Take Two!

Know some twins, or expecting to? This twinspired collection pairs poems and pictures in a lighthearted salute to the many twins among us.

Old twins, new twins, famous twins, not-at-all-alike twins, side-byside twins, let's play twins, not-yet twins, mirror twins — all kinds of twins! — come together in a collection of original poems by two of our most celebrated authors for young people: J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen. From a wave and a wink to a twin switcheroo, from a rocket to the moon to the old woman who lived in a shoe, these poems and mini facts, whimsically illustrated by Sophie Blackall, will leave even singletons with a twinkle in their eyes. Here is the perfect book to share with the twins in your life — and everyone who loves them.

“We are not supposed to judge a book by its cover. But in this case, let's do just that. The cover of the new poetry collection TAKE TWO!, with its twin toddlers bending upside down, polka-dotted tushies in the air, is quite possibly the cutest one to have crossed my desk in the run-up to spring. And since spring is baby season, at least for much of the animal kingdom, it seems an appropriate moment for this "Celebration of Twins" as the authors - J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen, both accomplished poets - subtitle it…With its cheerily sweet and inventively varied illustrations by Sophie Blackall, TAKE TWO! has both a contemporary and a pleasingly timeless feel. -The New York Times This playful collection of twin-themed poems, a welcome addition to the bookshelf on the subject of twins, is as much for parents as for kids. -Publishers Weekly”

We are not supposed to judge a book by its cover. But in this case, let’s do just that. The cover of the new poetry collection TAKE TWO!, with its twin toddlers bending upside down, polka-dotted tushies in the air, is quite possibly the cutest one to have crossed my desk in the run-up to spring. And since spring is baby season, at least for much of the animal kingdom, it seems an appropriate moment for this “Celebration of Twins” as the authors — J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen, both accomplished poets — subtitle it…With its cheerily sweet and inventively varied illustrations by Sophie Blackall, TAKE TWO! has both a contemporary and a pleasingly timeless feel.
—The New York Times

This playful collection of twin-themed poems, a welcome addition to the bookshelf on the subject of twins, is as much for parents as for kids.
—Publishers Weekly

From lighthearted to thoughtful, rhythmic to balladic, the verses are appealingly varied in mood and style. Whimsical and delightfully detailed, Blackall’s bright-hued watercolor, pencil, and collage illustrations depict charismatic youngsters and reflect each offering’s tone. A “Twin Fact” appears on each spread. A fine share-aloud for families with twins and kids who are curious about them.
—School Library Journal

Veteran poets tap into the never-ending interest in twins with a collection of poetry dedicated to twosomes... Divided into four sections comprising “Twins in the Waiting Womb,” “Twinfants,” “How to Be One” and “Famous Twins,” the poems explore milestones as twins, the push and pull of twin relationships and the need for individuality... T-winsome.
—Kirkus Reviews

A charmer.
—Booklist

More than 40 original poems playfully present "twindom".
—San Francisco Chronicle

J. Patrick Lewis is the current Children’s Poet Laureate. A twin himself, he has written more than seventy children’s books, including Once Upon a Tomb: Gravely Humorous Verses. “Being a twin is the third best thing that has ever happened to me,” he says, “after having wonderful children and grandchildren of my own and eating my mom’s apple dumplings.” J. Patrick Lewis lives in Ohio.

Jane Yolen, not a twin herself—but with multiple sets in her family—is the recipient of the Sydney Taylor Body-of-Work Award in recognition of the more than 400 books she has written for children and young adults, including the Caldecott Medal winner Owl Moon and the New York Times bestseller How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? With Candlewick Press, she is the editor of three collections of poems for children: Switching on the Moon: A Very First Book of Bedtime Poems; Here’s a Little Poem: A Very First Book of Poetry; and This Little Piggy: Lap Songs, Finger Plays, Clapping Games, and Pantomime Rhymes. She divides her time between Massachusetts and Scotland.

Sophie Blackall is the acclaimed illustrator of more than forty-five books for young readers and a two-time Caldecott Medalist. Born and raised in Australia, she now lives in Brooklyn.

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