Book Review: Allie and Sallie

Allie and Sallie:  Nice and Cozy
By Jenny Harrison
Book Krafters, 2014
Reviewed from personal copy
Audience: Ages 4 to 6
ISBN:  9780615970066
Publication Date:  Spring 2014

Allie and Sallie are identical twins who are best friends, and it all started way back in their mommy's belly.  The two girls played tagged, napped, and hiccuped together for nine months.  Then, Allie wanted to explore the world and meet mommy, but Sallie was nice and cozy and wanted to stay put. But both girls were happy to meet their parents and continue being best friends.

My mom gave me this book for a couple of reasons.  One, I'm having my own Ali (but just the one, thank goodness!) and two, she knows the author.  Jenny grew up in my church and knows my mom pretty well, so there's a nice little hometown connection.  

Back to the book.  I can only think of one other series about identical twins, Ling and Ting by Grace Lin, although I suppose that twins were quite the rage in more classic children's literature, and who could forget the ever expanding Sweet Valley High series. I feel like if you see stories about twins today, it's more likely about fraternal boy and girl twins like the characters in The Genius Files series by Dan Gutman.  

But this is a picture book about twins, which is quite relatable for younger readers, or new moms expecting twins.  It goes through the girls playing in their moms belly and hiccuping, something I can definitely relate to right now, and future books promise to explore other events in the girls' lives.  It would also be a great book for an older sibling, whether the family is expecting twins or not since it depicts life in the womb in a way that children can understand.

The illustrations are colorful and vibrant, but can be overwhelming at times.  This might be a more personal thing than anything else though.  I do appreciate that the dialogue for each girl is given it's own color as that makes reading together easier and helps define the narrator.  

Since this is a self-published book, it can be a little hard to find, so skip Amazon and head straight to Jenny's webpage, Allie and Sallie.  From there you can check out book signing dates, head to the books Facebook page, and order a copy for yourself or someone you love.

Allie and Sallie:  Nice and Cozy is a great book for the twins in your life, or as a gift for a soon-to-be older sibling.  Just reassure that older sibling that you are only having one baby, if that's the case.

Happy Reading!