Book Description
for Mirror Mirror by Marilyn Singer and Josée Masse
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
Fourteen cleverly crafted pairs of poems look at a selection of familiar fairy tales from two points of view, with each pair comprised of the same lines in opposite order—a reversal that changes meaning and perspective entirely. The mirrored poems illuminate well-known tales such as Little Red Riding Hood (offering both Red Riding Hood’s and the Wolf’s perspective), Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, Jack in the Beanstalk, and others. Not every pair works equally well as poetry in two directions but the best are masterpieces, and the collection as a whole is not only entertaining but offers intriguing possibilities for classroom use. Ingenious illustrations reflect the dual perspectives of each pair of poems in a single, brilliantly composed, richly hued painting. (Ages 7–10)
CCBC Choices 2011. © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2011. Used with permission.