would use it to teach any of these elements.
**Fletcher, R. (2013). What a Writer Needs (2nd ed). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.**
October 22, 2017
Mirror Mirror is a fun and quirky book of poems that literally flips stories on their heads to create clever twists on classic fairy tales. Creating a reverso poem involves taking a poem and flipping all of the lines from top to bottom. The only changes made are to punctuation and capitalization, and if done well, this leads to hilarious interpretations of these stories. Mirror Mirror takes on Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and many more stories with this unique twist. The result is that the stories are often told in two different perspectives. Sometimes this involves a prince that is sick and tired of all the rescuing, and sometimes the roles are completely reversed between characters. This is sure to put a smile on the face of anyone familiar with these tales. The reverso poem approach is also a very creative one. The inside cover of the book states that it "holds a cheeky mirror up to language and fairy tales, and renews the magic of both." The language component is really what makes this book so magical and could be part of a great lesson to language learners.
I'm sure students that are fans of poetry, especially in the upper elementary games, would love to be challenged to write their own reverso poems. The author, Marilyn Singer, shares her advice for writing reverso poems on this blog post: http://www.readbrightly.com/reverso-p...
"Find a story, subject, or character with two sides.
Start with a few lines that can be flipped so they make sense in reverse.
Select phrases that can be turned into questions and interjections.
Use a lot of participles, infinitives, and single word sentences.
The reversos have changes only in punctuation and capitalization, so get to know punctuation — how can you use a comma, period, dash, colon, semi-colon, etc.?
Write the poem on the computer so you can move the lines around until they make sense.
Don’t get discouraged — reversos are hard to write. Play and have fun!"
I'm sure students that are fans of poetry, especially in the upper elementary games, would love to be challenged to write their own reverso poems. The author, Marilyn Singer, shares her advice for writing reverso poems on this blog post: http://www.readbrightly.com/reverso-p...
"Find a story, subject, or character with two sides.
Start with a few lines that can be flipped so they make sense in reverse.
Select phrases that can be turned into questions and interjections.
Use a lot of participles, infinitives, and single word sentences.
The reversos have changes only in punctuation and capitalization, so get to know punctuation — how can you use a comma, period, dash, colon, semi-colon, etc.?
Write the poem on the computer so you can move the lines around until they make sense.
Don’t get discouraged — reversos are hard to write. Play and have fun!"
November 5, 2017
In her book “Mirror, Mirror,” Marilyn Singer crafts a mind-boggling and revolutionary form of poetry called reverso poems. Each poem is comprised of two parts. The first part is an old-fashioned fairy tale, and the second part is the exact wording of the first poem, just reversed in the way it is written. In forming this second poem as an opposite of the first, Singer casts a new light and perspective of some of the most well-known fairy tales, such as “The Little Mermaid” and “Snow White.”
This is a “wow” book for me, because I am amazed at the way Singer uses the same words in such a way that creates two completely different perspectives. This would be a great book to teach point of view. I am planning to use this book during fourth quarter when I teach a poetry unit, and I already see a number of ways I want to use it. First of all, I’d want to have students look at the pictures and titles to predict which characters’ points of view it is written from. After reading the two poems, we would decide if we were right or wrong. I would have students reference the text to explain how they decided who was speaking or who the poem was about. Another way I’d like to use it is to talk about author’s craft – how the author uses literary devices/elements to create the kind of style they want to use for their writing. “Mirror, Mirror” is an excellent text to use to define and give an example of author’s craft.
Another reason this is a “wow” book for me is because it teaches critical thinking. Students are presented with two points of view, the latter of which challenges the original perspective of each fairy tale. This book has potential for fostering classroom conversations with older elementary students about testing and questioning information to determine what is true.
I would recommend this book for upper elementary grades (3rd – 5th), though it could be adapted for lower grades as well.
This is a “wow” book for me, because I am amazed at the way Singer uses the same words in such a way that creates two completely different perspectives. This would be a great book to teach point of view. I am planning to use this book during fourth quarter when I teach a poetry unit, and I already see a number of ways I want to use it. First of all, I’d want to have students look at the pictures and titles to predict which characters’ points of view it is written from. After reading the two poems, we would decide if we were right or wrong. I would have students reference the text to explain how they decided who was speaking or who the poem was about. Another way I’d like to use it is to talk about author’s craft – how the author uses literary devices/elements to create the kind of style they want to use for their writing. “Mirror, Mirror” is an excellent text to use to define and give an example of author’s craft.
Another reason this is a “wow” book for me is because it teaches critical thinking. Students are presented with two points of view, the latter of which challenges the original perspective of each fairy tale. This book has potential for fostering classroom conversations with older elementary students about testing and questioning information to determine what is true.
I would recommend this book for upper elementary grades (3rd – 5th), though it could be adapted for lower grades as well.
July 19, 2012
Mirror Mirror is an exceptionally clever book that will get students looking at poetry in a new way. This book is filled with a style of poems that the author has dubbed “reverso.” Typically poems are read top to bottom, but Marilyn Singer asked herself what would happen if they were read bottom to top. This book is the result of that inquiry. The only thing she allowed herself to alter is capitalization and punctuation. Here is a short example from the book:
It may be such
a fairy-take secret,
this much
I know:
The road leads
wherever
you need to go.
