Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse Deborah Stevenson Singer, Marilyn. Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse; illus. by Josée Masse. Dutton, 2010 [32p]. ISBN 978-0-525-47901-5 $16.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 3-6 Talented poet Singer here creates her own poetic form, dubbed by her "reversos": a verse that reveals a different poem when the lines are reversed bottom to top, with changes only in punctuation, capitalization, and line breaks. Fourteen such top-to-bottom/bottom-to-top pairings are featured, all focusing on folklore, most on particular tales, and the result is neatly, astonishingly clever. "In the Hood" follows Red Riding Hood in one direction ("picking berries to eat—/ juicy and sweet/ what a treat!"), the waiting wolf in the other ("But a girl!/ What a treat—/ juicy and sweet"); "Have Another Chocolate" provides in turn the witch's ("Fatten up./ Don't/ keep her waiting … ") and Gretel's ("Keep her waiting/ Don't/ fatten up") views of Hansel; the genuinely reflective "Do You Know My Name?" gives voice to both Rumpelstiltskin ("I am/ famous/ but not/ liked") and the girl he saves ("I am liked/ but not/ famous"). The art, full page 'tale-scapes facing each page of poetry, reflects the duality in the verses, with each painting possessing a vertical axis that operates variously as scene divider, pivot point, or boundary between the two concepts; though the draftsmanship is a little cartoonish at times, the vivid, cheerful colors and humorous tone add accessibility to the already open and inviting pages. Kids will want to try the form out, if only to find out how tough it really is, and the poems will make a worthy addition to discussions of viewpoint and folklore. Copyright © 2010 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois