SWEET JASMINE, NICE JACKSON
What It's Like to Be Two--and to Be Twins
by Robie H. Harris & illustrated by Michael Emberley
Harris and Emberley spin out the third of their “Growing Up Stories,” using an episodic scenario-with-accompanying-commentary format to offer fresh, frank views on what to expect, developmentally speaking, from typical two-year-olds and also twins of that age. The stars in this outing belong to an African-American family, but Emberley adds vignettes on every spread that feature a rainbow of young faces. Addressed as much to parents as to older siblings, this takes Jasmine and Jackson through physical, emotional, and behavioral changes in a characteristically upbeat, nonjudgmental, low-pressure way—also modeling appropriate, nonviolent responses to the twins’ antics. Another solid contribution to the literature of parenting and sibling relationships. (Picture book/nonfiction. 6-8)