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Reverso Poems
Follow Follow a Book of Reverso Poems
Then reverse the lines and read from bottom to top and they mean something else-it is almost like magic! A celebration of sight, sound, and story, this book is a marvel to read again and again.
Paperback
First published February 7, 2013
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About the author
Marilyn Singer
164 books100 followersMarilyn Singer was born in the Bronx (New York City) on October 3, 1948 and lived most of her early life in N. Massapequa (Long Island), NY. She attended Queens College, City University of New York, and for her junior year, Reading University, England. She holds a B.A. in English from Queens and an M.A. in Communications from New York University.
In 1974, after teaching English in New York City high schools for several years, she began to write - initially film notes, catalogues, teacher's guides and film strips. Then, one day, when she was sitting in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, she penned a story featuring talking insect characters she'd made up when she was eight. Encouraged by the responses she got, she wrote more stories and in 1976 her first book, The Dog Who Insisted He Wasn't, was published by E.P.Dutton & Co.
Since then, Marilyn has published over seventy books for children and young adults. Her genres are many and varied, including realistic novels, fantasies, non-fiction, fairy tales, picture books, mysteries and poetry. She likes writing many different kinds of books because it's challenging and it keeps her from getting bored. She has won several Children's Choice and Parents' Choice Awards, as well as the following: the Creature Carnival, Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award Honor Book, 2005; I Believe in Water: Twelve Brushes with Religion, New York Public Library's "Best Books for the Teen Age," 2001; Stay True: Short Stories for Strong Girls, Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults, 2000 (YALSA); On the Same Day in March, Booklist's Top Ten Science Books of 2000; NCSS-CBC Notable Book, 2000; Deal with a Ghost, finalist, YA category, Edgar Award, 1998; It Can't Hurt Forever, Maud Hart Lovelace Award, 1983; The Course of True Love Never Did Run Smooth, ALA Best Book for Young Adults, 1983; Turtle in July, NCTE Notable, N.Y.Times Best Illustrated and Time Magazine Best Children's Books of 1989; Turtle in July was also a Reading Rainbow review book.
Marilyn currently lives in Brooklyn, NY, with her husband Steve; their standard poodle Oggi, a cousin of their beloved and recently departed poodle Easy, seen in the home page photo; a cat named August ; two collared doves named Jubilee and Holiday; and a starling named Darling. Her interests include dog training, reading, hiking, bird-watching, gardening, meditation, playing computer adventure games and going to the movies and the theatre. She's also a major Star Trek fan.
In 1974, after teaching English in New York City high schools for several years, she began to write - initially film notes, catalogues, teacher's guides and film strips. Then, one day, when she was sitting in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, she penned a story featuring talking insect characters she'd made up when she was eight. Encouraged by the responses she got, she wrote more stories and in 1976 her first book, The Dog Who Insisted He Wasn't, was published by E.P.Dutton & Co.
Since then, Marilyn has published over seventy books for children and young adults. Her genres are many and varied, including realistic novels, fantasies, non-fiction, fairy tales, picture books, mysteries and poetry. She likes writing many different kinds of books because it's challenging and it keeps her from getting bored. She has won several Children's Choice and Parents' Choice Awards, as well as the following: the Creature Carnival, Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award Honor Book, 2005; I Believe in Water: Twelve Brushes with Religion, New York Public Library's "Best Books for the Teen Age," 2001; Stay True: Short Stories for Strong Girls, Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults, 2000 (YALSA); On the Same Day in March, Booklist's Top Ten Science Books of 2000; NCSS-CBC Notable Book, 2000; Deal with a Ghost, finalist, YA category, Edgar Award, 1998; It Can't Hurt Forever, Maud Hart Lovelace Award, 1983; The Course of True Love Never Did Run Smooth, ALA Best Book for Young Adults, 1983; Turtle in July, NCTE Notable, N.Y.Times Best Illustrated and Time Magazine Best Children's Books of 1989; Turtle in July was also a Reading Rainbow review book.
Marilyn currently lives in Brooklyn, NY, with her husband Steve; their standard poodle Oggi, a cousin of their beloved and recently departed poodle Easy, seen in the home page photo; a cat named August ; two collared doves named Jubilee and Holiday; and a starling named Darling. Her interests include dog training, reading, hiking, bird-watching, gardening, meditation, playing computer adventure games and going to the movies and the theatre. She's also a major Star Trek fan.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 194 reviews
March 5, 2020
Author Marilyn Singer and illustrator Josée Masse, who previously collaborated on
Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse
, return with this second picture-book collection of Reverso Poems, once again retelling classic fairy-tales in dual-perspective poetic form. In this form, which Singer claims to have invented, a poem can be read one way, from top to bottom, or read in reverse, with the line order inverted, to produce a very different work. Aladdin and the Genie each have their say, in Your Wish Is My Command, while the Tortoise and the Hare offer differing accounts of their race in Ready, Steady, Go! An informative afterword give more details about each tale that is retold in this form.
I cannot say, all told, that I found the poems in Follow Follow completely successful in their own right, although I do salute the creativity and cleverness required to create them. Somehow though, the poems themselves often felt rather choppy, with lines sometimes consisting of a single word - perhaps an inevitable by-product of attempting to work them into such a difficult form? Whatever the case may be, I was only moderately impressed with this, as a reading experience, despite finding the idea interesting, and the colorful acrylic illustrations fun. Like another reviewer, I do wish Singer had included some information as to the authorship of the original tales, when such information is available. It seems odd to me to include an afterword, but neglect that aspect. I also wish that the author had not claimed that she invented the form, as even a little research would have shown that palindrome poetry is well established in world literature, with examples stretching back all the way to ancient Indian works like the Kirātārjunīya and Shishupala Vadha. Despite these criticisms, Follow Follow is still an interesting book, one I would recommend to those readers who enjoyed Mirror Mirror.
I cannot say, all told, that I found the poems in Follow Follow completely successful in their own right, although I do salute the creativity and cleverness required to create them. Somehow though, the poems themselves often felt rather choppy, with lines sometimes consisting of a single word - perhaps an inevitable by-product of attempting to work them into such a difficult form? Whatever the case may be, I was only moderately impressed with this, as a reading experience, despite finding the idea interesting, and the colorful acrylic illustrations fun. Like another reviewer, I do wish Singer had included some information as to the authorship of the original tales, when such information is available. It seems odd to me to include an afterword, but neglect that aspect. I also wish that the author had not claimed that she invented the form, as even a little research would have shown that palindrome poetry is well established in world literature, with examples stretching back all the way to ancient Indian works like the Kirātārjunīya and Shishupala Vadha. Despite these criticisms, Follow Follow is still an interesting book, one I would recommend to those readers who enjoyed Mirror Mirror.
December 27, 2024
Wonderful. I have no idea how one could even go about creating these, but they're sure fun to read. The one based on 'Thumbelina' is especially successful. I sure do appreciate the notes on the stories, though, for those not as well-read as I.
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October 12, 2018Poetry turned upside down. This unique book of poems, all centering upon some traditional folktales, provides two poems for each folktale. Both poems are on the same page with colorful illustrations on the facing page to coordinate with the poems. The words are the same in both poems; they are just turned upside down. The only thing that is changed is the punctuation. The result: a poem with a completely different meaning and/or point a view. The skill involved to pull this off is a testament to Singer’s unique play of words. The complexity of choosing the right words make this a book of poems that is not quickly written. Classic folktales included are "The Emperor’s New Clothes," "The Princess and the Pea," "The Pied Piper," "Puss in Boots," "The Three Little Pigs," and "The Little Mermaid," and many others.
In the rear of the book, Singer includes an explanation of what a reverso poem is, and how it came to be. In order to understand the poems, children should be familiar with the folktales. The author helps here with a brief explanation of each one, located in the back of the book. It may take reading the poems several times to fully understand the viewpoint to which Singer is referring, but it is worth it to put in the extra time. Children will catch on quickly to these unique poems and revel in both the simplicity of the poems, and the complexity it took to create them. As there are two sides to every story, so too, there are two sides to every poem, at least in reverso poems anyway.—Pamela B.
In the rear of the book, Singer includes an explanation of what a reverso poem is, and how it came to be. In order to understand the poems, children should be familiar with the folktales. The author helps here with a brief explanation of each one, located in the back of the book. It may take reading the poems several times to fully understand the viewpoint to which Singer is referring, but it is worth it to put in the extra time. Children will catch on quickly to these unique poems and revel in both the simplicity of the poems, and the complexity it took to create them. As there are two sides to every story, so too, there are two sides to every poem, at least in reverso poems anyway.—Pamela B.
