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| Singer, Marilyn. 2010. MIRROR MIRROR: A BOOK OF REVERSIBLE VERSE. illustrated by Josée Masse. New York: Dutton Children's Books. ISBN 9780525479017 |
Marilyn Singer combines poetry with fairy tales in this amazing book of reversible poems. It is the first I have seen of this type of poetry. Classic, popular fairy tales are included, such as Snow White, Rapunzel, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty. Each poem shows two sides of the story, from the princess' points of view and even sometimes the wicked stepmother's point of view.
This book is ingenious! I read it to my nine year old daughter, and her jaw dropped after the first poem. It is amazing that the poems are read from top to bottom, then the reader can flip the poem, reading it up the page. The poems are reverse images of themselves, and tell a story in both directions. The most amazing thing about the poems is that even though they are mirror images of themselves, the reverso poem tells the story from a different point of view.
Throughout the picture book, there are 14 reverso poems. The reverse, or mirror image, of the poems are written in a different font and color, which helps distinguish the poems. The reverse of the poems allow for punctuation, capitalization, and line break changes. A few of the poems are written in rhyme, but most are free verse. There are two poems that were hard to find a rhythm while reading, but overall, the poems are full of rhythm.
The illustrations, by Josée Masse, are absolutely fabulous. The colors used are vibrant and fun. The illustrations, just like the poems, are drawn in a split image, showing the two characters that are narrating the poems.
Spotlight Poem
Bears in the News
ASLEEP IN CUB'S BED,
BLONDE
STARTLED BY
BEARS,
the headline read.
Next day
Goldilocks claimed,
"They shouldn't have left
the door
unlocked."
She
ate the porridge.
She
broke
a chair.
"Big deal?
No!
They weren't there."
They weren't there.
No
big deal?!
A chair
broke.
She
ate the porridge.
She
unlocked
the door.
"They shouldn't have left,"
Goldilocks claimed.
Next day
the headline read:
BEARS STARTLED
BY BLONDE
ASLEEP IN CUB'S BED.
excerpt from MIRROR MIRROR.
Classroom Connections
This book of reverso poems would be an incredible addition to any fairy tale unit, especially if you are reading fractured fairy tales and comparing them.
After introducing the above poem, Bears in the News, have students look at editorial pieces in newspapers that are written from different perspectives. Then have the students get into groups and decide if they will write from Goldilocks's or the Bears' point of view, and have them write an editorial for the newspaper.
Later, you could have them do the same for other fairy tales, such as The Three Little Pigs, writing from the pigs' or the wolf's perspective. You could incorporate technology, and teach the students to type in a two column format.
Challenge your students, and yourself, to write a reverso poem!
A Fun Fact
Marilyn Singer wrote a poem about her cat that could be read up and down. She did this just for fun. She had such a good time composing it, that she challenged herself to write more reverso poems.
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