Mirror Mirror - Marilyn Singer

A Book of Reversible Verse
Illustrated by Josee Masse
Dutton Children's Books, 2010
$16.99
32 pages
Rating: 5
Even the endpapers mirror each other - aqua and teal

Yes, yes, yes!
Superbly clever Marilyn Singer does it once more. What a marvel! She's written "reverso" poems - ones that make sense reading down...and then up! These are all based on fairy tales - Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, Ugly Duckling, Snow White, Jack and the Beanstalk, Hansel and Gretel, Rumplestiltskin, Princess and the Frog, Sleeping Beauty--all are cleverly versed forward and backwards.

Cinderella's Double Life

Isn't life unfair?
Stuck in a corner,
while they're waiting for a chance
with the prince,
dancing waltz after waltz,
at the ball,
I'll be shining
these shoes
till the clock strikes midnight.

Till the clock strikes midnight,
these shoes!
I'll be shining
at the ball,
dancing waltz after waltz
with the prince
while they're waiting for a chance,
stuck in a corner.
Isn't life unfair?

Words on one vertically-split page - twin verses on white and cream, with the same sort of separated illustration opposite. Beautifully done. You've got to see this for yourself!

There are some people in the blogosphere that HAVE tried these out themselves. There's a reverso poem that someone at A Year of Reading tried. This is NOT easy! And Check out the review and poem at Bookends. And for a real treat, check out 100 Scope Notes. From these you can stay up late and be inspired enough to possibly attempt one yourself.