Follow Follow: A Book of Reverso Poems by Marilyn Singer

 

Follow Follow:  A Book of Reverso Poems by Marilyn Singer

          Singer, M. (2013). Follow Follow. Dial Books for Young Readers.(J Masse, Illustrator) ISBN 9780803737693

Follow Follow is a fairy tale  poetry book written in reverso, meaning that these same poem can be read in reverse and the poems will take on a whole new meaning!

In Follow Follow, we get to read 12 new takes on some of the most classic fairy tale stories such as The Tortoise and the Hare, Puss in Boots, and The Three Little Pigs, all tales retold by Marilyn Singer.  Then, once you have read Singer's new take, you can read the same poem in reverse and have a completely new poem based on the same poem!

The concept of reverso poems was a new concept for me, as I had not read a book in reverso before this, but it added so much fun to this read!  If you are familiar with fairy tale that the poem is based on, then while reading the first poem, there should not be much confusion, as the poem does reflect the fairy tale it is based on.  If you are like me, and were not familiar with all the fairy tales, then you may be confused about some, as the titles do not clearly relay the which fairy tale the poem is based on.  If you are confused, then taking time to look at the illustrations does help make the connection between the poem and fairy tale, and if you are still confused, then there is a very help section at the end of the book that explicitly states which fairy tale each poem is based on!  The second poem for each fairy tale was the most fun to read in my opinion, as that gave a new take on the same poem.  I can only imagine how long it took for Singer to write each poem, all while making sure that the poems make sense while reading them from top to bottom then bottom to top.  That is not an easy feat. and Singer mastered it perfectly!

The poems themselves are not written in a straightforward manner.  I myself had to reread certain lines multiple times to understand what Singer was attempting to convey, and it is because of that that I would recommend this title to older students, perhaps 6th grader or older.  If a younger reader wanted to pick up this title, I would not discourage them from picking it up, but would recommend they read it with someone else.  Something I did noticed and thought was very cool was how Singer managed to change the meaning and tone of a poem just by changing the punctuation.  One example of this is in Panache (based on Puss in Boots) where the original poem starts off with "Who dares to believe / a cat / self-possessed and so well-dressed? / I am" and the reverso poem ends with "I am / a self-possessed and well-dressed - / a cat / who dares to believe!"  By changing the poem by adding just a dash and an exclamation point, Puss's  (the narrator) tone changes from uncertain and unconfident to very self assured and confident.  Panache is one of the few examples of how Singer is masterfully able to change the tone and meaning of a poem just by making changes to grammar.  Additionally, not all of Singer's poems follow a rhyme scheme.

Every poem has it own unique artwork that corresponds to the poem.  Since this book is written in reverso that means that for every fairy tale, has two different version and the same can be said for the illustrations.  Each poem has an an illustration that reflects the original and the reverso poem.  One example of this is with the poem Birthday Suit (based on The Emperor's New Clothes) where in the original poem talks about how the Emperor is draining the treasury on a new wardrobe (as reflected in the illustrations with the Emperor wearing a very fine, blue suit) and the reverso poems talks about how the Emperor could not be draining the treasury as he has nothing on (and this is reflected by the Emperor having nothing on).  Each illustration adds onto both the original and the reverso poem that helps the reader understand what Singer is conveying in the poems.

If you liked Follow Follow, then you will be happy to know that this is a book that is supposed to accompany another book written by Marylin Singer, and the other book is called Mirror Mirror.  Kirkus Review says Follow Follow is a book to "read alongside the traditional tales it plays off of or enjoyed on its own, [and] this volume is one to savor."  Since this title is best suited for an older audience the readers can try to create their own reverso poems by learning from the one and only Marilyn Singer from this article here on Brightly

Awards:

• Booklist's 30 Best Books of the Year
• Cybils Award Finalist 
• IRA Teacher's Choices Reading List

Citations:

Follow Follow. Penguin Random House. (2017, September 12). https://www.penguinrandomhouseretail.com/book/?isbn=9780803737693

Singer, M. (2013). Follow Follow. Dial Books for Young Readers.

Singer, M. (2013, February 7). Follow follow. Kirkus Reviews. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/marilyn-singer/follow-follow/