August 8, 2019
Follow Follow: A Book of Reverso Poems is a children's picture book of poems written by Marilyn Singer and illustrated by Josée Masse, which is an anthology of reverso poems, which are poems that could be read forward and backward, about fairytales.
Singers's poetry is rather simplistic, but ingeniously written. Singer uses "reverso" poems, a form of her creation, to show that there are two sides to every fairy tale. On each page, two poems appear, one an inversion of the other with minor changes in punctuation. Masse's illustrations cleverly represent each reverso poem with an illustration likewise.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. It is an anthology of reverso poems with accompany illustrations about the duality of fairy tales. Some fairy tales represented are: Aladdin, The Emperor's New Clothes, The Princess and the Pea, The Little Mermaid, The Pied Piper, Puss in Boots, The Three Little Pigs, Tortoise and the Hare, and many more. The poems are carefully crafted so that one could read each line of the poems forward and backward and creates a single poem being told in two perspectives for each respective fairy tale.
All in all, Follow Follow: A Book of Reverso Poems is a wonderful collection of reversible verse and poems that are written about popular fairy tales with wonderful duality art that accompany each pair of poems.
Singers's poetry is rather simplistic, but ingeniously written. Singer uses "reverso" poems, a form of her creation, to show that there are two sides to every fairy tale. On each page, two poems appear, one an inversion of the other with minor changes in punctuation. Masse's illustrations cleverly represent each reverso poem with an illustration likewise.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. It is an anthology of reverso poems with accompany illustrations about the duality of fairy tales. Some fairy tales represented are: Aladdin, The Emperor's New Clothes, The Princess and the Pea, The Little Mermaid, The Pied Piper, Puss in Boots, The Three Little Pigs, Tortoise and the Hare, and many more. The poems are carefully crafted so that one could read each line of the poems forward and backward and creates a single poem being told in two perspectives for each respective fairy tale.
All in all, Follow Follow: A Book of Reverso Poems is a wonderful collection of reversible verse and poems that are written about popular fairy tales with wonderful duality art that accompany each pair of poems.
July 16, 2019
Better than Mirror, Mirror, not quite as good as Echo, Echo. This one is worth a read for the Little Mermaid poem alone. "For love,/give up your voice" which reverses to "Don't/give up your voice/for love". Fantastic.
March 18, 2022
This poetic picture book is a fun, new take on the style of poetry. The entire book consists of reverso poems in which the poem means one thing read top to bottom and another when it is flipped and read from the bottom up. All of the poems are based on popular fairy tales told to children. The illustrations by Josee Masse are excellent in showing how the two poems are connected but different. From the title page to the endpapers in the back, this book grabs your attention and doesn’t let it go.
October 27, 2018
Singer, M., & Masse, J. (2013). Follow follow: A book of reverso poems (1st ed.). New York: Dial Books for Young Readers.
Recommended grade level: K-3
Format: Poetry
Themes: Poetry; Fairy tales; Folklore; Humorous poetry
Major Awards: N/A
Summary:
In the book titled, Follow follow: A book of reverso poems by Marilyn Singer and illustrated by Josee Masse, well-recognized fairy tale characters tell both sides of their story through regular and reverse poetry. Once the poem is turned upside down, the poem has a completely different meaning. Like the poems, the illustrations are mirrored to coordinate with the poems. All of the words are the same in each poem, just the punctuation is different and the poem is turned upside down showing the different point of views.
Personal Response:
Out of all of the reverse poems that I read, my favorite poem was titled Ready, Steady, Go! And it was about the tortoise and the hare. I felt like the two poems were reversed so well. I absolutely love what the author did within this book. I truly love poetry, but his book took poetry and how I see poetry to a whole new level. This book is inspiring me to try and write my own reverse poem and then illustrate a picture that ties together with both of the poems, just as the illustrator did. As a child, I enjoyed most of the stories that the poems were based off in this book, and it brought flashbacks of my childhood back. Excellent and fun read!!
Illustrations:
The illustrations in Follow Follow are full of color and excitement. Some of the illustrations are funny and really capture the audience attention. Some of the other images portray deeper meanings and feelings within the artwork. The poem that stands out in my mind when dealing with the illustrations is titled “Birthday Suit” and in one picture is has a king without clothes on (in his underwear) and then on the other side, the king is fully dressed. On the page with the poems, the illustrator kept the background colors plain but opposite like the poem and then in the middle of the poems, the illustrator put a drawing of an object that symbolizes both sides of the poems (the two different perspectives).
