Singer, M. (2010). Mirror Mirror. Dutton Children's Books.
Summary
Historically, fairy tales come in all shapes and sizes. What happens when a fairy tale is reversed? Marilyn Singer brings fairy tales to life in this book of reversed poetry and wonderful illustration that tells the same story from dual perspectives. From Cinderella to Rapunzel, Snow White to the Princess and the Frog, Singer shows that fairy tales can be told backwards and forwards, but still relay a message, a warning, a story. Thinking of Goldilocks? The bears are victims too. Want to know what happened in Beauty and the Beast? Find out in Singer's flipped poetry.
A Teacher's Perspective
I would love to use this book for my 8th grade poetry unit. It would be a really fun challenge to have students create short, free-verse poems that could be a story read forwards and backwards. It would greatly accompany a punctuation lesson as well, as Singer shows that punctuation and word order can create an entirely new perspective on the same story.
The simple divided layout, poems on one side-illustration on the other, "mirrors" the idea of flipping the poetry. The endpapers don't really add to the aesthetic of the story, but this picture book would be great in any ELA classroom.
Want to know more?
To purchase your own copy of Mirror Mirror: Click here!
Did you know that Marilyn Singer recorded the audio herself? Check it out here!
If you're interested in learning more about Marilyn Singer, check her out on Youtube:
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