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kid

parent

More All-of-a-Kind Family

by: Sydney Taylor  

Ages

9+
Ella, Henny, Sarah, Charlotte, Gertie, and Charlie live with their parents on the Lower East Side of New York City, with no cars, no TV, and no internet! They're never bored, though. Read the book to find out why!
Ages 9+
Pages 166
Publisher Lizzie Skurnick Books
Coming May 2021

Average Rating

155 Reviews
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What the Book Is About

This charming sequel to All-of-a-Kind Family takes place in the early 1900s. The older children are now teens and the family's finances have somewhat improved. Life in a large family is full of small adventures for the five sisters and little Charlie. Kids will enjoy these sweet slice-of-life stories that are so different from their own daily routines.  

Jewish Content & Values

  • The family observes Yom Kippur with prayer and fasting; there is a lovely explanation of how the holiday was celebrated in Temple times, and rich description of the Kol Nidre, Neila, and memorial prayers. 
  • The family celebrates a joyous Hanukkah by eating latkes, lighting the menorah, and playing dreidel with their cousins. 
  • Lena and Hyman have a traditional Jewish wedding complete with a “le chaim” (toast) sealing their engagement, a visit to the mikve (ritual bath), and a ceremony under the chuppah (bridal canopy).

Positive Role Models

  • Mama is the very picture of a warm, loving, and intelligent motherly figure. She encourages her children to behave kindly to others and is firm when necessary. She teaches them to value Lena and to look beyond her unconventional appearance and immigrant ways.  
  • Ella, Henny, Sarah, Charlotte, Gertie, and Charlie are lively, earnest, and very human characters who try to please their parents and do the right thing. Even though life is not always easy for this relatively poor family, the children create happy times together and take their responsibilities seriously as part of a big family.

When Henny arrives home after curfew, Papa tries to give her a licking, but, in a case of mistaken identity, he spanks her friend Fanny instead. In the early 20th century, when the book is set, spanking children was commonplace, and in this scene the mistaken identity is a source of humor.

Talk It Over

This book describes the daily life of Jewish kids as they grow up around 100 years ago. How are their experiences similar to yours? How are they different?

The All-of-a-Kind Family series became so popular that it crossed the divide from literature intended just for Jewish readers to mainstream children's literature. The first Jewish books to appeal to a general audience, the series paved the way for other children's books featuring characters from diverse ethnic identities. 
What the Book Is About

What the Book Is About

This charming sequel to All-of-a-Kind Family takes place in the early 1900s. The older children are now teens and the family's finances have somewhat improved. Life in a large family is full of small adventures for the five sisters and little Charlie. Kids will enjoy these sweet slice-of-life stories that are so different from their own daily routines.  

Jewish Content & Values

  • The family observes Yom Kippur with prayer and fasting; there is a lovely explanation of how the holiday was celebrated in Temple times, and rich description of the Kol Nidre, Neila, and memorial prayers. 
  • The family celebrates a joyous Hanukkah by eating latkes, lighting the menorah, and playing dreidel with their cousins. 
  • Lena and Hyman have a traditional Jewish wedding complete with a “le chaim” (toast) sealing their engagement, a visit to the mikve (ritual bath), and a ceremony under the chuppah (bridal canopy).

Positive Role Models

  • Mama is the very picture of a warm, loving, and intelligent motherly figure. She encourages her children to behave kindly to others and is firm when necessary. She teaches them to value Lena and to look beyond her unconventional appearance and immigrant ways.  
  • Ella, Henny, Sarah, Charlotte, Gertie, and Charlie are lively, earnest, and very human characters who try to please their parents and do the right thing. Even though life is not always easy for this relatively poor family, the children create happy times together and take their responsibilities seriously as part of a big family.

When Henny arrives home after curfew, Papa tries to give her a licking, but, in a case of mistaken identity, he spanks her friend Fanny instead. In the early 20th century, when the book is set, spanking children was commonplace, and in this scene the mistaken identity is a source of humor.

Talk It Over

This book describes the daily life of Jewish kids as they grow up around 100 years ago. How are their experiences similar to yours? How are they different?

The All-of-a-Kind Family series became so popular that it crossed the divide from literature intended just for Jewish readers to mainstream children's literature. The first Jewish books to appeal to a general audience, the series paved the way for other children's books featuring characters from diverse ethnic identities.