mirror mirror

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

This is book of poetry about well-known fairy tales with an unusual twist.  The author writes poetry that is told from both sides of the story, but using the same words and lines which she calls a "reverso".  When you read the poem downwards, it tells the side of one character.  When you read the poem upward, it tells the side of another character from the same fairy tale.  The author only changes capitals and punctuation, but all of the lines and words remain the same.  Some of the famous fairy tales included are Sleeping Beauty, Jack and the Beanstalk, Beauty and the Beast, and more. 

This is a clever twist to poetry writing.  The  poems are imaginative and entertaining.  It's a great way to teach poetic form that by only changing punctuation and a few capitals, you can completely change the meaning of the poem.  The poems also teach point of view of each fairy tale character.  The illustrations also show point of view, as well as help tell the tale.  This is a clever, ingenious book that kids will enjoy reading.  Kids may even try writing  their own " reversos".