Echo Echo

Gr 2–5— Singer introduced the innovative poetry form of reverso poems in her book Mirror Mirror in 2010. Reverso poems are clever literary miracles. Each consists of two sister poems: the first is read top to bottom, then flipped vertically and read from bottom to top. The only changes made to the lines are capitalizations and punctuation. But those small changes and the flipping of the poem lines create entirely new meaning and perspective. While the subjects of Singer's reverso poems in Mirror Mirror and its companion book, Follow Follow, were well-known fairy tales, here she turns her attention to a dozen Greek myths. Read aloud by the author and actor Joe Morton, the poems share the myths from opposing perspectives. Singer voices the female characters, while Morton voices the men. Standout poems include "Perseus and Medusa," "Narcissus and Echo," and "Icarus and Daedalus." The readings are accompanied by pipe, string, and percussion orchestrations and basic sound effects, followed by a brief summary of the myth brought to life. Both narrators perform with enthusiasm and deftly evoke the personalities of the mythical characters.