Follow Follow Review

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Singer, Marilyn. 2013. Follow, Follow: A Book of Reverso Poems. Ill. Josee Masse. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 978-0-8037-3769-3.

Follow, Follow: A Book of Reverso Poems is a poetry collection that showcases poems that are read from top to bottom, then reversed to be read bottom to top revealing a whole new perspective. Slight changes are made to punctuation and capitalization, but no words are changed in the reverso form. Singer focuses her unique poetry style on folk and fairy tales such as the princess and the pea, the tortoise and the hare, Thumbelina, the three little pigs, and many more.

Singer developed the poems that are called reverso and readers everywhere should experience them. They are clever and imaginative, bringing a new experience to poetry and classic tales. She opens Follow, Follow: A Book of Reverso Poems with a delightful ode to writing:

Fairy Tales

Read my book.
And then,
just imagine this,
me in my garret, working all alone,
how hard it was to write.
I need to tell the world
the truth,
so here goes:
I beg your pardon--
fairies helped.

Fairies helped?
I beg your pardon!
So, here goes
the truth:
I need to tell the world
how hard it was to write,
me in my garret, working all alone.
Just imagine this,
and then
read my book.

Masse's illustrations are two-sided as well, perfectly complementing Singer's poems. The pictures are saturated with vibrant color encouraging the reader to linger over them and fully enjoy each page. The author offers an endnote explaining the reverso style and also summarizing the original tales for readers who may be unfamiliar with them. Follow, Follow offers an excellent starting point for further exploration of the fables and fairy tales Singer focuses on in this book and its predecessor, the award winning, Mirror, Mirror.

Marilyn Singer has written over ninety children's book in a variety of genres. To learn more about her work please visit http://marilynsinger.net/.

Josee Masse is an award winning illustrator and for those who speak French, more can be discovered here: http://www.joseemasse.com/. If English is your preferred language, please learn more here: http://www.painted-words.com/masse.html.

“Singer and Masse’s companion to Mirror Mirror is just as inspired as its predecessor.” – Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Fun, thoughtful, beautifully written poems that employ a poetic form called a reverso to spin a familiar fairy tale in a new direction.” – Shelf Awareness, starred review

"Singer’s poetry begs to be read aloud as listeners savor Masse’s accompanying illustrations. This is a must-have book for a library’s poetry section as well as for any personal collection." - Library Media Connection, starred review

"These are delightful to read and read aloud, and they’re a curricular dream for discussions of poetry, folklore, and point of view." – The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Masse’s two-sided illustrations capture the changes in point of view, tone, and color...Singer’s reversos present lyrical and evocative moments that will surprise and delight children and provide them with opportunities for critical discussion." – School Library Journal

 Follow, Follow: A Book of Reverso Poems can be paired with Marilyn Singer's award winning Mirror, Mirror to encourage children to explore and write their own reverso poems. Both books could also be included in a literature experience that includs fairy tales of all kinds. I will be using these books as part of the youth activities at Amarillo Public Library's Open Book Festival, November 2, 2013. The theme is Fairy Tale Adventures and we will be sharing activities incorporating Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, Beauty and the Beast, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. 


Amazon. Editorial reviews. http://www.amazon.com/Follow-Book-Reverso-Poems/dp/0803737696. (Accessed October 9, 2013.)