FOLLOW FOLLOW

A companion piece to the acclaimed Mirror, Mirror (2010), this offering presents more delightful “reverso” poems to treasure.

As in the original volume, each page spread presents an expertly crafted poem based on a fairy tale coupled with a second poem which is, with only minor changes in capitalization and punctuation, the first poem in reverse. Together, the two poems offer new perspectives and insights into familiar tales and their characters. Take, for example, the poems based on “Thumbelina.” The first verse, from the girl’s perspective, begins, “Me / marry / a mole? / I am / small, / but / my dreams are / lofty and daring, / not / constant and safe,” while the second verse, in the voice of the mole this time, ends with “constant and safe, / not / lofty and daring. / My dreams are / but / small. / I am / a mole. / Marry / me.” Other featured tales include “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” “The Tortoise and the Hare,” “The Princess and the Pea,” “The Three Little Pigs” and more. Masse’s bold and brilliant illustrations bring the poems to life, showcasing the different perspectives while maintaining a lovely sense of unity by essentially dividing each painting into two distinct images while incorporating elements that inextricably yoke each image to its counterpart.

Read alongside the traditional tales it plays off of or enjoyed on its own, this volume is one to savor.