Mirror Mirror

By: Marilyn Singer   

  Illustrated by: Josee Masse

Published by Dutton Children’s Books, 2010

Reading Level: Lexile 470L

 Read Aloud, 3.6

 

Unique, Intriguing, Eye-Catching, Clever, Fun

As a child, we all enjoyed reading the fairy tale stories of Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Princess and the Frog and many more. Mirror Mirror, puts a twist on the stories and how we interpreted those fairy tales. With beautifully written work and illustrations, Marilyn Singer and Josee Masse give you a two sided view of the classic fairy tales which truly questions your conclusion of the tales.

Key Vocabulary –

Your students may know the gist of the some of the fairy tales within the book, but if not there are several words you could define just so that your students know who the character is.

Waltz, briars, snippy, dawdle, stubby, fragrant, startled, greed, muzzle.

Teaching Suggestions –

Before Reading:

Have your students fill out a KWL Chart about poetry. After completed, explain to students that poems do not just about rhyme. There are many other forms of poems (explain).  Read the poem on the inside flap of the cover:  “Isn’t this a fairy tale? A fairy tale this isn’t  ...” Question your students what is different.

During Reading:

The first poem is introducing the book, giving an insight as to how the rest of the poems will look. Allow your students to take in what will be going on throughout the book. Give enough time for your students to question the poem and highlight on the capital letters, punctuations, and tone of the narrator with each parallel poem. Continue to do so with each poem throughout the book for a full understanding of the poems. Even ask your students what’s different.

After Reading:

Assign each student a poem to depict and write in their own words 2 5-7 sentences paragraphs of the similarities and differences between the poems. For some fun extra credit, see what your students can come up with and have them create their own “reverso” poem to present to the class.  

Electronic Resources –

Author's Site: Marilyn Singer invites you into her life with her personal website. Singer, provides Writing Tips, Biography, Appearances, Forthcoming Books, and many more useful information.

Illustrator's Site: Josee Masse from Montreal, provides beautifully drawn illustrations of her many books. Her site is also bilingual, French and English.