Mirror Mirror

Book title _Mirror Mirror

Poet/Anthologist, Illustrator Marilyn Singer, Josée Masse_

Publisher, Year ___Dutton Publish Group, 2010

Bibliography

Singer, M., & Massee Josée. (2010). Mirror Mirror: a Book of Reversible Verse. New York: Dutton Childrens Books. ISBN: 9780525479017

Plot Summary

In Singer's collections of fairytales' reversible poems, she introduces that there are two sides to every story. Though the poems about each fairytale are the same, how the reader reads them can impact the way the poem is meant to be interpreted.

Critical Analysis

The name Mirror Mirror is very fitting for this book. As we look at our reflection in a mirror, we see a reversed imaged of our self. It is still us but slightly changed. This is what Singer did with her collections of poems in her book Mirror Mirror by demonstrating reversible verses. She reversed the poem and only made slight changes in punctuations and capitalization. So, the reader can read the poem up to down, then Singer took the poem and the reader could read it down to up. Though there is some rhyming throughout the collection, what stood out in this collection was language. Singer had to be very precise of word choice since the only thing she changed was if the word was capitalized, or the punctuation. The best way to demonstrate this is through the poem In the Hood.

The first way:

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.

Second way:

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.

Singer had to choose her words carefully so that one way it appears that the poem is for Little Red Riding Hood. But if it was read the reverse way, the poem would apply to the Big Bad Wolf. Singer had to take into consideration the arrangement of the lines as well. Especially with Reverso poems, the word placement can change the tone and narration of the poem. And this particular poem shows examples of rhyming at the end of the stanza such as hood and wood or sweet and treat.

Depending on the poem, it can impact different emotions. As seen with In My Hood, it can be either a cheerful emotion as Little Red Riding Hood goes to her grandma’s house or a sense of uneasiness as the wolf has malicious intentions for the young girl. This can also be seen in The Doubtful Duckling. If read one way it can inspire hope for a chance to have a better future. If read this poem in reverse can instill hopelessness and they will remain ugly. The illustrator, Josee Masse, demonstrates the duality of the poems through his acrylic artwork. As the poems are split into two on each page, so is the artwork. On each side of the page shows the artwork that is tied into the poem. For example, the poem titled Mirror Mirror, on the left side of the page shows Snow White giving each dwarf an apple to take on their way to the mines. Her poem is about helping the dwarfs relax after a long day of work. The right side of the page shows the mirror with the Evil Queen disguised as an old woman with an apple in her hand. Besides the mirror is the Evil Queen in her form before she turned herself into the old woman. The poem talks about how she is planning to manipulate Snow White. Around the center of the illustration, there is an asymmetry to help transition the picture while showing that it is part of the whole story. 

Fairytales that are included in this collection include Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, the Ugly Duckling, Snow White, Jack, and the Beanstalk, and more. Some of the poems were easier to reverse than other poems.

Review Excerpts and Awards

·         An ALA Notable,

·         winner of the Cybil Award in Poetry and the Land of Enchantment Picture Book Award, and

·         nominee for the Texas Bluebonnet Award.

·         Horn Book Fanfare list,

·         New York Public Library's 2010 Best 100 Children's Books,

·         2010 Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Books,

·         Betsy Bird's 100 Magnificent Children's Books of 2010,

·         Publishers Weekly's Best Children's Books of 2010,

·         Booklist's Editors' Choice list and

·         Washington Post's Top 15 Children's Books of 2010.

“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.” -Kirkus Review

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

Connections

If you like to read other books from Marilyn Singer:

·         Follow Follow: A Book of Reverso Poems, Marilyn Singer, ISBN 978-0803737693

·         Echo Echo: Reverso Poems About Greek Myths, Marilyn Singer, ISBN 978-0803739925