MIA AND MOLLY

“Look—Mia and Molly are twins. They look the same.” This half of the book goes on to highlight ways that the twins are similar, focusing on shared preferences in objects and dress. “Today Mia and Molly are wearing the same clothes and the same shoes.” Fortunately for the sisters, the illustrations reveal that there are two of everything, avoiding any source of contention. Bright contrasting colors and textures add dynamism to the illustrations along with artful placement of patterns to surround text or give a pop to objects. Conflict does arise when Mia and Molly fight over one beloved toy frog. Luckily Mommy has a solution. At this point, readers flip the book over and begin reading from the back cover to delve into the differences between the two. Some instances are fairly superficial while others reveal personality distinctions: “Mia loves to laugh at silly puppets. Molly thinks they are a little bit scary.” Despite the textual and clothing cues, readers may have a hard time tracking which twin is which, as Freeman does not differentiate them as adroitly as Grace Lin does in her similarly themed early reader, Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same! (2010). (This book was reviewed digitally with 8.7-by-16.6-inch double-page spreads viewed at 90.1% of actual size.)

A colorful tale of twins who are not always identical.