From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 3-Packed with full-color photos of smiling siblings, this book provides a look at what it's like to be a twin. Using simple language, the authors stress the close relationship that develops between identical and fraternal twins while pointing out that they are also individuals. Quotes taken from interviews with children (e.g., "My twin always understands me" or "Other people might be lonely. We hardly ever are") are interspersed throughout, adding a personal touch to the text. The book has a crisp, open layout: full-page photos alternate with smaller portraits set against pastel backgrounds. Featuring many different youngsters of a variety of ages, the pictures show twins sharing hugs, wrestling for toys, and posing together proudly. Similar in content and tone to Elaine Scott's Twins! (Atheneum, 1998), this appealing photo-essay is a good discussion starter for families of twins and a fine introduction for children curious about them.
Joy Fleishhacker, School Library JournalCopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Excellent color photographs of twins at all stages of childhood amplify and extend a simple, straightforward text about what it means to be a twin. Facts about twins ("Twins are almost always born on the same day and have the same parents") are mixed with quotes ostensibly from twins ("Other people might be lonely, but we hardly ever are"). The authors strive to make clear that twins don't always feel the same, think the same, or dress the same--that they are different people. This is a difficult concept to show in photographs, and many of these portraits show twins doing the same thing (such as reading books, jumping into a lake) and wearing the same clothing. But the photographs will compel youngsters to study these children and note their differences. In the end, the book demonstrates the essential thing about twins: that they are there for each other in a way that is far different from ordinary siblings. The authors' note to parents adds to the book's value.
Kathy Broderick
