Poetry: Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse

-

Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reverso Poems

Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse, written by Marilyn Singer and illustrated by Josee Masse. Dutton Children’s Books, March 2010. 32 pages, $17.99, 97805 9780525479017. 

 In the back matter in Mirror Mirror, Marilyn Singer explains her thought process of creating and using reverso to tell two sides of one story. In this new poetry technique, the order of the words are inverted. ​​The reader will read the poem on the left from top to bottom. The poem on the right has the same words, but Singer writes in reverse with slightly different punctuation. This clever world play allows Singer to tell a different story, showcase multiple perspectives, and provide different ways to view a situation. In this book, she primarily show different sides in classic fairy tales, including Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, Robinhood, Ugly Duckling, Snow White, Jack And the Beanstalk, Goldilocks and the Three bears, Hansel and Gretel, Rumplestiltskin, the Princess and the Frog, and Beauty and the Beast. For example, in “The Sleeping Beauty and the Wide-Awake Prince,” the poem on the left side tells Rupenzel’s viewpoint while the right side focuses on the prince’s perspective. In “The Doubtful Duckling,” the left side expresses the duckling's hope that he will transform into a beautiful swan. The right side shows the duckling 's sad belief that he will stay an ugly duckling forever. This story does not have a table of content. The reader can read the stories out of order or read them alone. 

    Josee Masse also used the concepts of mirrors and reflection to connect the images to these reverso poems. Each illustration is divided into two to show different sides of the story. Although Masse keeps a similar composition of elements on both sides of the illustrations, she also inverted elements like color, space, and lighting. Masse can also add different details. Either way, both sides are symmetrically balanced. The viewer can see a color inversion in “The Doubtful Duckling,” where black and white reflect each other on the divide. 

    Mirror and Mirror is a book for students in upper elementary learning poetry and fairytales. This collection of poems will expose children to multiple perspectives and truths. Children can learn how punctuation can change meaning and tone, as well.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Graphic Novel: Babymouse: Queen of the World, The Cardboard Kingdom, Amulet: The Stonekeeper

-
Image
  Babymouse #1: Queen of the World, Jennifer Holm. Random House Children’s Books, Dec 2005. 96 pages, $12.99, 9780375832291.     Children will understand the plot of Babymouse #1: Queen of the World. Babymouse wants to be popular. She wants to hang out with the queen of the school, Felicia Furrypaws, and get an invitation to Felicia’s party. Although she receives an invitation, she might miss the monster movie marathon with Wilson, her best friend. When she goes to the sleepover, she is bored, does not fit in, and does not share common interests with the popular crowd. In the end, Babymouse learns to be true to herself and values her friendship with Wilson.       The text and illustrations work well together. The text has simple dialogue, enough words to convey a message, and provides an easy-to-digest narrative. Simple line drawings against a white, black, and pink background make up the illustrations. They add to the text by setting the frame, environment, behavior, and emotions. Th
Read more

Fantasy: Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky

-
Image
Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia. Disney Publishing Group , Sept 2020. 528 pages, $17.99, 9781368039932.     Tristan Strong does not feel strong. He is a third-generation boxer who lost his first match. He also blames himself for not saving Eddie, his best friend, from a bus accident. All he has left is the journal full of the African stories they recorded together. Dealing with grief, his grandparents take him from Chicago to Alabama to work and heal. But strange things start to happen. The journal starts to glow. Later that night, Gum Baby, a swearing baby, breaks in and steals the journal. Tristian chases Gum Baby through the forest, and a tug of war ensues underneath the Bottle Tree. Tristan punches the tree, accidentally opening a chasm into MidPass and releasing the Maafa into Alke. Like in a traditional fairy tale, Tristan falls through the hole and into MidPass, a dangerous place with burning seas, bone ships, and iron monsters called Featherlings. Mid
Read more

Board Books: Touch and trace ABC; 1 Big Salad: A Delicious Counting Book; Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See; What the Ladybird Heard: A Push, Pull and Slide Book

-
Image
Alphabet book Touch and trace ABC (My First Home Learning) by Harriet Evans. Tiger Tales, August 2021. 26 pages, $8.99. 9781680106794. Touch and trace ABC is a great way to teach children their ABCs and vocabulary. Colorful photographs and large, easy-to-read text fills each page. Each letter has an accompanying word that begins with the letter and a picture of the word. This combination makes it easy for children to learn to associate the words together. The words, letters, and images lie against colorful squares for organization and aesthetics. Since the book illustrates common food and animals, children can learn the name of the things around them. The book can also help children learn to write letters. Each letter has a dotted line, numbered strokes, and arrows showing which direction to move. Both the capitalized and lowercase letters are provided. Touch and Trace ABC is a great book to teach children letters and words. Children can build fine motor skills to write the words, to
Read more