Long Ago Tales Told

We are stories.  As long as there have been people there have been stories of every form and size.  They define us as individuals and as complete cultures.  They help us to make sense of those things having no apparent explanation.  They keep us grounded and allow us to soar into the cosmos.

In ancient Greece a body of literary work, their myths, was a form of religion for many.  The gods and goddesses were studied and worshiped.  Heroes and heroines and their acts were woven into the fabric of these stories.  In their third partnership, author and poet Marilyn Singer and illustrator Josee Masse, offer readers another collection of poetry.  Echo Echo: Reverso Poems about Greek Myths (Dial Books for Young Readers, February 16, 2016) are fourteen poems in pairs, eleven showcasing couples, a twelfth about a woman who released woes into the world and two others opening and closing the stories within.

An Age of Marvelous Myths

Ancient Greece:
An age of marvelous myths,
gone, but not forgotten.
Heroes that rise and fall. ...

...Heroes that rise and fall,
gone, but not forgotten.
An age of marvelous myths:
Ancient Greece.

As our eyes read the words left, top to bottom, and right, top to bottom, two columns and two poems, their order inverted, meanings shift.  Points of view may change along with the speakers.   We find ourselves speculating about the altered circumstances.

We come to understand why, regardless of an admonishment, Pandora's curiosity overcame her good sense but in turn something prompted her to hold hope.  In this instance wisdom overcame weakness.  After a competition an angry loser turns her opponent into a spider, a mighty ruler's touch creates value except in the one thing he treasures most, and a warrior wins a battle no one could possibly win; these three show us the imperfections in mortals, immortals and monsters.

In flight two fall, one eager for glory and the other failing to heed words of wisdom.  Love fades, love fashions life, loves races to victory, love cheats death and loses to death again.  A single thread saves one and a succession of fourteen others.

Gods and Mortals
These myths
make sense of
the world.
We--- ...

...We,
the world,
make sense of
these myths.


As in the previous two titles readers will be astounded at the consummate skill of Marilyn Singer in writing thoroughly unique poems using the same words, reversed in order, with punctuation and capitalization changes alone.  She portrays the soul of these myths with her exquisite selection of words, each line's length unfolding the events with intention.  Her understanding of the myths through research is highly evident.  For readers not familiar with a particular story at the bottom of each set of poems, she includes a brief explanation.


On the matching dust jacket and book case Josee Masse presents readers with a color palette she continues to use throughout the title, hues of blue, white, greens and shades of golden yellow and orange.  The image on the front depicts ancient Greece on the top and modern times on the bottom.  This is the illustration for the first poem, with the bottom becoming the top.  To the left, on the back, text and images highlight the first two reverso books. On the opening and closing endpapers two different shades of the golden yellow and orange are used.

Rendered with Liquitex Acrylic on Strathmore 500 series bristol sheet---2-ply vellum the illustrations are as fluid and flawless as the poetic stories they interpret.  Fine lines, exquisite detail and the interplay of shadow and light are breathtaking.  Each picture is two wholes becoming one, a mirror of the two reverso poems on the opposite page.  They are separate but they overlap at the same time.  Without hesitation we are requested to stop and look at every single one.

My favorite image is for the poems Arachne and Athena.  On the left the predominant color is golden.  On the right it is blue.  We see two rooms with arched doorways on the far left and far right.  A single tapestry joins the goddess Athena (on the left) holding her spear with an owl depicted on her side of the weaving and Arachne (on the right), her portion of the fabric a spider web.  Beneath her attire are the legs of a spider.  Their facial features express the anger of one and the fear of the other.


Echo Echo written by Marilyn Singer with illustrations by Josee Masse is a beautiful volume of this singular style of poetry.  With the popularity of Greek myths, this will find a ready audience.  They can most assuredly be enjoyed silently but when you read them aloud you are transported back in time.  You will want to have this book on both your personal and professional shelves.  An author's note at the back offers further information about Greek myths, reverso poems and several resources.

To learn more about Marilyn Singer and Josee Masse and their other work please use the links attached to their names to access their websites.  If you wish to use an educator's guide for all three books please follow this link.  Marilyn Singer writes about reverso poems and her three titles at Brightly.

In Their Hands

The men, women and children whose names find a place in history books are sometimes only names; words in black and white not given flesh, bones and personalities.  There are countless others who did make a difference but remain confined to the past, not even acknowledged in our volumes chronicling human endeavors.  Year after year authors and illustrators change these facts.

