Mirror Mirror Review

 Mirror Mirror


BIBLIOGRAPHY

Singer, M. (2010). Mirror Mirror. (J. Masse, Illus.) Dutton’s Children’s Books.

ISBN: 978-1-101-64843-8


PLOT SUMMARY

Mirror Mirror is a thematic verso poetry book that has you read down the page then backward on the page across for a whole new meaning of the fairy tale. Hilarity ensues with jumbled-up illustrations depicting the poems from good vs. evil. Readers will be familiar with all the fairy tales in the poems. 


CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Mirror Mirror is a thematic reverso poetry book. The theme is fairy tales with all the classics represented. The arrangement of the rhythm is forward on the left page and backward on the right page. The rhyme is matching sounds at the end of words. The new reverso genre of poetry gives readers a silly way to read the poems with two different outcomes. For example, In Little Red Riding Hood, hood is referred to as her hood and the wolf’s ‘hood he lives in. The visual images are split down the middle like the two poems but combined together make a seamless illustration. The emotions felt are good vs. evil, with sympathy for the hero of the fairy tale. The author began reverso poetry with a poem about her cat in a chair. SHe goes on to say you can only change the punctuation. This book is recommended for grades 3rd-6th.


REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Booklist starred (January 1, 2010 (Vol. 106, No. 9))

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.

CONNECTIONS

Students can create their own reverso poetry.

Students can respond to the poems using this response sheet.

Similar books:

Clements, A. Dogku. ISBN: 978-0689858239

Michaelidi, S. A Sunny Morning - Haiku Alphabet Book: Learn my ABCs through Kids Poetry. ISBN: 979-8354748174




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