Twins! (Hardcover)

by Charlotte Doyle (Author), Julia Gorton (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-A superficial glimpse at a day in the life of two young siblings and their parents. The twins are introduced in the following manner: "One baby,/baby two./Baby. Baby./We love you!" Neither the text nor the artwork (except for a variation in clothing and hairstyle) creates any sense that these children are individuals. At times, the story seems disjointed. For example, after listing some of the children's possessions, the author describes how the twins play outdoors: "Two babies swinging. Up. Down. Up./Two brown bunnies. One white duck." Shown walking in front of the swings, these animals seem to appear out of the blue, without any visual or verbal explanation to clarify why they are there. Done in airbrushed acrylic paints, the illustrations are a bit flat. Collage elements, such as knitted textures and a paisley material, highlight the family's clothing and add a bit of interest. At times, a character or an object is shown in white silhouette, a choice that seems a bit stark in comparison to the warm colors used for the rest of the artwork. For a slightly older audience, Shelley Rotner and Sheila Kelly's About Twins (DK Ink, 1999) has an accessible text and irresistible photos to present a much more intriguing look at the family life of multiples.
Joy Fleishhacker, formerly at School Library Journal
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
PreS-K. This upbeat picture book, with sturdier than usual cardboard pages, reveals the adventure of living with twins. A rhyming text takes children through a day with identical toddler twin girls. Their parents appear to revel in a chaotic, baby-filled life, and the twins easily adjust to the joys and disappointments of childhood times two. One illustration shows the girls fighting over a teddy bear. Another pictures them in the bathtub happily washing the same teddy bear ("One yellow bathtub / two splash, splash. / Two little babies / having a bath"). There's no sentimentality in Gorton's retro-style illustrations, which she created using airbrushed acrylic paint and collage. Kathy Broderick
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Baby-Preschool
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Juvenile; 1 edition (March 10, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399237186
• ISBN-13: 978-0399237188
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #346,174 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A GREAT BOOK FOR ALL CHILDREN, July 25, 2003

By A Customer

This is by far my twin girls favorite book. With at least 50 books in their "library" this is the ONLY book my girls want to read over and over and over again. My twin girls are almost 2 and I bought this book months ago (when they were around 15-18 months old). Not only do they love to hear me read this book they read it back to me! One night (when she was supposed to be sleeping) I heard one of my girls saying "up, down, up, down...", I peeked in on her and found her reading it to herself in the dark. They love it and I LOVE the fact that they love to read it to themselves. I started reading this book to them and animating the pages, saying Hi to the mommy and to the bears, ball, books and anything that they recognized in the pictures. At the time we first started reading it, the girls didn't talk but they knew signs, and the first time we read it they recognized the bath in the story and did the sign for bath, it was amazing. When they bring this book to me now (for me to read) they know what is going on in the story with out me even saying it. It is how they learned the words "up" and "down" and "jammies". This book really just reinforces things they already know (like bath, ball, outside, mommy, daddy and book) and is a great addition to any childs book collection. I would really recommend this book even for the smallest child, it is illustrated in such big colorful pictures and has short text on each page it is sure to keep their attention. A MUST BUY!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Twins, April 13, 2003

By	Rosalie Ryan (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews

Charlotte Doyle's book, illustrated by Julia Gorton, focused beautifully on the concept of twins but also indicated that the 2 children were individuals. They tussled over the teddy bear but came together when they lost the ice cream cones, and when they enjoyed the swing and the bath. The book is a good learning tool focusing on counting (one/two) and colors (white/blue).

It's like a musical piece - overture, fast and slow movements, resolving in a tender lullaby with two sleepy heads. Perfect for reading before bed.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My twins love this book!, April 29, 2006

By	B. Lear (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I started reading this book to my girls when they were about 13 months old. It soon became their favorite - they sit still (unusually so!) and listen, and smile at the parts they like best. It is so much fun to see them respond to the simple phrases, because they can understand them. One daughter likes "Two little babies play outside" best, the other likes the swinging "up, down, up." They are now 15 months old, and this is by far the book they choose the most.
I almost didn't buy this book because of some bad & unfair reviews - so I had to share our experience, and let other twin moms know that it's definitely a hit. My 5 year old also likes it, so all three pile in my lap and have me read it over & over. A really cute book!