They take names, known and unknown, making them alive for readers in the here and now.  Their accounts, whether through fiction or nonfiction, are so skillful the people seem to walk into our presence.  Author Marilyn Singer and illustrator John Hendrix have done this for readers with their recently released collaboration, Rutherford B. Who Was He? Poems About Our Presidents (Disney Hyperion Books).

Who were these men
who had what it took
to be commander in chief of the armed forces,
to suggest what to do with our country's resources?

Forty-three presidents are presented in thirty-nine poetic verses in forms as varied as the men themselves.  In sequential order from Washington to Obama, we get a glimpse of their accomplishments, challenges and shortcomings.  History's facts and interpretations are revealed.

You have to wonder how the nation would have fared if George Washington had lived a quiet life at Mount Vernon, as he wanted after the Revolution, instead of becoming the first president of the United States.  The bickering, the clash of ideologies, between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson is a dialogue to note.  How many can recall stubbornness and cold weather lead to the short term of William Henry Harrison?

Polk's promises, Johnson's impeachment, Grant's troubles and Hayes's neutrality bookend the man wearing the stovepipe hat, Abraham Lincoln.  A wife's proclamation, a gripping bathtub and a roaring decade leave their mark on other administrations.  It must have been hard to run for re-election with the public's cry of

ANYONE BUT HIM.

A new deal, stopping the buck, working behind the scenes, going to the moon and another war defined five presidencies. Whether they came to office by election or fate Watergate haunted two.  A farmer, an actor, a father and his son, a governor and a senator, have all lead our nation.


As I read each of these poems, my admiration for the writing of Marilyn Singer grew.  She reminds us of aspects of these men's lives we have forgotten.  She educates us with information we never knew.  She invites us to dig deeper into the past.

The rhythms and rhymes she creates draw us through the centuries; time speeds quickly by in her hands.  Her techniques are masterful; poems in conversation between Adams and Jefferson illuminating their differences, Jackson and Van Buren revealing positions on westward expansion, and Taylor, Fillmore, Pierce and Buchanan lamenting the status of the Union and the reverso poem, her signature style, on Richard Nixon. Clever, candid and to the point, she gives us the men; these men who were and are president of these United States.



One of the first things you notice about the jacket over the red cloth cover, with the title embossed at the top, is the layout and design.  All the elements are working together perfectly to draw your attention to this book.  The typography, the patriotic colors, President Hayes holding his portrait as other presidents  are gathered about him, animated, as if attending an annual meet and greet are marvelous in their detail and expression.  The single illustration on the back, which appears again beneath the introductory poem, of the eagle from the Great Seal, items from the seal placed about him, reading a book on presidents, is a favorite illustration.

John Hendrix brings his own special brand of historical interpretation and perspective to each of his illustrations.  All the intricate parts work together to make a whole which causes you to pause.  His facial expressions, body postures and the setting in which each man is placed enhance and elevate the text.

Many of the individual pictures are tied together, crossing the gutter with common items.  His color palette choices (the blues swirling about Harrison, the bright, golden yellow behind Grant, the charcoal used as the background for Kennedy and Johnson or the economic graphs joining Bush and Clinton) and lettering and placement of the presidential quotes are impeccable.  I've always believed it's the attention to the little things which lifts any endeavor from good to great; the smoking pipe of peace on the mantel beneath Adam's portrait as Jefferson sits by the fire, his quote embedded in the smoke rising out the chimney, the tiny American flag upright as it was placed on the moon in a glow from the television showcasing Kennedy speaking, or the buttons worn by Bush and Clinton, no taxes and saxes.

Truthfully I can't stop looking at the illustrations, noticing something different each time. I have many favorites but the picture of Abraham Lincoln from the back, face slightly turned, the poem within the stove pipe hat and his quote around the brim, is one of them.  It is the only one in this book with this viewpoint.


I count Rutherford B. Who Was He? Poems About Our Presidents written by Marilyn Singer with illustrations by John Hendrix one of the best poetry books of 2013.  I can see it having multiple uses in the classroom setting promoting discussions on poetic forms, research on the presidents and the importance of illustrative storytelling.  For those people who love United States history, this volume is a must.

At the close of the book is a section on Meet The President followed by more information on each of the men.  A quote from each is included.  It should also be noted that within the body of the book each poem is titled with the presidential names with their party and terms of service underneath.  Please follow the links embedded in the author's and illustrator's names above to their websites.  The link to John Hendrix's blog post shows many illustrations about the process involved with this title along finished pages.