Reader Response/Classroom Connections
The overarching message of Follow Follow is found within the back of the book. The author wants her readers to understand reversos and about the tales of the past. I think that it is wonderful that the author took the additional time to talk about what reversos are and talk about the tale behind each and every piece of her poetry within the book.
Art: Students could learn how to do mirror art by folding a piece of paper in half and then on one side of the paper, the students draw hard with a pencil so they can then close the paper and then trace their drawing on the other side of the paper. Then, the students have created a mirror drawing like the illustrator!
Mathematics: Students could count the number of poems that were found within the book. They can then assign each poem a number. Once the numbers are assigned, the teacher can put the numbers of the poems into a hat and the students can pick a number to take a closer look at the poem.
Language Arts: Students could learn about poetry and then they could talk about reverse poetry. If the teacher is daring, they could have their students try to make a reverse poem.
Science: Students could look at the illustrations in the book and figure out ways that they could blend colors to make new colors with their crayons and a new sheet of paper.
History: Students could learn about fairytales and the true story behind those tales and where they originated from.
Recommended grade level: K-3
Format: Poetry
Themes: Poetry; Fairy tales; Folklore; Humorous poetry
Major Awards: N/A
Summary:
In the book titled, Follow follow: A book of reverso poems by Marilyn Singer and illustrated by Josee Masse, well-recognized fairy tale characters tell both sides of their story through regular and reverse poetry. Once the poem is turned upside down, the poem has a completely different meaning. Like the poems, the illustrations are mirrored to coordinate with the poems. All of the words are the same in each poem, just the punctuation is different and the poem is turned upside down showing the different point of views.
Personal Response:
Out of all of the reverse poems that I read, my favorite poem was titled Ready, Steady, Go! And it was about the tortoise and the hare. I felt like the two poems were reversed so well. I absolutely love what the author did within this book. I truly love poetry, but his book took poetry and how I see poetry to a whole new level. This book is inspiring me to try and write my own reverse poem and then illustrate a picture that ties together with both of the poems, just as the illustrator did. As a child, I enjoyed most of the stories that the poems were based off in this book, and it brought flashbacks of my childhood back. Excellent and fun read!!
Illustrations:
The illustrations in Follow Follow are full of color and excitement. Some of the illustrations are funny and really capture the audience attention. Some of the other images portray deeper meanings and feelings within the artwork. The poem that stands out in my mind when dealing with the illustrations is titled “Birthday Suit” and in one picture is has a king without clothes on (in his underwear) and then on the other side, the king is fully dressed. On the page with the poems, the illustrator kept the background colors plain but opposite like the poem and then in the middle of the poems, the illustrator put a drawing of an object that symbolizes both sides of the poems (the two different perspectives).
Reader Response/Classroom Connections
The overarching message of Follow Follow is found within the back of the book. The author wants her readers to understand reversos and about the tales of the past. I think that it is wonderful that the author took the additional time to talk about what reversos are and talk about the tale behind each and every piece of her poetry within the book.
Art: Students could learn how to do mirror art by folding a piece of paper in half and then on one side of the paper, the students draw hard with a pencil so they can then close the paper and then trace their drawing on the other side of the paper. Then, the students have created a mirror drawing like the illustrator!
Mathematics: Students could count the number of poems that were found within the book. They can then assign each poem a number. Once the numbers are assigned, the teacher can put the numbers of the poems into a hat and the students can pick a number to take a closer look at the poem.
Language Arts: Students could learn about poetry and then they could talk about reverse poetry. If the teacher is daring, they could have their students try to make a reverse poem.
Science: Students could look at the illustrations in the book and figure out ways that they could blend colors to make new colors with their crayons and a new sheet of paper.
History: Students could learn about fairytales and the true story behind those tales and where they originated from.
October 16, 2017
The poetry book of reverso poems, “Follow, Follow”, is a companion book to its predecessor, “Mirror, Mirror”. The author of these books has taken fairy tales and written them as poems. What makes this book interesting is that each poem is written in reverse on the same page. Follow, Follow has the story of the tortoise and the hare’s race. The first poem tells the hare’s story. The second one tells the tortoise’s story. Both poems use the same words, but the second one starts from the end and goes to the beginning, changing the point of view from one character to the other. Some of the poems have different characters for the reverso poem, and some just have a differing point of view from the narrator. Either way, each of these poems is exceedingly clever and fun to read. Some of the fairy tales are easily recognizable, and some of them are a bit more obscure. It is a great book to learn new fairy tales and is a great book to enjoy beloved fairy tales with a bit of a twist. This book is great for anyone who loves word play or the clever use of language.
