Ling And Ting Get the Pink Flu

Madeleine has been enjoying some books from the "Ling and Ting" series.  This series is about twin girls whose personalities are as different as their looks are the same.  The only way to tell the girls apart by looks is by their haircuts; Ting accidentally sneezed while the barber was cutting her bangs, leaving her with a hacked piece of hair on her forehead:

Last night, Madeleine decided to make her OWN Ling and Ting book:

"The Two Pink Sisters"

MADELEINE: Mama?  I didn't know how to spell "pink" or "sisters," and I didn't really FEEL like kindergarten spelling.

Because Madeleine didn't feel like kindergarten spelling, the book is wordless, so I had the author narrate each page to me this morning.

MADELEINE: "Dun dun da-duuuuun!" That's all there is on the castle.
ME: Okay.  So it's like music?
MADELEINE: Uh-huh.
ME: Spooky music?
MADELEINE: No!  GREAT music.

MADELEINE: (coughing sound) "Um, Ting, can you help me walk?"  "I could, if you were out of the WAY." (coughing sound) "Achoo!" "Are you okay, Ting?"  "Yeah, I'm okay.  Just pink flu."

MADELEINE: "Hey, we don't have pink flu anymore!"  (singing) "Hooray, we don't have pink flu, anymore, oh-oh-ore!  Hooray, we don't have pink flu anymore!"

MADELEINE: There's not much.  It's just "tut-tut-tut-tut-tut-tut."
ME: Why is that the sound?
MADELEINE: Of scissors!
ME: Oh.  What are they cutting?
MADELEINE: Ting's HAIR!  And...look how LONG Ting's hair grew!

MADELEINE: So, like, they look SO crazy that they're, like, (making facial expressions of anxiety) Because...it MIGHT look good.  I think it does.  But not for LING.  So, you can just be like, "Hmmm?!?"  And then (clicking her tongue.)
ME: What was the click?
MADELEINE: Ting's BLINKING sound.

MADELEINE: They're upside down looking at the APPLE TREE.  (thoughtful) I'll have to DRAW that.  Wait.  How about...we make it invisible?

MADELEINE: "Ting!  I picked TWO apples!  Just for us!"  "Great.  Hand me it."  "Now?"  "Of course!  I love apples!"  "Okay, here you go.  But: don't forget to eat it after dinner, for dessert!"

MADELEINE: "write write write write write write write write write write write."

MADELEINE: "Oh, Ting, look!"  "I see! I'm looking!"
ME: What did Ling write?
MADELEINE: She wrote a book!  (thoughtful) I can't DECIDE what she wrote.  It's in CURSIVE.  It's how the My Little Ponies write messages.

MADELEINE: "Waaaah waaaah waaah waaaaah!"
ME: Why are they crying?
MADELEINE: Because they HATE broccoli, but...Ling LOVES broccoli.

MADELEINE: "Goo-goo ga-ga!"
ME: They're babies?!?
MADELEINE: Mmm-hmmm!  On the last two pages, they're babies.
ME: How did they become babies?
MADELEINE: I just wanted a baby one.


Woah.  What a book!  I love the regression back into infancy at the end of the book.  It's gotta be symbolic of something, right?  I can't wait to spend more time analyzing the deeper metaphorical meanings of "The To Pink Sisters"!