Jack and Jake

From the moment twins Jack and Jake are born, their older sister can tell them apart, but no one else can. ""They said, `Jack is hungry,' when it's Jake who cried./They said, `Jake is wet,' but it's Jack they dried.'' When Jack and Jake go off to school, their classmates mix them up too: ``Jack tried and Jake tried to make them aware./Jake gave himself freckles. Jack parted his hair.'' Finally, the sister gets fed up and teaches everyone how to tell them apart: ``Jack does things and says things that only Jack could./Jake finds things and likes thing that only Jake would.'' A careful reader, the second time through, will be able to pick out the subtle differences that distinguish the two. With Aliki's cheerful watercolor and black ink illustrations, this is a good book for twins, and a clever puzzle for readers who wonder if people can be alike in every way. (48)