The Twins' Blanket

Yum's (There Are No Scary Wolves) third picture book shows the author/illustrator thoroughly at home with the picture book form. The conflict between two five-year-old twins is believable ("And we've shared the same blanket ever since we were born.... But we are big girls now.... The blanket has gotten too small for both of us"), and the dialogue is persuasive ("No, I think I should have it. Because... well... I can't sleep without it, either. And you're only three minutes older than me!"). Text and art share equally in the storytelling: the solution to the blanket dispute, for example, is shown, not told (Yum draws the twins' mother cutting the old blanket in two and incorporating each half into a new blanket for each girl). It's an exquisitely designed book: lots of white space focuses attention on unexpected pleasures, like the feet of the twins as they stomp on the fabric in a wash basin. The book's inherent symmetry, with the twins mirroring each other on the left and right sides of the spreads, is a treat as well. Ages 3-6. (Aug.)

Copyright 2011 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

PreS-Gr 2--Five-year-old twins are used to sharing everything: toys, clothes, and a room. They have even shared the same blanket since they were born. But now, it is too small for both of them. When the arguments begin about who it belongs to, they think that maybe it is time they each have some things of their own. But for children who have always shared everything, this proves to be a bit more difficult than they thought. Succinctly told from the perspective of the girls, this tale of sibling rivalry and separation shines. In the simple language of youngsters, it conveys what it is like to share everything while at the same time realizing how comforting it is to have someone to share things with. The simple, almost impressionistic art graces the pages with bright splashes of color and pattern. The expressions on the girls' faces are delightful and telling, and youngsters will relate to their attempts at one-upmanship. A lovely addition to any collection.--C. J. Connor, Campbell County Public Library, Cold Spring, KY

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

"In the simple language of youngsters, it conveys what it is like to share everything while at the same time realizing how comforting it is to have someone to share things with. The simple, almost impressionistic art graces the pages with bright splashes of color and pattern." —School Library Journal, Starred Review

"Yum's deceptively quiet text and poignant illustrations, created from prints, colored pencil, watercolor and other media, convey the girls' growing independence . . . . Readers who have ever wondered what it's like to be a twin need look no further." —Kirkus Reviews

"Yum's third picture book shows the author/illustrator thoroughly at home with the picture book form....The book's inherent symmetry, with the twins mirroring each other on the left and right sides of the spreads, is a treat." —Publishers Weekly Starred Review

"Add this to your collection of sibling stories, or grab it for an alternative take on the trials and tribulations of sharing space." —Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (BCCB)

"For grown-up readers there's another argument: Which is more wonderful — the text, written exactly in the voice of its 5-year-old heroines . . . or the exquisite illustrations of rosy-cheeked girls, a brightly colored blanket, Asian textiles and lots of white space to accentuate them." —New York Times

"Yum...plays with the picture book format in innovative ways here... The text varies its direct narration effortlessly, so that in one sentence a girl will address the reader and in the next, her twin, pulling the book's audience into the drama." —Horn Book Magazine

"Combining drawn, painted, and printed effects, the appealing illustrations, simple yet stylized, are as effective as the text. A pleasing picture book for twins, siblings, and even onlies." —Booklist