Ling & Ting Share a Birthday

by Grace Lin

Overview

Ling & Ting are twins. They share a birthday. They bake cakes, and they make birthday wishes. They tell stories and wrap gifts. They also share a birthday secret! The simple text and colorful art makes this early reader a perfect choice for children learning to read.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316184045
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	09/02/2014
Series:	Ling and Ting Series
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.70(h) x 0.30(d)
Lexile:	320L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

Grace Lin is the award-winning and bestselling author and illustrator of Starry River of the Sky, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, The Year of the Dog, The Year of the Rat, Dumpling Days, and Ling & Ting, as well as pictures books such as The Ugly Vegetables and Caldecott Honor book A Big Mooncake for Little Star. Grace lives with her husband and daughter in Western MA, where they get plenty of winter snow. Her website is www.gracelin.com.

Editorial Reviews

"While the book has a sweetly retro feel to it, Ling and Ting's adventures will appeal to contemporary audiences....Let's hope Lin continues to share with readers the further adventures of this dynamic duo."

The Horn Book

"Simply written and engaging, the brief stories are well suited to beginning readers...An appealing addition to the Ling & Ting series."

Booklist

These cheerful stories, with their flat, '50s-style illustrations, tell an inescapable truth: twins have to negotiate everything.

The New York Times Book Review - Sarah Harrison Smith

*"The girls' differing personalities and sisterly affection continue to shine...Once again Lin's richly colored gouache artwork, based on 1950s children's textbook illustrations, gives reason enough to celebrate. Tw-inspiring fiction for beginning readers."—Kirkus, starred review

*"Lin continues to work wonders within the early reader format in twins' Ling and Ting's birthday-themed second outing...Despite working with a limited vocabulary, Lin infuses the twins' every interaction with personality and understated humor, while underscoring the girls' individuality."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"These cheerful stories, with their flat, 50's-style illustrations, tell an inescapable truth: twins have to negotiate everything."—New York Times Book Review

From the Publisher

"These cheerful stories, with their flat, 50's-style illustrations, tell an inescapable truth: twins have to negotiate everything."

New York Times Book Review

Lin swaps her trademark cupcake for birthday cake in this cheery follow-up to Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same (2010). Sporting the same haircuts they received in the first book, Chinese-American identical twins Ling and Ting return with six short stories that center on preparations for their sixth birthday. "Birthday Shopping" reveals their playful humor as each girl tries to surprise the other by entering different stores. In the toy store, Ting selects a yo-yo that she obviously wants and hopes Ling will share, and in the bookstore, Ling does the same with a book that she hopes to read. Clever readers will notice that the bookstore carries many of Lin's titles and that Ling's selection is none other than a miniature-sized version of the original Ling & Ting. The girls' differing personalities and sisterly affection continue to shine in "Birthday Cakes." As they make their own birthday cakes (because of course, each girl needs her own), Ling carefully reads the cookbook, while Ting goes about the chore with spontaneity. When only Ling's cake is edible, she cuts it in half to share with Ting. The stories build on one another, culminating in their birthday wishes coming true. Once again Lin's richly colored gouache artwork, based on 1950s children's textbook illustrations, gives reason enough to celebrate. Tw-inspiring fiction for beginning readers. (Early reader. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews