MIRROR MIRROR by Marilyn Singer (Dutton Children’s Books, 2010)
Illustrated by Josee Masse
GENRE: Picture Book / Poetry / Fairy Tale
HONORS: Mind the Gap Award, Flicker Tale Children’s Book Award Nominee, Gate City Book Award Nominee, Horned Toad Tales Nominee
REVIEW:
In this collection of fairy-tale poems, Singer introduces readers to the reverso, a form in which a poem read from top to bottom changes in meaning when read from bottom to top with only changes in punctuation and capitalization. Emphasizing that there are two sides to every story, the poems transform some of the most popular fairy tales, including Beauty and the Beast, the Frog Prince, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Sleeping Beauty, among others. The accompanying illustrations support the poems by depicting the two different views that the poems illuminate.
OPINION:
With Mirror Mirror, Singer has created a brilliant picture book of witty poems that will appeal to many tweens. The combination of the poetry and the illustrations makes this book a pleasure to read, engaging readers as learn about reverso poetry. While certain poems work better than others, the whole collection is entertaining for readers of all ages. The one about Rapunzel has to be my favorite, explaining why she is so grouchy in one version by using the phrase “cut off” to describe Rapunzel being cut off from the world and in the other by using it to describe her cutting off her hair and having to sweep it all up. Fans of fractured fairy tales will especially enjoy seeing how Singer tweaks the stories. Singer’s invitation to create your own reversos will lead many readers to attempt this and discover for themselves how difficult it may be.
IDEAS:
This would be a wonderful book to inspire a library program teaching tweens about different types of poetry. By reading this book to them, they could then attempt their own reversos and read them to the group. This book could also be included in library displays for poetry and fairy tale books.
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