BIBLIOGRAPHY
Singer, Marilyn. 2010. Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reverso Poems. Ill. by Josee Masse. New York: Dutton Children's Books. ISBN 978-0-525-47901-7
SUMMARY
Marilyn Singer's Mirror Mirror is a delightful collection of poems about many traditional fairy tales we know and love. However, these are not your average poems. Singer has written poems that can be read both forward and backward, each way telling the fairy tale from the perspective of one of its characters. In "In the Hood," for example, the poem is first told from the perspective of Little Red Riding Hood. When read backwards, however, the poem's meaning changes to convey the tale through they eyes of the wolf. There are 14 poems altogether, including an introductory one that offers an explanation to the reader of how to make sense of the poems in this book, and a concluding poem that encourages the reader to keep thinking long after the book has been closed.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This was my first experience with Marilyn Singer, and I am blown away by her poems. Her talent is remarkable. She is able to manipulate language so that each line is vivid and meaningful when read both forwards and backwards. There are only a few words on each line, sometimes as few as one, which serves to create a short, staccato rhythm. The poems are free verse and give the reader a glimpse into the minds of different and/or opposing characters in each fairy tale. Each page of text is literally divided down the middle. The two poems are presented in different font colors and different backgrounds colors, as well. This furthers the opposing nature of their meanings.
Singer embeds humor in many of these reverse poems. "The Sleeping Beauty and the Wide-Awake Prince," for example, tells us how upset Sleeping Beauty is that she has to sleep, while the prince is out in the world, doing all the work and having all the fun. The prince, however, is unhappy with his lot in life, as he has been tasked with all of the work and never gets to sleep. Neither character is happy to be in a fairy tale. This pair of poems certainly brings a smile to the face of the reader.
In other poems, Singer causes the reader to sigh at the beauty of the language and the stories that are portrayed. For example, the sweet poems in "Longing For Beauty" tell how Beauty and the Beast fell in love with each other. The imagery is powerful and leaves the reader with a happy, contented feeling.
Singer's prolific poetry is beautifully complemented by Josee Masse's illustrations. Her bright, colorful paintings bring the dichotomy of the poems to life. In "Full of Beans," we see Jack beginning his ascent of the beanstalk, his face filled with hope and wonder at what he might find at the top. We also see the giant, angrily looking down from the clouds, waiting to do something nefarious to Jack when he reaches the top. The illustrations are so vivid that they grab the attention of the reader with every turn of the page.
Mirror Mirror is likely to appeal to a broad range of children. The theme of fairy tales and the beautiful illustrations are perfect to gain the interest of young readers . The duality of the poems and the different viewpoints they offer will give older readers a new perspective on the traditional tales they've known since they were small. My six year old daughter, falling into the former category, was enchanted by the paintings. She loved going through the book and guessing which fairy tale each pair of poems were about, based on the illustrations. I think she was too young, however, to fully appreciate the impact of the poems. As she gets older, we can revisit this book, and she will gleam something new from it each time.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
2010 Cybil Award for Poetry
2012 Land of Enchantment Picture Book Award
Publishers Weekly's Best Children's Books of 2010
New York Public Library's 2010 Best 100 Children's Books
From SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL - "This appealing collection based on fairy tales is a marvel to read. It is particularly noteworthy because the poems are read in two ways: up and down. They are reverse images of themselves and work equally well in both directions...The vibrant artwork is painterly yet unfussy and offers hints to the characters that are narrating the poems."
From BOOKLIST - "This ingenious book of reversos, or poems which have one meaning when read down the page and perhaps an altogether different meaning when read up the page, toys with and reinvents oh-so-familiar stories and characters, from Cinderella to the Ugly Duckling. Matching the cleverness of the text, Masse's deep-hued paintings create split images that reflect the twisted meaning of the irreverently witty poems and brilliantly employ artistic elements of form and shape."
From KIRKUS REVIEWS - "A mesmerizing and seamless celebration of language, imagery and perspective."
CONNECTIONS
Read Singer's subsequent book of reverso poems, entitled Follow Follow. Discuss which pairs of poems the students liked best.
- Singer, Marilyn. Follow Follow: A Book of Reverso Poems. ISBN 978-0803737693
Read the last page in the book, "About the Reverso," to your students. Challenge them to write their own reverso poems about topics of their choosing.
Have students choose one of the sets of poems from the book. Giving them only a copy of the text, have them create their own illustration for it.
Discuss the elements of presentation in this book and how they are critical for its success - font choice, page layout, color choices, connections between text and illustrations.
Discuss the literary concept of point of view. How can the meaning of a story change based on the point of view of the narrator? Follow up by reading two different versions of The Three Little Pigs and discuss who's point of view they are told from and how that makes each story different.
- Marshall, James. The Three Little Pigs. ISBN 0-590-45781-0
- Scieszka, Jon. The True Story of the Three Little Pigs! ISBN 0-590-44357-7
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