Take Two by J Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen illustrated by Sophie Blackall

Take Two: A Celebration of Twins

This is another of the books I picked up at a recent charity book sale. As far as I can tell this book, from 2012, is still available and here in Australia. The price seems to range from around $30 up to $50. Luckily my mint condition copy, which I suspect has never even been opened, was just $1. I am excited to gift this to the mum and dad of twin girls.

I previously mentioned this book when I was talking last month about the Sydney visit by Sophie Blackall.

To those of us who are not twins, identical twins are most intriguing. I always wonder if they really have their own language and if they ever pretend to be each other? And then there is just the mere fact, identical, fraternal or sororal, it is interesting to imagine what it must be like to have a womb mate who moves on to be someone closer to you, more genetically like you than anyone else in the world and, if you are lucky, your best friend. Books for your Kids

There are 44 poems in this book organised into four categories - Twins in the waiting Womb; Twinfants; How to be One; and Famous Twins. Here are a couple that caught my eye:

Mirror Twin

I wave, you wave.

I smile, you laugh.

I wink, you blink.

You leave - I'm half.

Double Trouble

We both talk with our mouths full,

An ucky way to speak.

We both forget our lunches

At least two times a week.

We both are slow to get up,

We're late to go to bed.

we always find a reason

To stay awake instead.

There isn't any argument

That both have never tried.

But we protect each other

From anyone outside.

J Patrick Lewis is the author of over 100 books and he is a twin! Jane Yolen has nearly written nearly 400 books and 47 of them are poetry books. I imagine they had fun with their collaboration over this book and how thrilling to have Sophie Blackall as the illustrator. 

Some of these are out of print but here are some other poetry books by Jane Yolen I would like to see: