Module 14: Mirror Mirror

Mirror Mirror

by Marilyn Singer

Illustrated by Josee Masse

Singer, M.  (Ill. Josee Masse) (2010). Mirror mirror. New York, NY: Dutton Children's Books.

There are 

two sides 

to every story.

To every story,

two sides 

there are. 

Summary:

Mirror Mirror is a poetry book with two sides.  Each poem may be read forward and in reverse.  The collection's theme is fairy tales--the perfect subject for word play and multiple points of view.  There's lots of humor and insight, which is appreciated more and more with each reading.  The illustrations also match the poems; Masse created two sides to each illustrations as well, transitioning color and shapes perfectly to complement Singer's words.  Jack, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, the Ugly Duckling and many other familiar characters are showcased in this collection of 14 poems. 

Impressions:

What's so impressive about this book is its concept and clever execution.  I especially appreciated the two perspectives unveiled in many of the poems.  For example, in "The Sleeping Beauty and the Wide Awake Prince," the reader envisions poor Sleeping Beauty's suffering while she awaits her prince's arrival, and then the poem switches so the reader can equally sympathize with the Prince's plight of having to hack through briars to get to her.  And, in the title poem, "Mirror Mirror," the reader gets a glimpse of both Snow White and the evil queens' intentions.  Using the same words, Snow White comforts the dwarves after a long day's work, while in reverse, the queen plots how she will help Snow White and her friends get some "rest."  Only changing the punctuation and reversing the order, it's amazing how much the meaning alters.  Like a true puzzle, the reader will puzzle over how it was all done and long it took.  

Reviews:

From Booklist:

Grades 2-5. 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.

Citation: Austin, P. (2010). Mirror mirror: A book of reversible verse. Booklist, 106(9/10), 81. 

From Horn Book Magazine:
Through a poetic invention she dubs the reverso, Singer meditates on twelve familiar folktales, and, via the magic of shifting line breaks and punctuation, their shadows. Each free-verse poem has two stanzas, set on facing columns, where the second is the first reversed. Red Riding Hood, contemplating berries, thinks, "What a treat! But a girl / mustn't dawdle. / After all, Grandma's waiting" while across the page the wolf lurks: "After all, Grandma's waiting, / mustn't dawdle... / But a girl! / What a treat..." In the main, the poems are both cleverly constructed and insightful about their source stories, giving us the points of view of characters rarely considered. Similarly bifurcated illustrations, Shrek-bright, face the poems: Goldilocks ("ASLEEP IN CUB'S BED, / BLONDE / STARTLED BY / BEARS") awoken; the bears surprised ("BEARS STARTLED / BY BLONDE / ASLEEP IN CUB'S BED").

Citation: Sutton, R. (2010). Mirror mirror. Horn Book Magazine, 86(2), 79-80.

Library Activity:

Students will be amazed by Singer's genius in this book and will want to explore how "reverso" poetry is written.  For a library activity, organize a Skype visit with Marilyn Singer.  Prepare students for her virtual visit by also sharing some of her other works.  Singer has published many children's picture books, nonfiction books, and young adult books in addition to her poetry books.  She's a great choice for schools with grades K-8 since she has such a diverse body of work. 

http://marilynsinger.net