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First book in the series of five, first published by Delacourt in 1951

Poop! I started writing this ages ago and meant to get it finished while it was still Hanukkah, but life is hectic these days. Well, it's not too late really, because these books, although they center around a Jewish family,
also make fabulous gifts for Christmas, birthdays, and other present-giving occasions. They're universal, timeless, wonderful. (If you can track copies down - only the first seems to be in print still, though some of the others are available new as audiobooks.)

When I was a young child during the early 1960s, I knew little about the Jewish faith or holidays - even though I now realize one of my best friends was probably Jewish (her mother was a Holocaust survivor). My family, though not religious, celebrated the standard Christian holidays, and at school, we only discussed and celebrated these Christian holidays or the official American ones like Thanksgiving and Memorial Day. The local stores and my community then (Arlington, VA) only decorated for them too, and so if there were Jewish kids in my midst, it just didn't come up. In short, there was little to expand my cultural knowledge - except books, which I was lucky enough to have in abundance.

The Stair-step Sisters checking out library books in an illustration by Helen John

The All-of-a-Kind Family books by Sydney Taylor introduced me not only to a Jewish family and the special days of their faith, they transported me in space to the Lower East Side of Manhattan and in time to the turn of the 20th century. But however long ago, far away, and set in a different culture these stories were, the characters rang absolutely true to my life and family. Although there were only three girls in my family rather than the five in the books, my sisters and I were also stair-step siblings with similar squabbles, alliances, and shared experiences - and a warm, close family. I particularly identified with Sarah, who, like me, was the square-in-the-middle sister, and who, also like me, wanted badly to be a good girl, but fell short periodically through carelessness or stubbornness. (I was particularly glad to learn recently that the author, Sydney Taylor, was actually the Sarah of the books, which were based on her own childhood and family. She changed her first name during high school - kind of like I did for a while during junior high when I added a fashionable "e" to the end of mine.)

1 Comments on Sydney Taylor and the All-of-a-Kind Family Books, last added: 12/10/2010 Display Comments Wendy Braun said, on 12/10/2010 12:59:00 PM I was trying to think of this story the other day, that I, too, loved as a child...I could only recall Mama's Bank Account, Life With Father, Betsy-Tacy, but couldn't remember this one. All childhood favorites! Thanks for nudging my memory! :) The CPSIA issue is SO CONFUSING and SO FRUSTRATING to me! I finally googled it on SNOPES to try and figure it out. So the vendors/booksellers aren't required by the govt. (yet) to certify that their used books/toys have been tested, BUT they have to ensure that the items they sell meet the new standards...how are they supposed to do that without testing the items??? CPSC spokesman Wolfson says they're supposed to go back to the supplier and ask...is he KIDDING?? Does he know how thrift stores work?? So all Americans that ever donated used items are supposed to do the testing?? The govt. again is talking out of both sides of its mouth. http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/pending/cpsia.asp Add a Comment More from this Blog | Email This | Add a Tag © 2017 Jacketflap.com                         About Us   FAQ   Advertise on JacketFlap   About our Widgets program for Publishers   Privacy   Terms