Publishers Weekly
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Singer and Masse's companion to Mirror Mirror (a PW Best Book in 2010) is just as inspired as its predecessor. Iconic fairy tale characters speak through poems that can be read backward and forward, resulting in drastically different meanings. Familiar rivals duke it out: "I can't be/ beat./ I've got rabbit feet to/ take me to the finish line," says the overconfident hare. "Take me to the finish line!/ I've got rabbit feet to/ beat./ I can't be/ the smallest bit distracted," maintains the tortoise. Elsewhere, the line "Behold his glorious majesty" conveys both vanity and incredulity in Singer's take on the Emperor's New Clothes. Cobalts, reds, and golds dominate Masse's textured acrylics, contributing suitably regal visuals for Singer's dizzyingly clever wordplay. Ages 6-up. Agent: Brenda Bowen, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. Illustrator's agent: Lori Nowicki, Painted Words. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

School Library Journal
(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Gr 3-6-Follow Follow is a companion to Mirror Mirror (Dutton, 2010), Singer's first book of reverso poems in which she asks, "We read most poems down a page. But what if we read them up?" With just a few "changes allowed only in punctuation and capitalization," and reading the poem from bottom up, the adage "there are two sides to every story" is truly manifest. Masse's two-sided illustrations capture the changes in point of view, tone, and color. "No Bigger Than Your Thumb" presents a Thumbelina loath to consider marrying a mole since her dreams are "lofty and daring," far from "a sheltered life underground." She asks from the start, "Me/marry/ a mole?" The mole has the last word: "I am/a mole./Marry/ me." For the poem based on "The Little Mermaid," Masse makes the mermaid's conflict evident by presenting both of her selves, mermaid and young woman, entwined in the center of the page: her long hair is wrapped about the tail of her sea-self. The deep blues, greens, and tangerines dazzle. The poem begins: "For love,/give up your voice./Don't /think twice." And reverses: "Think twice!/Don't/give up your voice/for love." Singer's reversos present lyrical and evocative moments that will surprise and delight children and provide them with opportunities for critical discussion. With their shifts in diction and point of view, the poems and illustrations are ripe for visual and textual literacy exploration and performance.-Teresa Pfeifer, The Springfield Renaissance School, Springfield, MA (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

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.--Rosenfeld, Shelle Copyright 2010 Booklist