From the moment the doctor announced that there were not one but two little babies growing in there we entered the fascinating, challenging, and rewarding world of parenting twins. I love being a twin mama, but raising twins is not without its unique experiences and parenting dilemmas. One of these is finding books that accurately represent your child’s family.
Most storybooks tell tales about two siblings. One is older, like the fabulous Olivia or my favorite Alfie, or one is younger, such as dear Ladybug Girl or the poor boy in The Carrot Seed. My kids love all of these books, but it’s nice to also have some books on hand that more accurately their day to day experiences of being twins.
Twin picture books and chapter books are increasing as multiples become more prevelant, but they are not overly common and certainly not all created equal. Here are the best ones we have found to date. (I will make sure to update this as we find more good ones.)
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Best Children’s Books for Twins
Goodnight I Love You and series by Caroline Jayne Church
I read this to my kids every day when they were toddlers before nap. Church has a series of books about these adorable toddlers. It is sweet, calming, and full of love.
Twin to Twin by Margaret O’Hair
Another adorable book about a pair of baby boy/girl twins. It has rhyming, rhythmic language that celebrates the ups and downs of having twins.
Liam Takes a Stand
by Troy Wilson and illustrated by Josh Holinaty
This one is for the siblings of twins perhaps more than the twins themselves. Liam has two older brothers who are identical twins (although pictured as not quite identical). Liam is a feisty younger brother who is determined to prove to his older brothers that he’s just as capable and maybe more so. Full of preposterous lemonade stands and sibling rivalry – this is a fun romp through summer and life with siblings.
Twins
by Mike Ciccotello
This is hilarious. It’s about a child and a giraffe who are twins. Obviously this choice highlights the vast difference between fraternal twins. It is written by the father of fraternal twins and the text is lovely.
Best Parenting Books about Twins
Parenting twins is full of unique decisions and parenting dilemmas. These books were essential to my peace of mind during pregnancy while I tried to wrap my head around 2 babies at once. They also helped us navigate many of the unfamiliar waters that our friends and family members couldn’t offer much advice on in the early years with twins.
Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Twins by Marc Weissbluth MD
I know there are a million sleep theories out there and no one solution works for everyone, but this book made me feel like I understood what my twins needed and how to help them learn to sleep through the night. There is a special section just for twins, which makes it different than the general Happy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby book that we still refer back to occasionally.
Raising Twins from Pregnancy to Preschool by Shelly Vaziri MD
How will I get both kids to the car? How will I feed them both? Change them both? Remember which one is which? The stream of questions that poured through my mind starting with that first ultrasound until they were born was overwhelming. This was much of the practical, how-to information that I needed to survive.
Emotionally Healthy Twins by Joan A Friedman PhD
This book has fascinating information about the world of twins and practical ways to navigate their emotional health. A lot of this book contained big issues that I had never considered from my limited experience with twins.
