Do You Have An All Of A Kind Family?

Do you have an “all of a kind” family? I grew up in one. We were a family of three sisters. I’m the middle of the three sisters (best place to be). Sydney Taylor knew what an all of a kind family was when she grew up in the middle of five sisters. She took her experience of growing up on the Lower East Side in a Jewish family who had migrated from Eastern Europe and wrote about it in a series of books. Sydney originally wrote the first book for her daughter, Jo.  History says her husband secretly turned the manuscript in for the Charles W Follett Award in 1951 and it won. From this, a whole series and a new author was born. These books are great for the stories of keeping Jewish traditions alive in the home and community.  They are great for the American patriotism they portray as they assimilated into their new country. I have read this series not only as a young girl but now over and over to my children and with my children. Not only is it a fun way to learn about Jewish traditions and customs but it also shows us life in America at the turn of the century (early 1900’s). Sydney went on to write four more books in the series. Their family even grew (no spoilers), changed and lived many adventures and trials.  Each book brings adventures that any child would love to learn about but also gives us a peek into a period of American history that was difficult but joyous.  It is a good reminder to us that we do not need material things to be happy as a family. In later years, the Association of Jewish Libraries named an annual award after Mrs. Taylor. Her contribution to preserving Jewish culture and traditions rewarded. You can find the books just about anywhere although I always recommend ThriftBooks. Find them here.  If you read these books and need some more ideas for summer reading, you can read this article.