Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse

Mirror Mirror presents a collection of reverso poems - verses that can be read both forwards and backwards to tell different perspectives of familiar fairy tales. Each poem appears twice on facing pages, with one version reading down and its reverse reading up, creating two distinct narratives from the same words. The book features 14 classic fairy tale pairs including Snow White, Cinderella, and Red Riding Hood. Josée Masse's illustrations split each page diagonally, depicting the two contrasting viewpoints expressed in each poem's dual readings. The mirrored format allows readers to explore how point of view shapes storytelling and meaning. This innovative approach to fairy tales demonstrates how the same sequence of words can reveal multiple truths when seen from different angles.

Readers praise the creative reversible poem format, where each poem can be read both forwards and backwards to tell two sides of familiar fairy tales. Teachers and parents note the book helps children understand perspective and poetic structure. Specific praise mentions: - Helps students grasp point of view through the contrasting narratives - Illustrations by Josee Masse complement the dual meanings - Works well as a read-aloud book for grades 2-5 - Useful for teaching poetry and creative writing Common criticisms: - Some poems feel forced to fit the reverse format - A few readers found the concept confusing - Limited appeal beyond the initial novelty - Text can be hard to follow visually Ratings: Goodreads: 4.2/5 (2,800+ ratings) Amazon: 4.6/5 (280+ ratings) School Library Journal: Starred review Publishers Weekly: Starred review The book won the 2011 Cybils Award for Poetry and was named an ALA Notable Children's Book.

Follow Follow by Marilyn Singer Each poem tells two versions of a fairy tale story through reversible verses that create different meanings when read up or down the page.

Out of Order by Betty Hicks This collection presents poems that can be read forward and backward with different results, exploring everyday moments from multiple perspectives.

Palindromania by Jon Agee The book combines wordplay and illustrations through palindromes that read the same forwards and backwards while telling humorous tales.

One Day, The End by Rebecca Kai Dotlich Short stories unfold through minimal text and creative formatting, revealing how the same events change meaning based on perspective.

Take Two: A Celebration of Twins by J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen Pairs of poems present mirror images and dual perspectives of twin experiences, capturing two sides of shared moments.

🔄 Each poem in the book can be read forward and backward, creating two different perspectives of popular fairy tales - a poetic form Singer calls a "reverso" 📚 Marilyn Singer invented the reverso poetry style in 2010 specifically for this book after being inspired by her husband's suggestion about palindromes 🎨 The book's illustrations by Josée Masse are designed to be viewed both rightside up and upside down, complementing the dual nature of the poems 👑 The collection includes reimagined versions of classic tales like Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Red Riding Hood, each told from opposing viewpoints 🏆 Mirror Mirror won the 2011 Cybils Award for Poetry and was named one of Time Magazine's Top 10 Children's Books of 2010