All-of-a-Kind Family

Sydney Taylor’s All-of-a-Kind Family (1951) is a work of children’s historical fiction and the first installment in the five-book series of the same name. The semi-autobiographical novel chronicles the daily life of a loving Jewish family with five daughters, Ella, Henny, Sarah, Charlotte, and Gertie, who live on New York City’s Lower East Side in 1912. The story follows the sisters through a series of vignettes, from their treasured weekly trips to the public library to their secret bedtime feasts and holiday celebrations. The novel explores themes of The Strength of Family Solidarity and The Preservation of Cultural Heritage, illustrating how the family’s close bonds and observance of Jewish traditions provide them with joy, identity, and stability amid the challenges of poverty. The family’s strong relationships with the other characters who populate their neighborhood showcase the importance of Community Generosity and Interconnection.

All-of-a-Kind Family holds a significant place in American children’s literature, recognized as the first book about a Jewish family to achieve widespread, mainstream popularity among non-Jewish readers. Based directly on the author’s own childhood, the stories originated as bedtime tales that Taylor told her daughter. Upon publication, the manuscript won the Charles W. Follett Award in 1951, followed by the National Jewish Book Award for Children’s Literature in 1952. The book has remained in print for over 70 years and has sold more than a million copies. As of 2023, a television series adaptation was announced to be in development.

This guide refers to the Yearling edition published by Random House Children’s Books.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of illness, death, and religious discrimination.

Language Note: The source material and guide contain references to a character referred to only by the nickname “Polack,” a derogatory term for a person of Polish descent. This term appears in the guide only in reference to this character.

Plot Summary

In New York City’s Lower East Side at the turn of the century lives a Jewish family with five daughters: serious 12-year-old Ella, mischievous 10-year-old Henny, practical eight-year-old Sarah, imaginative six-year-old Charlotte, and playful four-year-old Gertie. Because they’re all girls, they’re known as “an all-of-a-kind family” (18). The girls, their resourceful Mama, and their hardworking Papa live a life rich in love and tradition, though money is tight. Their greatest weekly pleasure is visiting the public library, which feels like a luxury in a time when few East Side children own books. 

The story begins on a Friday when Sarah arrives home from school in tears. She has lost her library book, Peter and Polly in Winter, after lending it to her friend Tillie. Fearing that she’ll never be allowed to borrow books again, Sarah confesses to the new librarian, a kind young woman named Miss Allen. Moved by the family’s earnestness, Miss Allen sets up a payment plan for the $1 book, allowing Sarah to pay a penny a week from her savings. The sisters immediately pool their own pennies to help, establishing a pattern of collective support that defines their family life.

Life for the five sisters unfolds through a series of episodes that highlight their daily routines and challenges. When the girls grumble about dusting the front room, Mama devises a clever game, hiding a dozen colored buttons in hard-to-reach, dusty places, turning the chore into an exciting treasure hunt. On a rainy day, the girls visit Papa’s junk shop, where he sorts rags, paper, and metal. Papa’s friend and helper, a handsome and kind young man named Charlie, is a favorite of the girls, especially Ella. As a surprise, Papa reveals a pile of books that he acquired from a peddler, a rare treasure for the family. The girls are overjoyed to discover a set of Charles Dickens books, a book of fairy tales, and a cutout doll book. Their deep connection to Jewish tradition is a constant presence, most vividly illustrated during their preparations for the Sabbath. Mama and the girls journey to the bustling Rivington Street market for special foods, and the week culminates in the peaceful, candle-lit Sabbath dinner, a cherished family ritual. The girls’ creativity and love are shown when they secretly save their pennies to buy Papa a birthday present, a china cup and saucer with a special ledge to keep his mustache dry. Though initially dismayed by the frivolous expense, Papa sees their hopeful faces and pretends to be overjoyed, moved by their sacrifice.

The family’s resilience is tested when Sarah, and then Ella, come down with scarlet fever. The household is quarantined, and Mama’s hands are full just as Passover, a major eight-day Jewish holiday, is about to begin. Her workload increases when Charlotte and Gertie also fall ill, leaving only Henny healthy. Confined to their home, the family finds comfort in their community. Charlie visits often, leaving small gifts and amusing notes at the door for the sick children, and Miss Allen sends a copy of the St. Nicholas magazine through the mail. During the quarantine, the family observes the Seder, the ceremonial Passover meal, with only Mama, Papa, and Henny at the table, while the four sick girls listen to the prayers and songs from their bedroom. The family pulls through the long illness together, their bonds strengthened by the hardship. Life returns to normal, and the girls continue their adventures, from celebrating Purim in masquerade costumes to spending a day at Coney Island, where Henny gets lost and is found by a policeman, who buys her an ice cream cone.

A significant mystery in the girls’ lives is the story of their beloved friend Charlie. On the Fourth of July, after Charlie delights the entire neighborhood with a gift of Roman candles, Ella overhears her parents talking. Papa reveals Charlie’s secret: His real name is Herbert Charles Graham, and he’s from a wealthy family. He left his old life behind after his parents disapproved of the girl he loved, an orphan with no family of her own. When the girl learned of their opposition, she disappeared without a trace. Heartbroken, Charlie gave up his career and name and now spends his time away from the junk shop searching for her. Ella, who has a secret crush on Charlie, is deeply saddened by his story, and her admiration for him deepens into a more mature sympathy for his pain. She begins to daydream about his lost love, imagining a beautiful, kind girl and hoping for a storybook reunion for them.

The family’s story reaches its climax during the celebration of Succos, the Jewish harvest festival. Papa and the girls build a Succah, a traditional wooden hut, in their small backyard and decorate it with paper fruits and chains. Proud of their work, Sarah invites Miss Allen to come see it. On Succos eve, Miss Allen arrives, and as she steps into the yard, she’s shocked to see Charlie: She is his long-lost love. In a tearful, joyous reunion, they embrace. Mama tells the young lovers that they have been brought together again through the kindness they both showed to the five sisters. An overjoyed Charlie and Miss Allen leave together, planning to go directly to his parents to reconcile.

Several months later, the family awaits a new arrival. Mama is in labor, and while her sisters are excited, Gertie feels a pang of jealousy at the thought of no longer being the youngest sibling. Ella comforts her, explaining the special role and importance of being an older sister. In the early hours of the morning, a baby boy is born. Papa, who has always quietly yearned for a son to carry on his name, is so overwhelmed with joy that he weeps. The family decides to name the baby Chaim, after Papa’s grandfather, but to call him Charlie. While looking at their new baby brother, the sisters reflect on the changes to their family. Ella remarks that they’re no longer “an all-of-a-kind family” (189), but Mama smiles and suggests that their love and loyalty is what truly defines them. The family gathers around the new baby, their unique and unbreakable bond reaffirmed.