You need to go
wherever
the road leads—
I know
this much.
A fairy-tale secret?
It may be such.
The reverso poems in this title are all focused on fairy tales. Often the reverse of the poem gives an alternate perspective than the original one. Sleeping Beauty’s poem about waiting for the prince gets flipped to become a poem from the prince about his struggles to save her.
Josée Masse’s illustrations are just as clever and intriguing as the poetry. Every illustration is divided in half with elements on either side carrying across the division. Each one beautifully accents the dual nature of the corresponding poem.
Students will be inspired to try writing their own reversos. This is a great book for bringing some fresh air to a poetry unit. This book also pairs nicely with a fairy tale unit, but students will need some background knowledge of the original tales to fully comprehend the poems. The short nature of these also makes it a great choice for a quick read aloud and the intricate detail makes it enjoyable for independent reading. This book is a great choice for any elementary classroom.
My review can also be found on Booksource.com
It may be such
a fairy-take secret,
this much
I know:
The road leads
wherever
you need to go.
You need to go
wherever
the road leads—
I know
this much.
A fairy-tale secret?
It may be such.
The reverso poems in this title are all focused on fairy tales. Often the reverse of the poem gives an alternate perspective than the original one. Sleeping Beauty’s poem about waiting for the prince gets flipped to become a poem from the prince about his struggles to save her.
Josée Masse’s illustrations are just as clever and intriguing as the poetry. Every illustration is divided in half with elements on either side carrying across the division. Each one beautifully accents the dual nature of the corresponding poem.
Students will be inspired to try writing their own reversos. This is a great book for bringing some fresh air to a poetry unit. This book also pairs nicely with a fairy tale unit, but students will need some background knowledge of the original tales to fully comprehend the poems. The short nature of these also makes it a great choice for a quick read aloud and the intricate detail makes it enjoyable for independent reading. This book is a great choice for any elementary classroom.
My review can also be found on Booksource.com
July 5, 2017
Every once in a while, I stumble across a library book that is so fabulous that I want to order a copy for home. Mirror Mirror is one of those books.
Mirror Mirror features fourteen poems that completely change their meanings when read from top to bottom and from bottom to top.
These "reverse" rhymes show kids a new type of poetry (the author has dubbed them "reversos"), encourage them to think about classic stories from all new standpoints and are just plain fun.
It doesn't hurt that the artwork is gorgeous, either.
The poems feature stories about characters such as Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, The Ugly Duckling, and Jack and the Beanstalk. The first side of the page is generally in the hero or heroine's voice. On the other half of the same page, in mirror, is the exact same poem but reversed in lines -- typically from the villain's standpoint.
One of my favorites is "The Sleeping Beauty and the Wide-Awake Prince" which features these lines for the princess:
Typical.
Hacking through briars,
looking for love --
the prince at work.
But I have to be
sleeping,
never
partying,
never
out in the world.
It's no fun being
in a fairy tale.
And this version for the prince:
In a fairy tale
it's no fun being
out in the world,
never
partying,
never
sleeping.
But I have to be
the prince at work,
looking for love,
hacking through briars.
Typical.
This would make a great poetry adventure for kids -- challenge them to try to make their own reversos (it's tricky!), as well as a great accompaniment to fairy tale units. It's also just a nice read-aloud, for plain old fun.
Mirror Mirror features fourteen poems that completely change their meanings when read from top to bottom and from bottom to top.
These "reverse" rhymes show kids a new type of poetry (the author has dubbed them "reversos"), encourage them to think about classic stories from all new standpoints and are just plain fun.
It doesn't hurt that the artwork is gorgeous, either.
The poems feature stories about characters such as Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, The Ugly Duckling, and Jack and the Beanstalk. The first side of the page is generally in the hero or heroine's voice. On the other half of the same page, in mirror, is the exact same poem but reversed in lines -- typically from the villain's standpoint.
One of my favorites is "The Sleeping Beauty and the Wide-Awake Prince" which features these lines for the princess:
Typical.
Hacking through briars,
looking for love --
the prince at work.
But I have to be
sleeping,
never
partying,
never
out in the world.
It's no fun being
in a fairy tale.
And this version for the prince:
In a fairy tale
it's no fun being
out in the world,
never
partying,
never
sleeping.
But I have to be
the prince at work,
looking for love,
hacking through briars.
Typical.
This would make a great poetry adventure for kids -- challenge them to try to make their own reversos (it's tricky!), as well as a great accompaniment to fairy tale units. It's also just a nice read-aloud, for plain old fun.
October 8, 2013
Who knew poems could make sense if you read the backwards? Since when did some of the beloved fairy tales have a slightly darker side? In Marilyn Singer's "Mirror, Mirror" readers can explore Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty, and many more classic stories both forwards...and backwards. Check out this book for a new perspective on some of your old favorites!
The themes shift depending on the fairy tale of focus, but it could be used in a unit about poetry, word placement, or really for spicing up any English/Language Arts lesson.
