It is interesting to read a book from long ago and see how children's literature has changed over the years. Things that were acceptable years ago such as spanking would not necessarily be used today in literature. It can feel uncomfortable to read. Yet it is reminiscent of my childhood so brings back great memories.

Sydney Taylor’s book More All-of-Kind Family is book 3 in a series that is a bunch of short chapters describing the family of 5 girls and 1 boy named; Ella, Henny, Sarah, Charlotte, Gertie and Charlie. They move to the beach in New York City for the summer in the 1900’s, to get away from the plague and the dad commutes in on the weekends. The older sister finds a boyfriend and the next oldest sister gets in trouble for breaking curfew. Portrayals of May pole decorating, fasting for Yom Kippur and making latkes for Chanukah really describes the life of highly observant Jews.

I'm fascinated by these tales of life at the turn of the last century. It's hard to believe that was 100+ years ago now. I remember when 100 years felt like an eternity, but now that I've achieved more than half of a century on Earth, 100 years seems like a blink of an eye.

Just like in the first book, these tales are sweet but not saccharine and the family and community feel warm and real.

Another of this wonderful series.

The siblings in the All-of-a-Kind Family are growing up, with the oldest nearly sixteen and acquiring her first boyfriend. The Lower East Side is also changing, with Jewish families moving away to other areas of New York City to escape the crowdedness, propelled in particular by an epidemic of polio (called "infantile paralysis" in this book) that sweeps through the neighbourhood. Just another collection of charming escapades and vignettes.

lizzie: i love this book, but there are many sad parts.

The children of an immigrant family enjoy their times together with gusto and humor as they celebrate their Jewish faith and life in the lower East Side of New York City in the early 1900s.

In MORE ALL-OF-A-KIND FAMILY set in 1916 two years after the first story, young Charlie is a toddler and Ella gets a boyfriend, among other changes. The sisters’ personalities are more distinct.

Written over half a century ago, some of the dated customs will need explanation, particularly pigeon killing as a way to rid the birds. I didn’t remember that part from reading the books as a kid, though it might have gone over my head in third grade. The ALL-OF-A-KIND FAMILY books were amongst my favorites aa a child. Jewish representation, with explanations woven into the story for those who don’t understand certain foods or practices, is as important as much now as when the stories were first written.

This was as good as the first. This is a series not to be missed!

This is the third book in Sydney Taylor's series about a Jewish family living in New York City in 1915. We continue to follow the adventures of the 5 sisters and their little brother. Perfect middle grade historical fiction. These are wonderful read aloud books and the illustrations are delightful.

The first book dealt with quarantine and this book deals with an epidemic of infantile paralysis (polio). It provides great opportunities for children living through the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine to learn about other times in history when families have faced similar things.

My Rating: Good. A sweet story about a loveable family.

These books are just truly lovely. Made sickie a pallet on the floor next to the kitchen and she and I listened while I batch cooked.

We both laughed at the accidental spanking, and had good conversations about Hanukkah, polio, and tenement life.

Returning to these delightful characters is like visiting with old friends.
Everyone is growing up, and Charlie is no longer a baby. It's fun to read about the Jewish traditions, and life on the East Side. There's excitement, laughter, tears, and a bit of romance in this book (though not what you might except at first).

I will be rereading this again, I'm sure.