"Poets are soldiers that liberate words from the steadfast possession of definition."
- Eli Khamarov
This book is a must-have in my humble opinion. The author is Marilyn Singer and Josee Massee is the illustrator. It is recommended for kids ages 5-8.
Each two page spread features a decorative illustrated scene from a familiar fairy tale on one side, and the "reverse" poem on the other. This book is so cleverly crafted with the reversible verses read from the characters point of view in one direction, and from a completely different character's perspective in the other. Snow White takes the apple/ the Queen gives it. Jack and the Giant, Red Riding Hood and the wolf...you understand now don't you? Each poem is readable both frontwards and backwards, with each line acting as its own unit. The poem means one thing on the way down and another on the way back up.
An example comes from Marilyn herself:
Isn't
This
A Fairy tale?
VS
The Fairy tale
This
Isn't....
Each poem is illustrated with vibrant, colourful images - happy vs sad, good vs evil, or just different character's stories.
This book is witty, irreverent, and charming. It is utterly unique holding a mirror up to language and fairy tales and renewing the fun and magic in both.
The book is best read aloud by a trained reader capable of creating flow in poems. It is a multiple award winning book and is brilliant.
About the author:
Marilyn Singer was born in New York, New York, USA in October 03, 1948. She was born in the Bronx and attended Queen's 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 NewYork University. Her first book was published in 1976 entitled, "The Dog Who Insisted He Wasn't." Since then she has published over 70 books for children and Young Adults. She has many awards. She lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband Steve and a variety of pets. She enjoys dog training, reading, hiking bird-watching, gardening, meditation, playing computer adventure games and going to the movies and theatre. She is also a major Star Trek fan.
Book review rating: 9 (close to perfection)
Read on and read always!
sigue leyendo y leer siempre (Spanish)
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