Module 9: Mirror Mirror

Summary

This poetry book takes 12 fairy tales and adds a unique slant by presenting poems that are printed and illustrated forward and backward—called “reversos” poems. There is also an introductory poem at the beginning and one at the end. The illustrations similarly reflect the double meaning of each poem. The author explain her technique at the end on the last two pages and tells the reader how she came up with this style.

Reference

Singer, M. (2010). Mirror Mirror. New York, NY: Penguin Group.

My Impressions

This clever book re-tells 12 fairy tale stories in poetry that is read from the top going down the page and then with the same lines read word-for-word backward. It is printed this way so it is easy for the reader to read. Readers will enjoy the wordplay in this newer form of poetry. This unique format tells a tale with two poems that tell the same story from a different perspective, depending on the voice used in the poem and some of the poems tell an opposing tale that is different from the traditional fairy tale. This adds to the book’s interest and causes small, unexpected moments of surprise for the reader. The beautifully rich, vibrantly colored illustrations by Josee Masse complement the poems perfectly and add a new dimension of understanding because she painted them as two mirror-like images.

Professional Review

A collection of masterful fairy-tale–inspired reversos—a poetic form invented by the author, in which each poem is presesnted 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. (Poetry. 8-12)

Mirror mirror [Review of the book Mirror mirror]. (2010, December 22). Kirkus Review. Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/marilyn-singer/mirror-mirror/

Library Uses

Have the students write their own reversos poem—where the words can be read backward or frontward—which gives the poem a different meaning. The punctuation can be changed but not the words in the lines. It is harder than it looks!