Ling and Ting: Twice as Silly
By: Grace Lin
Published: 2014
Yes, I completely understand that there is a need for early reader books such as this one. Yes, I understand that plots in books such as these need to be kept simple so they can be easily comprehended. This book was just miserable. Ling and Ting: Twice as Silly is pretty much a glorified "Bob Book". There was no plot and no content, making it a painful and somewhat pointless read. Honestly, none of the recently published early reader books I have come in contact with can hold a candle to the classics like Green Eggs and Ham and Cat in The Hat. Yes, these books have few words and the words they do have are very simple, but at least the plot is enjoyable and entertaining.
Ling and Ting: Twice as Silly is a compilation of six short stories about a set of Asian American twins named Ling and Ting. The two girls do everything together and find themselves getting into all kinds of silly shenanigans. The illustrations are vibrant and engaging. Lin did a great job of carefully incorporating every detail in the text into the illustrations so that her young readers would be able to make meaning of the text with the help of the pictures. The twins are always either looking at each other or at the reader, which makes the text engaging and inviting.
I am going to have to pass on owning this book and the rest of the series. There is such a lack of representation of the Asian demographic in children's literature, so it is a colossal bummer that this book did not live up to the high standards that the early reader "greats" that came before it set. I personally choose not to rate books below two stars, just because I know it is a dear favorite to somebody out there. Personally, I would give this book one star, but the reading advocate and future teacher within me gives this book two stars.
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