I'm really interested in twins in children' s literature. Emily is a massive Jacqueline Wilson fan, so we need to get round to buying Double Act. I've never been a huge fan of the Mr Men books, so wasn't that taken with Little Miss Twins. Hey but that's just a personal opinion. Melissa and Emily loved some of the others. I think I'm emotionally scarred from being bought Little Miss Naughty as a leaving present once, as I was about 28 at the time. I also remember that we enjoyed The Biggest Bed in the World when our girls were younger (Ha! It's a book not something taking up too much space in our bedroom) - and that the family had twins followed by triplets. Do you know what? I've surprised myself by not moaning about stereotypes in this post. Oh well, still I can't be a miserable so and so all the time. I'm fresh from blogging about I'm a celebrity, get me out of here. Perhaps that's what's put a twinkle in my eye. Anyone care to share more suggestions? Which fictional multiple birth children have entertained you and which have left you fuming, or moaning that no twins you've ever met do exactly the same thing at like, exactly the same time? See there I go, mouthing off about cliches...





For our 18th birthday, a friend bought me and my twin brother Simon a copy of "Five on Finniston Farm" by Enid Blyton. This is the one where they meet a pair of twins ("identical" boy/girl twins a-la Topsy and Tim, I seem to recall). The limits to Enid's creative talents are cruelly exposed by long half pages of dialogue rounded off with "...said the twins". It was our friend's idea of a joke, and probably accounts for my lifelong antagonism towards Blyton and her awful books.
Posted by: Mark | November 09, 2006 at 08:55 AM
Yes agree jaqueline wilsons book is really good, was made into a bbc drama a few years back. My eldest is also reading another on of hers at the minute "Twin Tales" about an older sister who has new twins, she seems to be enjoying it!
We like the topsy and tim books (the girls not me that is!) because one of my id girls has a strong desire to be a boy so she sees herself as tim and the girl as topsy..perhaps they were written with a childs niavity and perspective in mind!
Posted by: vicky | November 09, 2006 at 11:31 AM
There are twins in Double Act. One is called Ruby and the other is called Garnet. And I like it because there are twins in it and I am a twin and because I love Jacqueline Wilson.
Posted by: Emily | November 19, 2006 at 02:57 PM