MIRROR MIRROR

MIRROR MIRROR

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Singer, Marilyn. 2010. MIRROR MIRROR. Ill by Josee Masse. New York, NY: Dutton's Children's Books. ISBN 9780525479017.

PLOT SUMMARY
In this collection of reversible verse poems, Singer puts a clever spin on classic fairy tales.  After a sample poem titled In Reverse where she introduces us to the style reverso (which she herself created), she starts the fairy tale stories with Cinderella's Double Life.  She includes many popular tales about Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, The Ugly Duckling, Snow White, and many other well-known and loved fairy tales.  In each of the poems, Singer tells us another side of the story then cleverly reverses it by reversing the lines from bottom to top.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
A reverso is two poems in one.  Read the first down and it says one thing.  Read it back up, with changes just in punctuation and capitalization, and it's a different poem.  Singer shows how two different ideas can be expressed when read forward and backwards. An example of a reverso poem is below:

Up
or
Down --
A poem
in
a puzzleBut it can also be read this way:

A puzzle
in
a poem --
Down
or
Up

Singer's unique style is very appealing.  Although the illustrations by Josee Masse are superb and really give us a visual perspective for each poem, the words and style of the poems have beautiful imagery in creating different points of view for the reader to experience.  You can actually feel the emotions coming from the prince in The Sleeping Beauty and the Wide-Awake Prince where he is experiencing angst and seems to be annoyed that Sleeping Beauty gets to sleep all day while "it's no fun being out in the world/ never partying/ never sleeping/ the prince hard at work/ looking for love/ hacking through briars / typical."  Sleeping Beauty's perspective is totally different.  Although the exact same words are used, their order and punctuation help to create a whole new point of view.  She is upset that although the prince is "typical/ hacking through briars,/ looking for love / the prince hard at work/ but I have to be / sleeping/ never partying/ never out in the world / it's no fun being in a fairy tale."  My favorite tale is The Doubtful Duckling in which the first version portrays the ugly duckling with a postive attitude about turning into a swan.  "Someday, I'll turn into a swan.  No way, I'll stay an ugly duckling."  The second version shows a negative point of view and ends with "An ugly duckling I'll stay.  No way I'll turn into a swan someday."  The words are so simple and even though there is little to no rhyme, I think that these stories will definitely appeal to the younger readers as well as the more mature reader.  They are classics with a twist which makes the student want to read to find out what happens, even though they have heard these fairy-tales many times before.  It's the same motivation as created in reading fractured fairy-tales.   MIRROR MIRROR is ingenious and I am thoroughly impressed with the style and creativity that Singer has created with her reverso, not to mention the outstanding illustrations by Masse with their bold color, emotion and symmetry.


AWARDS
2010 Cybils Award
2010-2011 Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominee


REVIEW EXCERPTS
"The poems are both cleverly constructed and insightful...giving us the points of view of characters rarely considered." --HORN BOOK

"A mesmerizing and seamless celebration of language, imagery, and perspective." --KIRKUS, starred review

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL:
"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

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


CONNECTIONS
Incorporating fairy tale poetry in the classroom is a great way to create interest in poetry itself.  Using reverso can help teach students the differences in points of view and examining multiple perspectives while also teaching about poetry.  Some helpful websites incorporating these lessons plans are: www.readwritethink.org - Explore Point of View in Fairy Tales
www.claudiagraphics.com - The Poets' Grimm Teacher's Guide
This book of poems could also be used across the curriculum on lessons of symmetry.  The illustrations provide a distinct view of symmetry.