(Image taken from Lexile.com)
Follow Follow: A Book of Reverso Poems
Singer, M. & Masse, J. (2013). Follow Follow: A Book of Reverso Poems. New York: Dial for Young Readers.
Awards: NCTE Notable Book: Columbus Dispatch's 20 Best Books of the Year; Bank Street College's Best Books of the Year
Suggested Delivery: Read Aloud
Lexile Reading Level: NP
Age Range: 6-9 years
Grade Level: 1-4
About the Book: This book contains a collection of reverso poems that give new perspectives to classic fairy tales. You must read these wonderful poems from top to bottom, and then read them in reverse to get a new take on the same tale. Matched with beautiful pictures, these poems make for a fun, witty, and interesting read.
Keywords: Clever, Perspective, Entertaining, Mesmerizing, Unique
Electronic Resources:
This is a link to an interview with the author Marilyn Singer. It is a short, five-question interview that talks about the verse form and her inspiration behind the book. Students can read this before reading the text, so they can be thinking about the verse form as they read it.
This website leads children to a fun and educational game. There are five poetry pieces that the children can read and then answer questions about. The questions are to help them interpret what the poems mean as well as learn about English terms like metaphor, simile, and alliteration. This can be used after reading the text as a way to begin talking about how poetry works.
Vocabulary:
-Knave: A male servant
-Sublime: Supreme or outstanding
-Clergymen: Religious men or ministers
-Ridiculous: Absurd or laughable
-Docile: Easily managed
-Exquisite: Of special beauty or charm
Reading Strategies:
-Before reading the text, discuss different types of poetry. Explain what a reverso poem is and how it works. Giving the students the format of the specific type of poem they will be reading about will help them understand how the poems differ from each other and how their differences affect the poems meaning.
-During the reading of the text, show the students the picture that corresponds to the poem. Ask them what the differences are between the pictures and what that might mean in the poem.
-After reading the text, give the students a new reverso poem to read. Have them draw their own pictures that correspond to the poem's meaning.
Writing Activity:
Students can try to write their own reverso poem. The first poem can be given to them or they can create it themselves. They can then change the second poem to put it in reverse order. The students can change the punctuation and format to change the perspective of the poem according to their own interpretation.
