Follow Follow: A Book of Reverso Poems
This companion to Mirror Mirror (2010) offers another fairytale-themed collection of free verse poems, each paired with its “reverso,” or the poem in reverse. For example, “The Little Mermaid’s Choice” begins “For love, / give up your voice. / Don’t / think twice,” and the accompanying reverso poem concludes with “Think twice! / Don’t / give up your voice / for love.” The punctuation often changes, as does the formatting, thereby offering up intriguing and inventive takes on each tale. Other reversos give varying perspectives, as in the case of “Ready, Steady, Go!,” which presents both the tortoise’s and the hare’s points of view. Beautifully rendered, richly hued illustrations artfully transition from depicting the first poem’s scenario to the second’s, and interweave fantastic and realistic details. Though the poems are eloquent and witty, they may be somewhat esoteric for younger kids and will resonate more with those familiar with the classic stories. An appended author’s note, however, includes summaries of the tales and further explicates Singer’s finely crafted, unique form. An enjoyable collection that may prompt kids to write their own reverso poems. Grades 2-5. --Shelle Rosenfeld