Ling and Ting: Not Exactly the Same!

Ling and Ting: Not Exactly the Same!
By Grace Lin
Little, Brown, 2010. 43 pages. Easy Reader.

This book features 6 short stories. In “The Haircuts,” the girls go to get their bangs trimmed. Ling is always able to sit still, so her hair is cut in a perfect line. Ting is the opposite – she wiggles and sneezes and gets a very different cut than Ling. My favorite story is “The Magic Trick.” Ling wears a magician’s hat and tries to do a magic card trick for Ting. She has Ting pick one and put it back. She says her magic words, waves her wand and reveals the card! The only problem is, Ting doesn’t remember her card! The adventures continue, with the girls making Dump-Lings and Dump-Tings, learning to use chopsticks, going to the library, and having a picnic. This is a sweet book about the fun of being unique. Geared to girls, however, boys will love it for Ting’s silly and forgetful mistakes and messes. Well-deserves the Geisel Honor Award it won this year.

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