Sydney Taylor first introduced the world to the five stair step girls in All-of-a-kind-family, the story of 5 Jewish girls living in New York City in the early 1900s. Now, in this delightful sequel, the girls are growing up and finding themselves as older sisters to a lovable little brother. The baby changed the dynamics in the family at the end of the first book and his antics continue throughout this book.
While learning to care for their baby brother, the sisters experience the business sense of Henny, the second oldest. She decides to charge her friends a penny to watch baby Charlie get his bath one afternoon. Unfortunately, Mama is not real fond of a huge audience so only tolerates it for a little while. Charlie, of course, loves the audience splashing and giggling his way through the bath and into the crib for nap time. Henny tries to hide her "business" but the sisters find out and the sparks fly.
The girls enjoy meeting new people but one friend, Guido, has more problems than a normal tween age boy. He is busy trying to find work to support his sick mama but worries constantly about finding enough money for food and heat. Lucky for him and his mama, Ella decides to play detective which leads to help for the little family down on their luck.
Tweens will enjoy seeing life in New York City in the early 1900s and learn lessons that are timeless. Definitely a great read.
Age range: 8 to 12
Taylor, S. (1972). All-of-a-kind-family downtown. New York: Dell Publishing.
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