Written and illustrated by Grace Lin
My rating: ★★★
ISBN: 978-0316184045
Publisher: LB Kids
Date of publication: September 10, 2013
Age: Grades K - 3
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Themes: twins, sibling relationships, birthday, sharing
Ling & Ting are twins. They share a birthday. They bake cakes, and they make birthday wishes. But if one cake comes out wrong or a candle is missed during the wish, they also help each other out. They tell stories and wrap gifts that they picked out for each other. But what's more, they also share a birthday secret!
So I'll admit I was curious to read more Ling & Ting books after selecting one as the winner in the Cybils this year. But I think that one may have been Lin's best because this one didn't quite kick out the giggles or build my appreciation nearly as much.
The format of the books in the series remains the same: The text is simple and straightforward, with some good use of phonetics (Ling & Ting and Ming & Sing and more). The book is broken up into different chapters, or stories, to make for easier reading as well. The story is relatively engaging with cute little mishaps and adorable sibling behavior. So while it's still great for the beginning reader, I didn't love it. I missed the clever punny humor in Twice as Silly and thought this book didn't wrap up as well with the last chapter/story. I won't necessarily go running for more Ling & Ting, but I'd still recommend it as a good chapter book stepping stone.
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My four-year-old and I just read this book together, and we loved it. We definitely laughed, and I thought each chapter was so clever. It's interesting to hear your perspective because we've now read all four books, and I would rank it in my top ten easy readers series for sure.
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely a good series, but I think I appreciate a different kind of humor in my early readers--Elephant & Piggie, or A Pig, A Fox, and a Box type of silliness.
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