Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reverso Poems

by Marilyn Singer, Josée Masse (Illustrator)

Overview

With 6 starred reviews, 8 best of the year lists, and over 20 state award nominations, everyone is raving about Mirror Mirror!

"Remarkable."—The Washington Post

"This mind-bending poetry is accompanied by Masse's equally intelligent, equally amusing art."—Time Out New York for Kids

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780525479017
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	03/04/2010
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	450,774
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 10.30(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	6 - 11 Years

About the Author

Marilyn Singer is an award-winning author of more than 90 children’s books in a wide variety of genres. 

Josée Masse is a recognized artist in her native Canada, having illustrated numerous French and American picture books.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"A mesmerizing and seamless celebration of language, imagery and perspective." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Masse’s clever compositions play with symmetry, bringing this smart concept to its fullest effect." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Cleverly constructed and insightful."—The Horn Book, starred review

"Truly a visual, as well as a literary, puzzle and such a treat!" —Library Media Connection, starred review

Mirror Mirror is an ALA Notable Book, a New York Public Library Best 100 Children's Book of the Year, a Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book of the Year, a Booklist Editors Choice, a Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year, a Washington Post Top 15 Children’s Book of the Year, a Horn Book Fanfare Book, a Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Book of the Year, a Land of Enchantment Book Award Winner, and one of Time Out New York Kids' 50 Best Books for Kids.
 

Editorial Reviews

"A mesmerizing and seamless celebration of language, imagery and perspective." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Masse’s clever compositions play with symmetry, bringing this smart concept to its fullest effect." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Cleverly constructed and insightful."—The Horn Book, starred review

"Truly a visual, as well as a literary, puzzle and such a treat!" —Library Media Connection, starred review

“Fun, thoughtful, beautifully written poems that employ a poetic form called a reverso to spin a familiar fairy tale in a new direction.” —Shelf Awareness, starred review

With 6 starred reviews, 8 best of the year lists, and over 20 state award nominations, everyone is raving about Mirror Mirror!

Mirror Mirror is an ALA Notable Book, a New York Public Library Best 100 Children's Book of the Year, a Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book of the Year, a Booklist Editors Choice, a Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year, a Washington Post Top 15 Children’s Book of the Year, a Horn Book Fanfare Book, a Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Book of the Year, a Land of Enchantment Book Award Winner, and one of Time Out New York Kids' 50 Best Books for Kids.
 

From the Publisher

The poems are both cleverly constructed and insightful giving us the points of view of characters rarely considered.

Horn Book

A must-purchase that will have readers marveling over a visual and verbal feast.

Booklist

Reading Mirror Mirror provides a jovial incentive to try writing a "reverso," a unique and intriguing form created by Marilyn Singer. In this intriguing collection, each poem is a highly abbreviated version of a traditional fairy tale—of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel—which turns the familiar into something surprising.
—The Washington Post

Kristi Jemtegaard

Singer uses “reverso” poems, a form of her creation, to show that there are two sides to every fairy tale (the poems can be read backward and forward). On each page, two poems appear, one an inversion of the other with minor changes in punctuation. In “In the Hood,” Little Red Riding Hood’s poem ends: “But a girl/ mustn’t dawdle./ After all, Grandma’s waiting,” while the wolf’s poem begins: “After all, Grandma’s waiting,/ mustn’t dawdle.../ But a girl!” Masse’s clever compositions play with symmetry (in “Longing for Beauty,” Beauty and the Beast appear as one being, split in half, her tresses echoing his fur), bringing this smart concept to its fullest effect. Ages 6–up. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

Gr 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.—Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA

School Library Journal

A collection of masterful fairy-tale-inspired reversos-a poetic form invented by the author, in which each poem is presented forward and backward. Although the words are identical in each presentation, changes in punctuation, line breaks and capitalization create two pieces that tell completely different stories. "In the Hood," for instance, first presents Red Riding Hood'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." Reversed, we hear from the wolf: "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." Masse's gorgeous, stylized illustrations enhance the themes of duality and perspective by presenting images and landscapes that morph in delightful ways from one side of the page to the other. A mesmerizing and seamless celebration of language, imagery and perspective. (note on the form) (Poetry. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews