Mirror Mirror

Citation

Singer, Marilyn, and Josee Masse. Mirror Mirror. Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated, 2010. ISBN 0525479015

Poetic Elements

The form of the poetry, in all of its innovation is amazing. To be able to write a poem that reads one way through the first stanza and then reverses itself in the next and actually makes sense is quite an accomplishment. Yet, within this new form, the poet is able to portray different perspectives from the fairy tale motif while lavishing the reader with imagery and rhyme. Descriptions of berries that are “...juicy and sweet...” and Rapunzel's hair as “...all that pale, tangled, dangling hair...” create rich pictures in the mind and a scent of “...fragrant green air...” is brought to mind when you read of Jack and the Beanstalk. The personification is vividly portrayed in Longing for Beauty when we read that “...a moist muzzle can welcome a rose...” and “...a hairy ear can prize a nightingale, singing...” The beauty of this is the personification stays true when you read the reverso of it and it's suddenly “...a rose can welcome a moist muzzle...” and “...a nightingale singing, can prize a hairy ear...” The reader gets to enjoy the poetic elements the first time through and see it present, again, in the reverso. That's part of what makes the poetry so exciting to read.

Appeal and Overall Quality

There really isn't much that wouldn't draw in a reader to this form of poetry. She's written a great collection of perspective poetry, even if it weren't in reverso form. The fact that it is in reverso form is pretty amazing. The illustrations are just as important to this collection as the words, and without Josee Masse's illustrations I really don't know that it would have the same effect. The pages are split in half, both the pages with the words and the pages with the illustrations. The color scheme stays the same for the words of the poems, with one perspective consistently in blue, and the other in red. The illustrations are richly colored, and one half depicts what is happening in the first poem, while the other shows the reverso. The beautiful seamlessness of these split illustrations is, well, lovely. The words and the illustrations are appealing to children of all ages. The younger set will love the different perspectives, while the older students will attempt to emulate the style in their own poetry. To this end, the poet has an explanation of the reverso at the end of the book and encourages readers to try their own. I don't think it will take much prodding to get students to try!

Spotlight Poem

In the Hood

In my hood,                                          After all, Grandma's waiting,

skipping through the wood,                 mustn't dawdle...

carrying a basket,                                 But a girl!

picking berries to eat-                          What a treat-

juicy and sweet                                    juicy and sweet,

what a treat!                                         picking berries to eat,

But a girl                                              carrying a basket,

mustn't dawdle.                                    skipping through the wood

After all, Grandma's waiting.               In my 'hood.

Follow-Up Activity

I really think that any of these reverso poems would be fabulous as a spotlight poem, but I just picked the one that I liked best! I think this lends itself to a duet interpretation, with one person reading it as Little Red Riding Hood and the other as The Big Bad Wolf. I would also lead the group in attempting to write a reverso poem as a class. Depending on the success we had as a class, I would invite the students to attempt one with a partner and, finally, on their own. What a unique concept to bring to writing poetry! It really makes one consider word choice and meaning.

Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 3–6—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. "Mirror Mirror" is chilling in that Snow White, who is looking after the Seven Dwarves, narrates the first poem of the pair. Read in reverse, it is the wicked queen who is enticing Snow White to eat the apple that will put her to sleep forever. "In the Hood" is as crafty as the wolf who tells of his delightful anticipation of eating Red Riding Hood. The mirrored poem is Red Riding Hood reminding herself not to dally since Grandma awaits. The vibrant artwork is painterly yet unfussy and offers hints to the characters who are narrating the poems. An endnote shows children how to create a "reverse" poem. This is a remarkably clever and versatile book that would work in any poetry or fairy-tale unit. A must-have for any library.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* 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. The five opening lines of the Goldilocks reverso read: “Asleep in cub’s bed / Blonde / startled by / Bears, / the headline read.” Running down the page side-by-side with this poem is a second, which ends with: “Next day / the headline read: / Bears startled / by blonde / asleep in cub’s bed.” The 14 pairs of poems—easily distinguished by different fonts and background colors—allow changes only in punctuation, capitalization, and line breaks, as Singer explains in an author’s note about her invented poetic form. “It is a form that is both challenging and fun—rather like creating and solving a puzzle.” Singer also issues an invitation for readers to try to write their own reversos on any topic. 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—Cinderella’s clock on one side morphs to the moon on the other. A must-purchase that will have readers marveling over a visual and verbal feast. Grades 2-5.

Awards for Mirror Mirror:

ALA Notable Book

New York Public Library's Best 100 Children's Books of 2010

Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Books 2010

Booklist Editors Choice

Bank Street College of Education Best Books of the Year

Washington Post Top 15 Children’s Books of 2010

Horn Book Fanfare Book

Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Books of 2010

Time Out New York Kids's 50 Best Books for Kids