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Author: Marilyn Singer
Illustrator:   Josee Masse
Publisher:  Dial Books for Young Readers
Publication Year:   2013
Location: Knox County Public Library- Halls

Awards:   Publisher's Weekly starred review

Summary:  This unique poetry form (first introduced in mirror mirror) is called a "reverso" poem (per Singer.) The poems are presented in pairs, with the second being the exact opposite of the first with the exception of punctuation and capitalization. The clever word play changes the meanings completely. Each pair is based on a famous fairy tale or fable. An example from the pair entitled "Birthday Suit" (based on the story The Emperor's New Clothes):
Who dares to say he drained the treasury
on
nothing?
Ha!
This emperor has

AND

This emperor has--
ha!--
nothing
on!
Who dares to say her drained the treasury?





Classroom Ideas: Kids will love reading and identifying the stories here which would fit perfectly with a unit on fairy tales or fables. The word choice is excellent and copying these poems would be extremely difficult!

Extras: Author's note explaining the reverso form and how she came up with them. A list of the tales that each poem is based on.