Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Review from Booklist

The Twins' Blanket.
Yum, Hyewon (Author) , Yum, Hyewon (Illustrator)
Aug 2011. 40 p. Farrar, hardcover, $16.99. (9780374379728).

Twin girls tell of sharing their toys, clothes, and room. Since birth, they’ve shared a bed and blanket, too, but now that they’re five-years-olds, they’re shifting to twin beds. Neither will give up their beloved striped blanket, so their mother sews half of it onto new material, one of each girl’s choosing, creating a yellow blanket and a pink one. Snug in their new beds on that first night, the sisters, suddenly out of sorts, reach across to hold hands before falling asleep. Yum, herself a twin, includes realistic, lightly competitive banter in the dual narrative, with one child referring to herself as the big sister, and the other pointing out, “You’re only three minutes older than me!” In the artwork, forms stand out clearly, and colors glow on spacious white backgrounds. 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. — Carolyn Phelan

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Starred review from SLJ

*YUM, Hyewon. The Twins’ Blanket. illus. by author. unpaged. CIP. Farrar/Frances Foster Bks. Aug. 2011. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-374-37972-8. LC 20090460922.

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