Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same!

I thought the book "Ling and Ting: Not Exactly the Same!" from the Ling and Ting series by Grace Lin is a great book for its intent to provide a voice for those who cannot speak. The characters are two young, Chinese twins who are identical in appearances but very different in every other aspect of their lives; everywhere they go, people tell them “You two are exactly the same!”, something that is known to be a stereotype of Chinese/Japanese/Korean men and women. In an interview, Lin has described how dangerous this stigma can be on young children and how important it was for her to write a series that proved the stereotype untrue in a lighthearted, child friendly way. The story starts with Ling and Ting getting their hair cut, and show more based on the illustrations the two girls look identical in every way but when they sit down in the chairs, Ting sneezes as the barber goes to trim her bangs, cutting a large chunk of the hair off. The next illustration shows that the two are now a little less identical, and they like it this way. Over the course of the short chapters, the reader sees Ling and Ting in various scenarios; while eating dinner, Ling has a hard time using chopsticks to eat while Ting has no trouble at all. Later, while making dumplings, Ling makes hers one way, while Ting prefers to make hers using a different method. The story continues in this way, showing all the silly differences that the twins share and these differences are essential to the message of the story. The book pushes readers to broaden their perspectives and break the stigma that the author is all too familiar with—just because people of a certain race look alike, it does not mean that they are the same person. Everyone is different in their preferences, abilities, and personalities and Lin chose to provide her voice to young children who may struggle with this cliché in their own lives. She is bringing awareness to something she experienced in her own childhood and she seized an opportunity to use her gift for writing and illustrating children’s books to help prevent future generations from sharing her pain. The big idea of the book is meant to teach children of all races that you are an individual and there is no one in the world who is exactly like you—even if you happen to be born with someone who matches you in appearances; we are all unique and must be recognized as such. show less

Ling and Ting are identical twins. They have the same brown eyes, the same pink cheeks, and the same black hair. But although they look so similar to one another, they are not exactly the same, something they often find they have to explain to others in these stories. Ling is good at sitting still, while Ting is restless. Ting has a penchant for forgetting things in the excitement of the moment, while Ling has trouble using chop-sticks. But whatever their differences, the two sisters are boon companions, and rarely like to be separated.

This first early reader from Grace Lin, whose output ranges from older children's fiction like Newbery Honor book Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, to holiday picture-books such as Thanking the Moon: show more Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, is a welcome addition to a form that often lacks diversity. I often speak with parents explicitly looking for beginning readers featuring a more diverse cast - a lot of the classics are either animal-centric, or feature Euro-American peoples - so it's a pleasure to have such excellent titles as Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same! and its sequels to recommend. The six brief stories here are all amusing, highlighting the joys and frustrations in the lives of twin sisters, who long to establish their individuality, while also maintaining their close bond. The artwork is colorful and appealing. Recommended to anyone looking for good early readers! show less

[Digging through the archives...]

Ling and Ting look the same. They have the same smiles. They have the same hair. But they are not exactly the same and after a trip to the barber everyone can tell! Happily, they move on to other adventures, including trying magic trips, making dumplings, checking out library books, and telling stories.

This is a gorgeous easy reader! At first, it seems to follow the typical episodic chapters of a classic friendship easy reader. But it's not quite the same...first, can you think of any easy readers about twins? I can't. Definitely a new topic, not to mention that I've never seen an easy reader about Asian kids either, at least not with them as the main character; Rosemary Well's stories don't really show more count, since Yoko is a cat. I can think of several little adopted Chinese girls in our community who will be thrilled to find a story that features girls who look like them - especially one that deals with the "you all look the same" thing in such a funny but firm manner.

Moving on...Grace Lin adapts the episodic chapter format to her writing style by creating a lovely and subtle story arc. Starting with Ting's accidental haircut, which distinguishes the girls, moving on through stories that show how they are different and how they are alike, and finishing with a storytelling plot that revisits each of the previous stories, Lin gently teaches narrative structure and reinforces comprehension while writing a funny and sweet story kids will enjoy reading and parents will want to listen to. Her illustrations are both classic and contemporary - the girls' clothing won't get outdated in future years, but there's a definite of the moment feel to the pictured events.

Verdict: Buy it! Give it to kids with siblings, twins, and kids who like funny stories!

[Revisited: This series is still in print and Lin has written several sequels. While I have more of an audience for lower level easy readers, this is still a good choice and one that more intermediate readers enjoy. I still recommend it frequently.]

ISBN: 978-0316024525; Published July 2010 by Little, Brown; Borrowed from the library; Purchased for the library show less

“Ling & Ting
Not Exactly the Same”
By Grace Lin
Review by JCarberry

I had heard about author/illustrator Grace Lin a time or two before as a name to keep in mind, but her name especially registered after editor Alvina Ling talked about their childhood connection at a Society of Children’s Book Writing and Illustration conference in March 2017.

Lin and Ling were best friends as children. They were known as kids who were inseparable and were often mixed up by other people, according to Ling. They lost contact over time, and ended up in different areas as young adults. They both gravitated toward the book writing industry in their separate lives, however, and Alvina’s mother had kept contact with Grace through college and beyond. Lin show more and Ling eventually reunited, and Lin had told her that she wrote adventures of Lin(g) and Ting based upon their childhood friendship.

I read “Ling & Ting Not Exactly the Same” with high hopes that I would connect with the buzz-worthiness that I heard about Lin, and it more than did that. Ling & Ting has a nice contemporary feel. The language is lively and phrases are chosen so well through a strong economy of language in this early reader/early chapter book. To me, when this particular writing comes across so naturally, that is the sign of a truly gifted writer who makes it look that way.

The kid characters do have depth, and in one particularly lovely scene set in a park, the differences and the understanding of each other’s personality shines. I also love that the series, at least based upon this book, are essentially first about kids being kids. Yes, they are Asian-Americans and it is wonderful that the stories are told from the point of view of a person who lives that experience - but also that there are mostly universal themes in this book. I also love when stereotypes are bucked.

I think this book will entertain both the child and the child’s parent(s). There are strong, appealing characters who go on delightful adventures that are often really everyday experiences in the world, but there is a fresh approach or a bit of a novel way of looking at a mundane situation via the writer. There is a delightful whimsy to the book in which an itchy nose leads to disastrous results in a barbershop chair for one of the twins, but good results come out it for both girls. There was a sense of place that comes across in the neighborhood barbershop, which could be set in any town, U.S.A.

There is also a chapter in which the girls make Chinese dumplings based upon what they know from their mother, and they each attempt to make them in their completely different takes and styles - because why? Ling & Ting are not exactly the same. I thought this was a subtle way of handling things. Also, it was nice to see the dumplings as a plot device that may or may not be part of a writer’s cultural background, but it’s treated as an ordinary thing - no big deal and that’s a nice perspective when it’s not a big deal to the one writing from a particular point of view. And again, the universal themes such as being different from a sibling, and while loving them, one has their own characteristics and wants other people to know that.

It’s a thoughtful book that is told in an entertaining style, first and foremost. I was left with that nice, lovely feeling when one reads a good book, and, as a reader, you connect with it on multiple levels in loving the characters, the situation and the story-telling style in this case. It’s a feel-good book with clever aspects from a talented writer. show less

I thought the text for this book was good. I enjoyed the stories and liked that they were about a variety of subjects. However, I was extremely disappointed that even though the girls names are Ling and Ting and they do things like make dumplings and eat with chopsticks, which are associated with Chinese or Asian cultures, the illustrations of the girls still come across as very "white."

In the episodic chapters of this early reader text, Ling and Ting show readers that they are not exactly the same despite the fact that they are identical twins. Their personalities shine through as they get haircuts, do magic tricks, make and eat dumplings, go to the library, and tell stories.

The educational value of this book is great. It shows some elements of Asian American culture, like dumplings and chopsticks. While incorporation of a potentially unfamiliar culture could be overly didactic, Grace Lin makes it very organic. The early reader aspects of light text and separate chapters are also visible, but again Lin has used a careful hand and made a work that is fun to read instead of being overly didactic.

Readers will be show more entertained by Ling and Ting’s joking sibling dynamic as well as their relatable scenarios, like accidentally messing up a haircut. There are some good jokes too, like when one sister says that they made “dump-Lings” and “dump-Tings.” The last chapter that combines all of the previous ones into one story is also quite entertaining. Children learning to read will actually be entertained by this book, making Ling & Ting a standout in its category. show less

This book centers around Chinese identical twins Ling and Ting, and how they are very different despite being physically identical. From dumplings, to haircuts and chopstick usage, the book emphasizes the point that twins are still individual people.

RESPONSE: I really liked the message this book sent, and think it could be expanded. Haven't we all met a person who assumed all (insert group of people) are (insert trait)? A common one here is that all Asians are good at science or have played the violin since birth. Stereotypes can be harmful when we let them influence our opinion of a group, as the members of a group, even a group of twins, are all individual people.

THEMES/CONCEPTS: individuality, sisterhood, Chinese culture