The illustrations are split down the middle, one corresponding to the forwards poem, and the other to the backwards version. In the former, the coloring is lighter and more cheerful, as the classic stories usually are. However, in the latter, the pictures take on a darker pallet and show a different side to the familiar characters. Anyone who loves fairly tales, loved them as a child, or simply has an interest in poetry/writing is the audience for Singer's work.
While an in depth comparison of the two versions require some higher level thinking skills, "Mirror, Mirror" could be used as a great way to show younger children about word placement, and sentence structure as well.
The themes shift depending on the fairy tale of focus, but it could be used in a unit about poetry, word placement, or really for spicing up any English/Language Arts lesson.
The illustrations are split down the middle, one corresponding to the forwards poem, and the other to the backwards version. In the former, the coloring is lighter and more cheerful, as the classic stories usually are. However, in the latter, the pictures take on a darker pallet and show a different side to the familiar characters. Anyone who loves fairly tales, loved them as a child, or simply has an interest in poetry/writing is the audience for Singer's work.
While an in depth comparison of the two versions require some higher level thinking skills, "Mirror, Mirror" could be used as a great way to show younger children about word placement, and sentence structure as well.
October 1, 2015
A twist on classic fairy tales? I am in! Mirror Mirror is a series of reverso poems talking about many of the fables we have been told as kids. A reverso poem is one that is broken into different lines, and can be read top to bottom or bottom to top, changing the meaning of the poem in the process. The different poems cover bedtime favorites, like The Princess and the Frog, Rumpelstiltskin, and my favorite sets of poems, Beauty and the Beast and Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The theme that there are two sides to every story is present in each poem, causing the reader to pause and predict the second side to each story.
Masse's illustrations are as magical as the text, in that they are filled with double-looks and symmetrical shifts, in that just as you think you can predict the other side, the picture is different. It would be a great tool for making predictions while teaching in school, and asking students to write their own reverso poem would be a unique way to look at the same event from different ways.
Mirror Mirror is recommended for students in grades 2-5. The content is sometimes unclear depending on how you read the punctuation, but clever nonetheless. I enjoyed the unique spin on the classic stories we are used to hearing.
Masse's illustrations are as magical as the text, in that they are filled with double-looks and symmetrical shifts, in that just as you think you can predict the other side, the picture is different. It would be a great tool for making predictions while teaching in school, and asking students to write their own reverso poem would be a unique way to look at the same event from different ways.
Mirror Mirror is recommended for students in grades 2-5. The content is sometimes unclear depending on how you read the punctuation, but clever nonetheless. I enjoyed the unique spin on the classic stories we are used to hearing.
April 13, 2017
“Mirror Mirror” contains a plethora of reverse poems that showcase two sides of the same fairytales to reveal two different ways of looking at each story. Middle school students tend to not be very aware of the fact that people possess different perspectives other than their own, and so this book would help them with the idea that there is never just one point of view out there. “Mirror Mirror” would be an excellent model text for not only constructing reverse poems, but also for exemplifying how grammar usage can change the meaning of a word or phrase, as “’Big deal? / No! / They weren’t there.’” and “They weren’t there. / No / big deal?!” (The “deal” here is italicized.) convey opposite opinions/reactions. It would work great in conjunction with studying conventions and presentations. As “Mirror Mirror” could work as a model text for reverse poems, it would also pair excellently with Kelly Gallagher’s reverse poem strategy to get students to do some express and reflect writing of their own. Students could either write these poems about themselves, or they could focus on conveying two different character perspectives in a book they are reading.
April 5, 2018
This wonderful book is from the Horn Book Fanfare List, 2011 and is a reversed poem book. Each page features a different fairytale and each side a poem is told from the point of view of a different characters. For example, in the story of the three little pigs, you get the perspective from the wolf, and the pigs. It puts a fun spin on things! The language, images, and colors are vivid. This book is a favorite of my students and I would use it with grades 1-4 during a poetry unit. It has such fun poems, and it is a great way to showcase how unique and free form poems can be. I got this in actual book format, and i'm glad I did. It was fun to look closely and touch the pages. The characters are diverse in this story, because of course, fairytales come from all over. I'm glad the diversity was reflected.
April 7, 2010
Wow, I loved this book! I don't know if you've seen the videos on YouTube recently that take a statement/verse line by line and then reverse it, and it still (mostly) makes sense, but the meaning is different. Anyway, that's about how this book goes. Except that it's about characters from fairy tales, which makes it about ten thousand times cooler.
I didn't expect my three-year-old to like this book much; I figured the concept of reversible verse would be a bit above him, and it was. But he loved the pictures and he also recognized his favorite fairy tales in several of the verses without hints from me.
I loved the pictures, especially how each one is split down the middle: they were perfect for the concept.
I didn't expect my three-year-old to like this book much; I figured the concept of reversible verse would be a bit above him, and it was. But he loved the pictures and he also recognized his favorite fairy tales in several of the verses without hints from me.
I loved the pictures, especially how each one is split down the middle: they were perfect for the concept.
February 27, 2018
This was better in theory than in reality. Some of the poems were great and others a little less so. I liked the art and it's a cool thing worth showing your kids.
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