More than 3,500 twins, triplets and quads attended Twins Days, the annual twins festival in Twinsburg, Ohio.
Check out this news story, and don’t forget to watch this video too.
Children’s Book Review: Mordant’s Wish by Valerie Coursen
About Children’s Book Reviews @ BeTwinned
Mordant’s Wish by Valerie Coursen
Photo from Amazon.com
Review by Sandra Horning
Just this week I saw a turtle trying to cross the road. I stopped the car, and my older son hopped out and helped the turtle across the road.
This reminded me of one of my favorite books, Mordant’s Wish. When we came home that night we read Mordant’s Wish and that led me to write this review, which came about in the true spirit of the story, as it is about the way one thing leads to another in an unpredictable, but, nevertheless, interconnected way.
As the story opens, we see Mordant the mole staring at a turtle-shaped cloud in the sky and wishing for a turtle friend. Mordant’s wish is set in motion by blowing on a dandelion puff and thus begins a wonderful chain of events. Because, at that very moment, Calum is riding by on his bike and he sees the dandelion seeds, which remind him of snow, and this makes him decide to stop and get a snow cone. Peanut the bird sees the drips of Calum’s snow cone in the shape of a hat, which reminds her of Aunt Nat, and so off she flies to visit her aunt.
The story continues with each character unknowingly affecting the actions of the next until we get to a turtle being helped across the road and Mordant’s wish finally coming true. It’s a lovely story of serendipity!
Coursen’s beautiful watercolor illustrations flow from one page to the next. Young children of all ages will enjoy this book and, perhaps, it will inadvertently lead you on to a new adventure or to make a wish yourself.
Ages 3-8
TwinWatch: NPR ‘Storycorps’ features identical twins sharing their story
Identical twins Janice Morris and Caroline Satchell Morris talk about silly questions people ask twins, identical childhoods and twin pranks on NPR’s Storycorps.
TwinWatch: Survey shows that many would love to have twins or triplets
The British expo The Baby Shows conducted a survey to see what people thought about the idea of having multiples. A whopping 74 percent of respondents said liked the idea!
Read the article to see why they felt this way.
Children’s Book Reviews: The Children Who Smelled a Rat by Allan Ahlberg
About Children’s Book Reviews @ BeTwinned
The Children Who Smelled a Rat by Allan Ahlberg, illustrated by Katharine McEwen
Photo from Amazon.com
Review by Sandra Horning
The Children Who Smelled a Rat is the fourth book in the Gaskitt series by Allan Ahlberg.
The Gaskitt family, Mr. and Mrs. Gaskitt, the twins Gus and Gloria, the baby Gary and the cat Horace, each have their own zany adventure within the book.
First, Mrs. Gaskitt finds a mysterious package in the back of her taxi, next Mr. Gaskitt loses the baby, then Horace meets a bird. Finally, Mrs. Fritter, the twins’ favorite teacher, turns into a crazy lady.
Each chapter zig-zags in and out of each adventure. The twins, Gloria and Gus, are determined to solve the mystery of their teacher gone crazy. Some triplets make a surprising appearance near the end of the story!
My seven-year old-son is having a great time slowly reading each chapter – an excellent book for children just starting to read chapter books. My son was especially fond of chapters 2 ½ and 2 ¾, each of which is only a half page long.
The spreads have lots of interesting little pictures and additional cartoon text to keep young readers interested. My three year old listens in too. Although he misses some of the humor, he gets more than would be expected, and he thoroughly enjoys studying the bright watercolor and crayon illustrations. And the crazy, twisting story easily brings on the laughs.
The book includes many examples of literary devices: chapters, a glossary, a table of contents and even footnotes referencing previous Gaskitt adventures. It’s a great introduction to reading and writing.
The Children Who Smelled a Rat is a fun read with lots of twists to keep children hooked, as well as guessing and laughing, Of course, we’ll now have to find and read the previous Gaskitt stories!
Ages 5-9
TwinWatch: Convention offers triplet families a chance to connect
Nearly 100 families attended a recent convention held by the Triplet Connection in Phoenix, Arizona.
Parents had the opportunity to talk with veteran parents and to learn parenting tips and time and money management.
