Follow, Follow: A Book of Reverso Poems

In this book, classic fairytales are told with a new twist. When reading this book, the page is split in half. On one side, it reads a poem and on the other side it shows the same poem but as if you were reading it reversed (bottom to top). Each of these poems are told from a new perspective when they are reversed. For example, there is a poem named “Ready, Set, Go!.” This poem is a rendition of the story the Hare and the Tortoise. One side of the page tells the story of the rabbit and the other tells the story from the tortoise, using the same exact words. The illustrations even go along with every story perfectly!

I fell in love with this book and the collection of poems inside. Younger elementary students would love to hear the stories inside and the words are switched around to tell the same story from a different point of view. If I were to use this book for fourth and fifth grades, I would want students to work in partners to create their own reverso. Before reading this picture book of poems, I had never known reverso poems existed. This is something that I liked about the book. It introduced poems in a new light for students. They are not traditional rhyming poems but instead they look very different. These poems are very creative and unique to the world of poetry. But the crafts of writing it takes to create these poems are something magical. The thought behind each of these poems help students to use higher levels of thinking and look at poetry in a new light. This collection of poems is truly a great picture book and one that I will have in my classroom! I also want to look at the book: Mirror, Mirror. It is a companion book to this one.

Follow, Follow: A Book of Reverso Poems

Author: Marilyn Singer

Illustrator: Josee Masse

Year Published: 2013