This book would be appropriate for a poetry study in the upper grades. It would be great to use for teaching point of view, but I think that students would need to have experience with poetry before using this book for that purpose. The fairy tales themselves are great for any grade level, but I think the complexity of the poems and understanding the change in perspective could be too difficult for younger grades. It would be fun to assign one fairy tale to each group of students and have them analyze the different perspectives and perhaps act them out while reciting the poem from each point of view. It would be great to precede or follow up the poems by reading the fairy tale that matches and comparing the perspectives from each type of text.
This book is a WOW book for me because of the cleverness of the use of language. I am not a big poetry fan, but picked up this book and smiled at each poem. Finding this book encourages me to look at poetry in a different light. I will definitely need to seek out and read the first book, “Mirror, Mirror”.
This book would be appropriate for a poetry study in the upper grades. It would be great to use for teaching point of view, but I think that students would need to have experience with poetry before using this book for that purpose. The fairy tales themselves are great for any grade level, but I think the complexity of the poems and understanding the change in perspective could be too difficult for younger grades. It would be fun to assign one fairy tale to each group of students and have them analyze the different perspectives and perhaps act them out while reciting the poem from each point of view. It would be great to precede or follow up the poems by reading the fairy tale that matches and comparing the perspectives from each type of text.
This book is a WOW book for me because of the cleverness of the use of language. I am not a big poetry fan, but picked up this book and smiled at each poem. Finding this book encourages me to look at poetry in a different light. I will definitely need to seek out and read the first book, “Mirror, Mirror”.
June 23, 2013
This is a fabulous book of "reverso" poems with a fairy tale theme. It's a second book of such poems by Marilyn Singer. We read the first, Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse, three years ago and while I wasn't sure that our girls were ready for those poems then, they absolutely loved this book. They eagerly divided up the poems, reading one side each, and I had to practically beg to get a turn. I loved it!
Each poem is presented one way and then again in reverse, often with a tremendous twist in meaning. It's a fascinating work of wordsmithing and artistry, and the change in the perspective of the poem is often quite startling and humorous. I was impressed with how difficult it must be to craft a poem such as this, and I am in awe of Marilyn Singer's ability to create a new kind of poetry. The illustrations are quite nice as well. I really hope that she continues to write books like this.
Each poem is presented one way and then again in reverse, often with a tremendous twist in meaning. It's a fascinating work of wordsmithing and artistry, and the change in the perspective of the poem is often quite startling and humorous. I was impressed with how difficult it must be to craft a poem such as this, and I am in awe of Marilyn Singer's ability to create a new kind of poetry. The illustrations are quite nice as well. I really hope that she continues to write books like this.
October 29, 2015
“Imagine fairy tales upended. / Upended fairy tales? Imagine!” These clever poems are meant to be read once forward and once backward. Just by altering punctuation, the poems take on new meaning. Children will recognize familiar tales and fables, such as the Tortoise and the Hare and The Three Little Pigs. Each poem is placed side-by-side, once forward - which is the familiar tale, and once in reverse - which reveals a fractured version of the story. The opposite page is a painting done in acrylic matching the tale. Simple language and bright colors will capture the attention of those on the younger end of the spectrum, but older readers may not find this challenging enough to be entertaining. A great activity to combine with this book is to have children write their own short stories, then flip them. Teacher or librarian may have to provide a bank of words to get them started. An excellent book that plays with language. As an added bonus, it subtly stresses the importance of how punctuation can change the meaning of a sentence.
May 22, 2013
Back with fourteen more sets of fairy-tale related reverso poems, the poet offers readers new spins on those often-told stories that are so foundational to our culture today. In some of the pairings such as "No Bigger than Your Thumb," the poems are told from the perspectives of different characters, but in other cases, such as "Silly Goose," the lines allow the same character to ruminate on an issue differently. Taken together and added to a collection containing the poet's earlier Mirror Mirror and the recent Grumbles from the forest by Jane Yolen and Rebecca Kai Dotlich, these poems encourage readers to regard fairy tales in a fresh new light. "Birthday Suit" with its perspective on a ruler unable to see the truth and those unwilling to tell it to him is sure to be a favorite as will be the chilling "Follow Follow," a cautionary comment on reneging on one's promises. Each acrylic illustration is sumptuous and fits the poems perfectly, adding another layer of meaning to the poems.
