Poetry: Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse

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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.


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