Who's Talking Now?

In the land of fairy tales expect the unexpected.  In the world of poetry anticipate the unanticipated.  When fairy tales and poetry meet anticipate the unexpected; relish the shifts in perspective, giving voice to those previously silent.

In 2010 author Marilyn Singer introduced a new poetic form, the reverso.  In her title Mirror, Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse (Dutton Children's Books) for the first time we read two poems side by side (the reverso); same words in each but on the left we read from top to bottom, on the right using the same order from bottom to top.  The only alterations were in punctuation and capitalization.  She put a whole refreshing spin on fairy tales we thought we knew.

Last month a companion title, Follow Follow: A Book of Reverso Poems (Dial Books for Young Readers, February 7, 2013), illustrated again by Josee Masse was released.  Twelve folktales accompanied by an introduction and conclusion are altered with Marilyn Singer's special brand of vision.  She leads and we follow...follow.


...so here goes:
I beg your pardon---
fairies helped.

Fairies helped?
I beg your pardon!
So, here goes   ...

Readers are challenged to see both sides of wishing, the nakedness of an emperor, a princess who may or may not laugh, and the mindset of Aesop's most famous racers.  The test to find a real princess, the choice to loose your voice to gain love, the bravado of a cat and the consequences of a debt unpaid take you down and then up again, always changing the outcome.  Sometimes we read the words of more than one character.  Decisions we never understood before are revealed through a single person's musings.

Have you ever stopped to consider how the mole might feel down in his hole, alone?  Or the third pig in his house of bricks at the demise of the greedy wolf?  What of the emperor who discovers nearly too late the true worth of song?  As a soldier sleeps, princesses wish him slumber but a father wishes him awake.


With each reading of these fourteen reverso poems your admiration can't help but grow at the adept use of language, the placement of words to form two distinct interpretations of a single tale.  It's hard to imagine the time, the care, needed to get every single syllable in its perfect position.  When read silently it gently touches, but read aloud the rhythm of each is prevalent and strong.  Marilyn Singer's creativeness, her gift, shines in this inventive style.


Bright, lush colors beckon to readers from the front cover and jacket.  The artistic, skillful blending of two visuals into a complete illustration, used for each, poem begins here.  Spring green endpapers match the greens used in the title page visual.  Wide two-tone pale blue stripes, the background for the title page, verso and dedication page, are widened to showcase the two poems of each reverso.  

It's easy to move into the realm of make-believe through the pictures rendered in acrylics by Josee Masse.  Shades and hues, striking color palettes, especially blues, greens, golds and reds, add a richness to the verses.  The tiniest of details within the layers extends interest; the snail beside the tortoise, the odorous fish coming out of the cat's bag, and the portraits of the two pigs on pig three's wall.  Royal purple endpapers fittingly close this volume.


Words inviting wisdom, creating wonder, penned with purpose on the pages of Follow Follow: A Book of Reverso Poems by Marilyn Singer are elevated by the rich pictorial portrayals of illustrator, Josee Masse.  Readers will be drawn to the magic of the reverso; its ability to capture and convey every nuance known or unknown about these tales.  Of equal beauty are the two poems opening and closing the collection; author reflections on writing, fairies and children.

Singer includes a short explanation of the reverso as well as each tale on the final page. Links to her site and Josee Masse are embedded in their names.

Impressive Inhabitants

In thinking of the most unlikely places for any specie to live, only to discover something actually lives there, is cause for filing these notable nuggets of information in the amazing folder.  It makes you pause to ponder the instinct for survival, the ability to adapt in extreme conditions.  Then the questions start to come; the how, the why, the when.

With National Poetry Month fast approaching an enjoyable introduction to such unusual creatures with  unique features, would be through the reading of poems.  A Strange Place To Call Home:  The World's Most Dangerous Habitats & The Animals That Call Them Home (Chronicle Books, August 22, 2012) written by Marilyn Singer with illustrations by Ed Young is a collection of fourteen poems as singular as the animals they describe.  These poems give us eyes into worlds and animals we might otherwise never encounter.

Hear "penguins," think cold,
think riding on floes.
Who pictures them swimming
where it seldomly snows,
on the dry, dry coasts
of Chile or Peru,
with no ice to slide on,
no glaciers to view?