If you missed the convention this year, don’t fret — check out the Triplet Connection website for information about next year’s event.
Toy Review: Twist ‘N Fold Big Yellow Bus by Playhut
Photo from Playhut.com
by Jane Day Rasmussen
Name: Twist ‘N Fold Big Yellow Bus
Manufacturer: Playhut
Category: Pretend Play
Manufacturer’s Suggested Age Range: 3 years and up
Our tested age range: 1 year – 4 years
Learning Components: Creative Play
Price Value (on a scale of 1 to 4 honeys): 
We inherited Playhut’s Big Yellow Bus when my friend’s son outgrew it. It became an instant favorite in our house!
The bus includes a blow-up steering wheel, three side windows, a roll-up flap door, two sunroofs and a tunnel flap for crawl-through play. This toy really inspired imaginative play as we’d go around and pick up our passengers for many different destinations.
The nylon bus sets up instantly with patented EZ Twist Technology – just take it out of the bag, and it literally snaps into place. It is lightweight & portable and can be packed away as easily as it comes out. (It comes with a storage bag; getting it back in takes a little practice.)
Once open, it is plenty roomy: 50 inches tall, 36 inches long, and 25 inches wide – we’ve fit two grandmas, one child and a kitty cat in ours! The bus can be connected to other Playhut Collect ‘N Connect structures – if you have the room in your house. You can spot clean the bus if necessary and allow to air dry.
I bought this for my twin nieces because the dual-area allows for one to drive and the other to ride!
The Big Yellow Bus is a 1999 Parents’ Choice® Approved winner. It retails for about $30 and is worth the money – the toy is virtually indestructible and will provide entertainment for the whole family for a long time. Visit www.playhut.com for all of their other tent contraptions.
Safety Information (from Amazon.com)
“This product uses a spring steel loop that will quickly pop open. Caution must be used in the handling this product. Small children should never be allowed to fold or unfold this product without adult supervision. Discard if steel loop is broken or if this product is damaged. It is not fireproof. The fabric will burn if left in continuous contact with any flame source. Keep all flame and heat sources away from this product. The application of any foreign substance to this product may render the flame resistant properties ineffective. Please thoroughly read instruction sheet before using this product.”
TwinWatch: Why identical twins don’t have identical fingerprints
At last, I’ve seen the answer to an interesting question I’ve often wondered about. Read the first item in this Q & A from Northeastern Pennsylvania’s TimesLeader.com to see the explanation of why identical twins don’t share the same fingerprints.
I interpret this doctor’s response to mean that even though identical twins are created from identical genetic material, differences — like fingerprints — occur as that material interacts with the environment and within each individual.
TwinWatch: Canadian twin girls want to play on the boys’ team
The Manitoba Human Rights Commission has decided it will hear the complaints of twin Canadian teens who want to play hockey with the boys.
Check out the most recent news & video and the news from May when the story first broke.
And check out this news item about twin British teens who have qualified as soccer referrees. Be sure to scroll down the page to see the sweet picture of the girls in their uniforms.
Children’s Book Review: Now & Ben by Gene Barretta
About Children’s Book Reviews @ BeTwinned
Now & Ben by Gene Barretta
Photo from Amazon.com
Review by Sandra Horning
Now & Ben, The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin is an ideal book for the little inventor or scientist in your house. And, in my mind, all children are inventors at heart. My two sons are always “inventing” new drinks by mixing juices together or “inventing” a device to send items up and down to each other’s bunk bed.
The book begins with Ben Franklin standing in the past and then moves to a picture of Ben Franklin standing in a busy street in the present. Readers can try to pick out Ben Franklin’s inventions on this page.
The spreads that follow each have a “now” page depicting a modern device or concept and a “Ben” page depicting Ben Franklin with his invention that led to the “now”. This easily helps younger children see the connection between the now and then. Bifocals, electricity, lightning rods and odometers are just a few of the many inventions covered in the book.
Barretta’s enjoyable watercolor cartoons bring the inventions to life on each page. The playful ending spread leaves the reader to imagine how today’s inventions will look in the future. Your children are sure to get busy “inventing” after this read.
Ages 5-9