The Twins' Blanket

Yum, Hyewon. 2011. THE TWINS’ BLANKET. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux. ISBN 9780374379728 [Suggested Grade Levels PreK-2]

REVIEW

Told in tandem from the perspectives of twin sisters, THE TWINS’ BLANKET colorfully provides an account of problem-solving at its best. Two look-alike but very distinctly different sisters have shared a blanket since birth. Now that they are big girls, the two must figure out how they will be able to sleep in separate beds with a single blanket. With the help of their mother, the girls arrive at a solution that is satisfactory for both and heartwarming for the reader.

CONNECTIONS

With young children: Provide an opportunity for children to show objects of comfort, like loveys, blankets, and pacifiers, from their own childhoods and invite them to share ways that they have adjusted to the transition to older childhood.

With older children: Getting along with siblings can be infuriating and/or inspiring. Allow children to brainstorm problems that they have had with their own siblings (or close friends/relatives for those who are the only child in a family). Pair children and allow them to share their problems without telling how the problem was actually resolved. Next, ask each child to provide a solution to the other’s problem. Have children reveal how they actually solved their problems and encourage the pairs to identify similarities and differences between proposed and actual solutions.

RELATED BOOKS

Other books for children about social-emotional growth:

Henkes, Kevin. OWEN. ISBN 9780688114497

Keats, Ezra Jack. PETER’S CHAIR. ISBN 9780140564419

Willems, Mo. KNUFFLE BUNNY FREE: AN UNEXPECTED DIVERSION. ISBN 9780140564419

Other books for children about sibling relations:

Lin, Grace. LING AND TING: NOT EXACTLY THE SAME. ISBN 0316024538

Henkes, Kevin. JULIUS, THE BABY OF THE WORLD. ISBN 9780688143886

Polacco, Patricia. MY ROTTEN, REDHEADED OLDER BROTHER. ISBN 0689820364

By Maria Cahill