Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same! takes us, I believe, into new territory. This is the first that I have seen of Chinese cultural content (possibly even ethnic content) in the chapter book-early reader format. Lin gives us six short stories about twin sisters whose ordinary lives, like those of all curious and playful kids, are rich with humorous incidents. The stories begin with "The Haircuts," which introduces us to how very similar the twins are, while also helping us to tell them apart. There is, I believe a subtext here, as Lin's insistent, "Not exactly the same!" functions as a retort to the stereotype that all Asians look the same. But the book's tone is spunky not bitter. The ensuing stories combine with a light touch things Chinese (like dumplings and chopsticks) with things not-Chinese (such as magic tricks and going to the library). These girls are clearly comfortable in their skins, partaking of Chinese traditions and American habits as they wish.
The illustration on the Table of Contents nicely captures the mixing of cultures: a table is set with six dinner plates, half of which are accompanied by flatware and the other half by chopsticks, also tea is on offer...with frosted cupcakes!
Grace Lin
Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same!
Little, Brown and Company, 2010
De-nin, we love the concept of your blog! And we are eager to follow along for the year. Ling & Ting is a book dear to our hearts. Here's a link to our blog post about Grace Lin and our twin daughters: http://www.fourgreenacres.com/2010/06/twin-twin-grace-lin-has-new-book.html
ReplyDeleteBest of luck with this new venture!