Mirror

Mirror
by Jeannie Baker (2010)

            Now that I've discovered the wonderful world of wordless books I can't stop admiring them. This book by Jeannie Baker is a phenomenal example of creativity in the art form. This is actually dual books, one following a family in Sydney, Australia on the left and the other following a family in the Valley of Roses in southern Morocco on the right. Each page in one book corresponds to the page in the other, mirroring each other as the families go about daily activities. There is minimal text at the beginning explaining the notion of the book, and the orientation of the book is perfect because both stories read inward towards the spine since English is read from left to right and Arabic from right to left. It physically brings one story into the other because they read towards each other, and then the layout and activities also bring the stories together. The amazingly detailed, yet textural collages that Baker has created could be explored for hours -- and there are hidden gems for children to find (like at the end of the book when the Australian family is gathering on a rug that looks very much like the one the Moroccan family sold at market). The text really brings together cultures in an unexpected way, even on the cover where the children in the stories seem to be sitting back-to-back admiring the same moon.
            Since this book is two books in one I think it would be wonderful to do partner activities where they write or tell the story from one perspective. It could either be done the entire way through in one country and then told for the other, or they stories could be told 'simultaneously' as the author intended it. I feel that this book lends itself nicely to a writing activity because of the amazing detail shown on each page. Even background characters seem to carry their own stories -- and they could be told by students in a classroom. Of course the art in this book would also be a phenomenal representation of collage to show in class -- and students could consider creating their own mirrored artwork.