June 5, 2013
Every bit as good as Mirror Mirror. I liked that she included a synopsis of each of the fairy tales at the end of the book, just in case there was one that was unfamiliar to some readers. The artwork is just as cute as the poems, reflecting two views of the same scene. This is a book to be treasured, read aloud, then read again.
Reversible poems can be read from top to bottom, or from bottom to top (with changes in punctuation) and give a completely different view of the event--so the story is told from the perspective of two characters such as the Wolf and the Third Pig. I know at least one child who loved it this morning and was very excited that I had found another volume to share, since he had enjoyed Mirror Mirror so much yesterday. My Grandson (7 years old) is a good judge of what he likes, and he got a kick out of reading a couple of them to me.
Reversible poems can be read from top to bottom, or from bottom to top (with changes in punctuation) and give a completely different view of the event--so the story is told from the perspective of two characters such as the Wolf and the Third Pig. I know at least one child who loved it this morning and was very excited that I had found another volume to share, since he had enjoyed Mirror Mirror so much yesterday. My Grandson (7 years old) is a good judge of what he likes, and he got a kick out of reading a couple of them to me.
May 5, 2013
Marilyn Signer has invented a poetic form: reverso poems. These poems can be read from top to bottom and then the same lines from bottom to top, with two different meanings. The two versions often tell two sides of a fairy tale. I don't love this book as much as the Singer's first reverso collection, Mirror Mirror, but it's still spectacular and fun.
November 30, 2020
A good one time read.
September 30, 2018
This is the author’s 2nd book of “reverso” poems. She takes a fairy tale and writes a short poem; the poem is then presented in reverse to give a slightly different angle on the story – maybe another character’s POV, or the same character, but just a slightly different look at the story. The poem, in reverse, might have slightly different capitalization and punctuation, but the words and lines are the same, just in reverse.
Some of the fairy tales she represents in this one include The Princess and the Pea, The Little Mermaid, The Twelve Dancing Princesses, The Emperor’s New Clothes, The Tortoise and the Hare, and more.
It’s really very clever and I loved the first book! This one is also very good, and it amazes me that she can come up with these! It’s presented very nicely in a picture book. The poems themselves are side-by-side – the poem, then its reverse, beside in a different colour. The pictures to go with are presented on the page beside, with two slightly different pictures side-by-side, representing each poem and its reverse.
Some of the fairy tales she represents in this one include The Princess and the Pea, The Little Mermaid, The Twelve Dancing Princesses, The Emperor’s New Clothes, The Tortoise and the Hare, and more.
It’s really very clever and I loved the first book! This one is also very good, and it amazes me that she can come up with these! It’s presented very nicely in a picture book. The poems themselves are side-by-side – the poem, then its reverse, beside in a different colour. The pictures to go with are presented on the page beside, with two slightly different pictures side-by-side, representing each poem and its reverse.
December 6, 2018
What talent Marilyn Singer demonstrates when making this book. This is another book that you have to hold to see the magic that each page has to offer. Marilyn has created the reverso form which is made up of two poems, read the first poem down and it has one meaning, read the same poem back up and it has a completely different meaning with changes only in punctuation and capitalization. Each page shows an illustration of a fairy tale, on the next page you have a poem written one way conveying one meaning and next to that poem is the same exact poem but written in reverse form which conveys a completely different meaning. Writing poems like this must be very difficult but at the same time very exciting. You can challenge students to write their own poems and see if they can make sense written in reverse form. This book is suitable for all ages.
August 25, 2020
What a delightful introduction to poetry and the forms it can take. I love the idea of poems being read top-to-bottom and meaning one thing (or conveying one viewpoint), then flipping it and reading it bottom-to-top for a new meaning (or new viewpoint). The author helpfully does the “flipping” for the reader by providing them side-by-side. The only thing that changes, other than the order of the lines, is the punctuation.
I was especially enchanted by Your Wish Is My Command: one direction the knave is freed, the other direction it is the jinni. I also really liked The Little Mermaid’s Choice: the first direction has her longing for land & prince while the reverse has her happy in home and self.
