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Singer, M. (2010). Mirror mirror. New York, NY: Penguin Group. ISBN: 978-0-525-47901-7
Genre: Poetry
Reading Level: 2-4
Summary: As a collection of fairy tale poems, this work seeks to provide alternate views of various beloved childhood stories. What is neat about this text is that all of the poems can be read in reverse, presenting a different story that of the first poem. In addition to the innovative structure, the book has amazing illustrations which will capture the interest of the most reluctant reader. Some of the poems include: “Mirror Mirror” structured around the tale of Snow White, “Cinderella’s Double Life” which features the tale of Cinderella, and “Full of Beans” about the tale of Jack and the Beanstalk.
Reading Activity: After reading the work, encourage students to write their own poems that are structured like the ones in the book. If they struggle with making it be readable in reverse, you can instead have them write two poems dealing with the same topic, but feature different points of views.
For example:
Daughter Mom:
Mornings make me very grumpy Why doesn’t my daughter smile at me
Alarm clocks should never be allowed to ring All I say is “Good morning!”
When my mom tells me, “Good morning!” And she gives me a mean look
I give her a sour look I just want her to be happy
Because she shouldn’t like mornings. Oh, why can’t she just like mornings.
Original Activity by Ellen Bryce
Genre: Poetry
Reading Level: 2-4
Summary: As a collection of fairy tale poems, this work seeks to provide alternate views of various beloved childhood stories. What is neat about this text is that all of the poems can be read in reverse, presenting a different story that of the first poem. In addition to the innovative structure, the book has amazing illustrations which will capture the interest of the most reluctant reader. Some of the poems include: “Mirror Mirror” structured around the tale of Snow White, “Cinderella’s Double Life” which features the tale of Cinderella, and “Full of Beans” about the tale of Jack and the Beanstalk.
Reading Activity: After reading the work, encourage students to write their own poems that are structured like the ones in the book. If they struggle with making it be readable in reverse, you can instead have them write two poems dealing with the same topic, but feature different points of views.
For example:
Daughter Mom:
Mornings make me very grumpy Why doesn’t my daughter smile at me
Alarm clocks should never be allowed to ring All I say is “Good morning!”
When my mom tells me, “Good morning!” And she gives me a mean look
I give her a sour look I just want her to be happy
Because she shouldn’t like mornings. Oh, why can’t she just like mornings.
Original Activity by Ellen Bryce