Take Two!: A Celebration of Twins

Know some twins, or expecting to? This twinspired collection pairs poems and pictures in a lighthearted salute to the many twins among us.

Old twins, new twins, famous twins, not-at-all-alike twins, side-byside twins, let's play twins, not-yet twins, mirror twins — all kinds of twins! — come together in a collection of original poems by two of our most celebrated authors for young people: J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen. From a wave and a wink to a twin switcheroo, from a rocket to the moon to the old woman who lived in a shoe, these poems and mini facts, whimsically illustrated by Sophie Blackall, will leave even singletons with a twinkle in their eyes. Here is the perfect book to share with the twins in your life — and everyone who loves them.

J. Patrick Lewis is the current Children’s Poet Laureate. A twin himself, he has written more than seventy children’s books, including Once Upon a Tomb: Gravely Humorous Verses. “Being a twin is the third best thing that has ever happened to me,” he says, “after having wonderful children and grandchildren of my own and eating my mom’s apple dumplings.” J. Patrick Lewis lives in Ohio.

Jane Yolen (1939-2026), not a twin herself—but with multiple sets in her family—was the recipient of the Sydney Taylor Body-of-Work Award in recognition of the more than 400 books she wrote for children and young adults, including the Caldecott Medal winner Owl Moon and the New York Times bestseller How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? With Candlewick Press, she is the editor of three collections of poems for children: Switching on the Moon: A Very First Book of Bedtime Poems; Here’s a Little Poem: A Very First Book of Poetry; and This Little Piggy: Lap Songs, Finger Plays, Clapping Games, and Pantomime Rhymes.

Sophie Blackall is the acclaimed illustrator of more than forty-five books for young readers and a two-time Caldecott Medalist. Born and raised in Australia, she now lives in Brooklyn.