This was a fun “retelling” of fairy tales while introducing me to a different form of poetry.
I was especially enchanted by Your Wish Is My Command: one direction the knave is freed, the other direction it is the jinni. I also really liked The Little Mermaid’s Choice: the first direction has her longing for land & prince while the reverse has her happy in home and self.
This was a fun “retelling” of fairy tales while introducing me to a different form of poetry.
September 27, 2017
Follow Follow is a poetry collection of fairy tale themed reverse poems by Marilyn Singer. Each page has a different story told in a poem and its reverse told by flipping the order of the lines to change the meaning of the story or a different character’s perspectives. The illustrations are colorful and fun mirroring the same change in meaning of the reverse poems by a splitting of scenes down the center. This poetry book is ideal for elementary grade children who will love the familiar fairy tales with a look at a different perspective.
February 11, 2019
Cute poems based on fairy tales that when read one way tell the story from the perspective of one character and read another changes the POV. My favorites are Follow Follow based on the Pied Piper of Hamelin. Your Wish is My Command, and The Little Mermaid's Choice. Not necessarily my favorite fairy tales, but I loved the reverse of the poem.
Also I adored the artwork. The illustrations go so well with this book
I am definitely looking forward to reading the companion novel. Mirror Mirror.
Recommended? Sure
Buy/Borrow? Borrow.
Also I adored the artwork. The illustrations go so well with this book
I am definitely looking forward to reading the companion novel. Mirror Mirror.
Recommended? Sure
Buy/Borrow? Borrow.
April 28, 2025
I know I'm not the target audience, but as an adult who has always had a thing for fairy tales, they're honestly enjoyable and sometimes brilliant. I didn't read all of them aloud to my kids just because they weren't familiar with all of the fairy tales they're based on, but they liked the ones I did read (especially the Tortoise and the Hare one). I thought the ones based on Aladdin and the Little Mermaid were particularly well done.
December 7, 2017
(340: Traditional literature)
This book of reverso poems provides a fun and magical twist to traditional stories and characters. This book brings in lesser known fairy/folk tales such as The Nightingale's Emperor and The Twelve Dancing Princesses. Personally, I found the poems much smoother and easier to understand when read aloud.
This book of reverso poems provides a fun and magical twist to traditional stories and characters. This book brings in lesser known fairy/folk tales such as The Nightingale's Emperor and The Twelve Dancing Princesses. Personally, I found the poems much smoother and easier to understand when read aloud.
March 22, 2017
This book is a cool book because it is two perspectives in one story. It is fun to read especially to students who enjoy stories like this one. This book is the kind of like the story of "Mirror Mirror". It is a reversible book wich makes it very unique from many other books. I think many students will love to read books like this because it is something different from other books that they read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 2, 2017
Reverso poems are such a blast to read! The dynamic change between the two versions can just be astounding. With these fairy tales, one can get the desperate viewpoints of characters or actions in the legend and its fascinating.
October 9, 2018
Genre: Poems/Fantasy
Copyright Date: 2013
A fun book of reverse poems that is filled with different fairytale characters. I think kids of any age will have a kick out of reading these poems. Good to use when talking about or writing poems.
Copyright Date: 2013
A fun book of reverse poems that is filled with different fairytale characters. I think kids of any age will have a kick out of reading these poems. Good to use when talking about or writing poems.
January 9, 2019
Reverso poems are so neat!! I couldn't begin to write one, but they are nifty little things. Not all of them were as successful as others, but all still very imaginative. I especially thought the Aladdin poem was brilliantly done.
December 29, 2019
Students and adults alike are fascinated by the way these reverso poems work. Read top to bottom, they tell a story from one point of view; read bottom to top, they tell a different and often opposing point of view! Very clever
April 7, 2022
This book is the companion to "Mirror Mirror." I marvel at how Marilyn Singer can create poems that can be read in reverse, using the same words with only changing the punctuation and capitalization. One poem becomes two points of view. Brilliant!
April 18, 2023
Even more stories to enjoy with reverse poetry. Like the first, some work better than others. Luckily, at the end of this one this are small summaries of some the tales less known (The Nightengale, Pied Piper).
April 25, 2024
I rated this book a 3/5, I liked this book but it was not my personal favorite. Each poem is paired with a reverse that tells the story from a different perspective. Masse's stunning illustrations perfectly complement the innovative, engaging text.
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