The Twins' Blanket

by Hyewon Yum, Hyewon Yum (Illustrator)

Overview

One of School Library Journal's Best Picture Books of 2011

These look-alike twins have always shared everything—their room, their toys, a crib, and, since the day they were born, a blanket. But as they grow into new beds, they need new blankets, too. Now they face a new dilemma: they don't know how not to share.

Told from the perspective of two five-year-olds, The Twins' Blanket playfully illuminates squabbles and affection between young siblings. Yum's minimalistic art astutely captures these twins' emotions as they toss, turn, and tug their new and old blankets—and embrace their growing independence.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780374379728
Publisher:	Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date:	08/16/2011
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	947,603
Product dimensions:	11.30(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD500L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 6 Years

About the Author

Hyewon Yum is the author and illustrator of several acclaimed books for children, including This is Our House, The Twins' Blanket, There Are No Scary Wolves, and Last Night. Her book Mom, It's My First Day of Kindergarten! received the Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Award. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her family.

Editorial Reviews

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.)

Publishers Weekly

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

From the Publisher

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

School Library Journal

All children have "firsts," but twins have their own special ones.

Two rosy-cheeked 5-year-old "look-alike" twin sisters share everything, but their most prized possession is a bright, striped blanket that stands out from the white background and the girls' soft colors. Now that the blanket has become too small, who should keep it? On double-page spreads each girl gives her version of the dilemma. A truce is reached when their mother decides that they'll sleep in twin beds and that she'll make them each a new blanket. The sisters' individual personalities begin to shine, as does the vibrant fabric that each picks out, and fun ensues when they help their mother wash and dry the fabric in the backyard. Even with their new blankets—with trim formed from their old blanket—the girls have trouble falling asleep in separate beds until they both reach out their hands to comfort one another in the dark. From newborns sleeping in similar poses to slumbering youngsters sprawled out in opposite positions to the selection of differently colored and designed fabrics, Yum's deceptively quiet text and poignant illustrations, created from prints, colored pencil, watercolor and other media, convey the girls' growing independence. Despite this divide—which is both physical and emotional—the twins recognize their inseparable bond.

Readers who have ever wondered what it's like to be a twin need look no further. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews