ANNY AND ALLIE

Problem-solving, twins style.

The illustrator of the Rotten Ralph series, the author of Twice as Nice: What It’s Like to Be a Twin (2004), and an identical twin herself, Rubel combines these facets of her creative and personal lives in this picture book that spotlights a common identical-twin dilemma: when people can’t tell you apart. In an anthropomorphized animal world, Anny and Allie are identical-twin alligator sisters. At school, Allie mischievously ruins Anny’s painting, and their teacher, Mr. Bear, mistakenly reprimands the wrong twin. That night, their mom mistakenly reminds the wrong twin to brush her teeth. Frustrated, the girls brainstorm creative ways to make themselves distinguishable to others. They try individualized hair bows (they have no visible hair), different shoes, and nametags, but gentle amusement ensues when the hair bows flop, rain forces them to wear the same galoshes, and their nametags fall off at recess. They find the solution when Mr. Bear sets out alphabet beads that can be turned into name necklaces. In the bright and energetic digital illustrations, the book celebrates Anny’s and Allie’s individuality as Anny, under her pink, heart-shaped quilt, dreams of being a rock star, and Allie, in her pea-green sleeping bag, dreams of flying to Mars. But when their classmates finally notice their differences, the twins also relish the parts they have in common.

Multiples and singletons alike will appreciate Anny’s and Allie’s nuanced identities.