Two Times the Fun, Beverly Cleary

Two Times the Fun
Beverly Cleary
ISBN: 0060579226
Read Feb 24, 2014

Clearing out all of my little Juvie stuff so I can get back into the swing of YA and genre reads again.

This is a cute set of books.  I plan to add it to my personal bookshelf for reading to little ones of my own (if I ever get there).

Beverly Cleary had previously written these stories as individual easy-reader stand-alone works, under the following titles:

The Real Hole from 1960
Two Dog Biscuits from 1961
The Growing-Up Feet from 1987
Janet's Thingamajigs from 1987

Janet and Jimmy are twins, and they are four years old.  In these four independent stories, the twins each have a chance to show off their growing independence (and their abilities to drive Mom up the wall with their growing independence, but that's secondary).  The great thing about these stories is that they are totally real every-day events - no magic, no weirdness, no drama, no earthshaking conflicts or crisis - just two little kids growing up together and living together.

The Real Hole: Jimmy digs a hole - he likes "real" things - real shovels, real holes - and he's devastated when his hole is too big to safely keep in the yard.  Dad solves things with a tree.

Two Dog Biscuits: Jimmy and Janet are visiting next door and get dog-biscuits from the neighbor dog.  Mom takes them on a walk to find a dog to give the biscuits to, but none of them meet the twins stringent standards.  A neighbor cat is gifted with their bounty, and surprises Mom by actually eating the things.

The Growing-Up Feet: Mom thinks that the twins need new shoes (personally think Mom thinks she needs out of the house) but the shoe salesman disagrees.  The twins had been very much looking forward to the now non-forthcoming new shoes.  Upset averted by the purchase of stretchy red galoshes that fit over current shoes, and will stretch to fit new shoes also.  Bonus puddle party in the driveway while Dad washes the car.

Janet's Thingamajigs: Janet starts collecting little "treasures" and Jimmy handles this poorly.  Janet begins storing her treasures in sealed paper bags in her rail-sided bed.  Janet is now sleeping in a nest of rustly paper bags "like a mouse" so Mom goes ahead and buys them new "grown-up" beds (with no railings) so that the paper bags can't stay.  Twins are thrilled to be grown-up, and the treasures aren't missed.

This book recommended by The Read-Aloud Handbook