We travel to the western edge of South America, to the island of Japan, to assorted points within the United States, inside glaciers in the northern hemisphere, to underground caves in Texas and Mexico, to salt flats, deep under the sea, mountaintops, the intertidal zone, deserts, the mangroves, and pools of oil to discover the living quarters of these astonishing inhabitants. We are introduced to penguins who bury their eggs to avoid the heat, monkeys who stay warm by bathing in hot springs, toads who only come above ground when it rains, worms who live in tubes deep under the sea, blind fish and foxes who now prefer life in the city. Each poem focuses on the uncommon characteristics of animal and area dispelling what readers may have thought they knew about either.

Marilyn Singer has chosen to use a variety of poetic forms throughout, selecting a style which best serves to highlight each animal and its habitat.  Free verse, informal rhyme, triolet, haiku, sonnet, cinquain, villanelle and terza rima are matched to the blind cave fish, limpets, mudskippers, spadefoot toads, mountain goats, petroleum flies, flamingos and camels respectively.  Singer not only informs but guides readers to seek answers.


The mysterious, deep sea dark jacket and matching cover serve to draw readers to the selections as well as highlight an introductory poem on the back.  Bright sky blue opening and closing endpapers marbleized in white to give the appearance of splashing water, are in sharp contrast as are the environments visited in the poems.  Caldecott Medal winner Ed Young beautifully renders the title's illustrations in collage.

Each two-page spread is dedicated to a single animal with a color palette reflecting their home and their physical characteristics.  Young alternates perspective to give readers a more intimate relationship with each; much like a photographer does peering through the camera lens.  His use of different materials gives an authentic quality of texture to each visual; an appeal to the senses.  Of the fourteen my two favorites are those for the flamingos and the limpets; shades of coral, red and pink, long legs, graceful necks feeding in the salty land and the waves crashing among the rocks, lined spirals clinging like clustered hats.


A Strange Place To Call Home:  The World's Most Dangerous Habitats & The Animals That Call Them Home is a collection of poems written by Marilyn Singer with collage illustrations by Ed Young that is meant to be shared.  Surely they are to be read for enjoyment but each one invites further investigation.  I found myself frequently looking for more information after the reading of several.  There are endnotes for the animals at the back as well as a single page explaining poetic forms.

A Strange Place to Call Home by

In this video from Reading Rockets Marilyn Singer talks about poetry in general and writing poetry with students.  She includes some great ideas.

Oh, For The Joy Of It All

Imagine the ringing of that final bell on the last day of school.  Spilling out of classrooms, students and their teachers fill the halls.  Drivers in school buses and parents in pickups and SUVs load the laughing, shouting children into the waiting vehicles.  Soon, very soon, it will begin; the sheer joy of three whole months of freedom.

What does one do with so much glorious time? The children filling the pages of A Stick Is An

Excellent Thing:  Poems Celebrating Outdoor Play (Clarion Books) by Marilyn Singer, illustrated by LeUyen Pham, know exactly how to fill each and every minute of those days; doing it with gusto and grins.  Eighteen poems highlight all forms of play in the great outdoors.

Catch and fetch with a canine pal, quality versus quantity bubble blowing, jumping rope, viewing the world hanging from the monkey bars, splashing in the sprinkler, rolling down a hill or catching fireflies are written in rhythmic, rhyming odes; a music matching the magic of each activity.  Familiar games of monkey in the middle, hide and seek, statues, jacks and hopscotch recounted with relish remind readers of days gone by or of days to come.  Verses brimming with imagination, soup made with found items or the power of the perfect stick to be whatever you need it to be, lift readers into very special places.

In the hands of the masterful Singer these poems, words selected and arranged artfully, move; perfect play all day.  Delight spreads from page to page glowing and growing until it lights the night with stars.  Children living in the city, the country or somewhere in between will find something old or perhaps something new to do.

LeUyen Pham begins her visualization of this poetry collection with a full picture stretching across the back and front covers; a smiling group of diverse children perched on the branches of a tree each holding a stick.  On the endpapers we see a close-up of several leafy boughs from that tree.  Using pencil and ink, then coloring digitally, Pham's lively illustrations invite all children to participate in the fun found in each poem. 

A vivid spectrum of color fairly hums on the pages, all double page spreads.  Her varied choice of settings conveys a sense of community, a welcoming.  But most important is the happy energy, the gleeful motion, of all her children. 

Poet Marilyn Singer and illustrator LeUyen Pham have collaborated in A Stick Is An Excellent Thing to show readers the pure pleasure of enjoying the out-of-doors.   They have completely captured the essence of every activity.  I could read this book again and again.  I already have and I probably will.