The first of a series, Margaret Sidney's Five Little Peppers and How They Grew (first published in 1881) tells the story of the Pepper family (five siblings and their widowed mother), their joys, their struggles, their love for one another. Rather episodic in nature, and definitely of its time (there are elements of religious preachiness, strict gender roles and definite social stratification present), the chapters, while generally readable and at least mildly enjoyable, are also at times rather majorly far fetched, with some rather too obvious coincidences (so much so, that there at least sometimes seems to be an almost fairy-tale like aura of disbelief encountered, which can be a bit disconcerting, as Five Little Peppers and How They Grew seems to have been primarily written as a piece of realistic fiction). And yes, in particular the serendipity presented at the end of the novel (when Percy, Van and Dick's father returns and is revealed to be Mrs. Pepper's cousin) does tend to feel more than a bit artificial and forced (and while I know that this was often part and parcel to family type children's stories of the 19th and early 20th century, I do wonder whether modern children reading or attempting to read Five Little Peppers and How They Grew might not feel as though they are being force or spoon fed, that they are being told a story that kind of defies belief and one that assumes innocence and even a degree of naiveté on the part of the reader).

However, even more of an issue (for me personally at least) is the presented writing style, the narrative flow of Five Little Peppers and How They Grew, the words used/encountered, and the way many of the characters act (or rather, emotionally, extremely act out). For I do find Margaret Sidney's narrative style at best slightly scattered, unorganised and also often seriously overly emotional, with especially the Pepper children regularly screaming, laughing loudly, crying, on their knees praying (and constantly disclaiming or proclaiming their love, their fear, their pain, their joy). Of course, a novel where the characters are described as being mostly devoid of emotion would also not be natural either, but in Five Little Peppers and How They Grew , the constant emotional outbursts actually make many of the characters seem rather exaggerated to and for me and even perhaps slightly strange and unnatural, almost as though they are defined primarily by their emotions (or rather by their excess of the same).

Now I would still somewhat recommend Five Little Peppers and How They Grew, especially to those who are interested in what I call vintage girls' fiction or vintage family stories, but I do much wonder whether modern children would really enjoy this story, or wether they would also be (like I was and remain) more than slightly put off by the obvious and heavy-handed coincidences and especially the overly exaggerated emotionality of much of the printed text. And consequently, while I will likely end up reading the rest of the series at some time in the future, this will be more due to academic interest and not necessarily because I expect to in any ways greatly enjoy reading the sequels. 2.5 stars (but not willing to consider 3 stars)!

Great old-fashioned story of a widow and her five children growing up poor, but making the best of life anyway. One day, the youngest, a girl of about three or four, is enticed away by an organ grinder who is miffed that he is only offered black bread and water for his entertainment. The child is rescued by a boy named Jasper and his dog, who then become fast friends with the Pepper family. In the end, Jasper's friendship brings lots of love and joy and good fortune into the Pepper's lives. The story ends rather abruptly, but is part of a series, so on I go!
Read numerous times over the years.

Enjoyed this much more when I read it 15+ years ago. The vocabulary is certainly great. But overall it’s just too sweet to be believable.

I love this book — it’s one of my childhood favorites! My 1989 copy is from my old elementary school library and is all taped up and tattered, I think it was discarded from the library when I was in 5th grade, and the librarian let me take it home. 16 years later here we are! I haven’t read this in ages, but it’s a quick read, and wholesome and fluffy and delightful.

Ps. DID NOT KNOW it was part of a series?!!!