Five Little Peppers and How They Grew (Aladdin Classics) [Paperback]

Margaret Sidney (Author), Ann M. Martin (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 6, 2006 | Age Level: 9 and up | Series: Aladdin Classics

Five Little Peppers and How They Grew was originally serialized in an 1880 edition of Wide Awake, a children's magazine. The publisher of the magazine, Daniel Lothrop, loved the Pepper stories so much that he published a hard-cover edition of the story -- and married the author in 1881. In 1883 the couple moved to historic Concord, Massachusetts, and resided in a house called the Wayside, which had previously been home to Nathaniel Hawthorne and also to Louisa May Alcott, the author of Little Women.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The Peppers' good spirits, their love for each other, and their pleasure in simple homemade fun still charms me.... I wish them a long and happy life of at least another hundred years." -- Betsy Byars --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap

Five Little Peppers and How They Grew

Margaret Sidney

Polly and Ben Pepper are full of secret plans to surprise Mamsie. But it's hard to come up with ideas for presents when there isn't even enough money for the children to go to school.

Since their father died, the five Pepper children and their mother have been living in poverty, with only potatoes and brown bread for supper. Ben chops wood to help support the family, and Polly looks after the little ones while their mother earns what she can by sewing. The Peppers are so poor, they've never even had a Christmas. But from measles to monkeys, through bad times and good, the cozy kitchen in the little brown house rings with laughter and hope.

Then, just when a misadventure nearly leads to tragedy, a boy named Jasper King tumbles into their lives. Can good fortune be far behind? --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Aladdin; Original edition (June 6, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416916172
• ISBN-13: 978-1416916178
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,070,960 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #74 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Family Life > Stepfamilies

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Old Fashioned, but Charming, August 29, 2006

By 

drebbles (Arlington, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: Five Little Peppers and How They Grew (Aladdin Classics) (Paperback)

"The Five Little Peppers" are Ben, Polly, Joel, Davie, and Phronsie. Their father died when Phronsie was a baby and Mrs. Pepper struggles to earn enough money to support the family. Despite their poverty, they are a loving family, full of spirit and adventure. Ben and Polly do what they can to support the family, but a bout with measles threatens the well being of the entire Pepper clan, especially Joel and Polly. The family has other adventures and befriend Jasper King during one of them. This friendship will enrich their lives in ways they never thought would be possible.

It's always interesting as an adult to reread a book that I loved as a child. When I was young I thought how much fun the Peppers had and longed to belong to a large family. As an adult, I realize how poor the family really was and how quickly the children had to grow up. As a child I thought how terrible it was that Polly couldn't read for days on end because of the measles; as an adult I realize the Peppers couldn't even afford to buy books.

First published in 1881, "The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew" is old-fashioned (the doctor even makes house calls!), but still enjoyable. The Peppers are all delightful children, with Joel being the most honest of the bunch as he complains about having to eat the same food every day. Margaret Sidney was a talented author, who could make even inanimate objects, such as the stove, seem alive. The children's adventures may seem simple to today's young readers, who are used to Harry Potter and the like, but it's a refreshing change.

35 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars There is something special here, December 19, 2001

By 

Elizabeth G. Melillo "gloriana" - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Five Little Peppers and How They Grew (Library Binding)

I recently re-read this book, which I'd enjoyed as a child (forty years ago). Today, it seems rather dismal to me - horrible poverty, illness, the pat happy ending and children who are horribly gushing over their mother. Yet, years back, what I most liked about the story was that, being a very independent and mature child myself, Polly and Ben succeed very well at taking on adult responsibilities.

Though I'm at a loss about explaining exactly how the author does so, I've found that this is a book which every reader interprets differently - and that shows an amazing depth. My own mother remembers reading it as a child, and being moved by the familial devotion and respect for the matriarch. As other posts here make clear, it can reach each of us on a different level.

This book is a worthy addition to any child's library. However, I'd leave a single caveat: do not use it to prompt "a talk," especially on the "look how good you have it today" theme. Let the era introduce itself. It was a time of great poverty for many, yet also one which idealised a form of "perfect" family relationships which no one could hope to have. The combination of gritty realism with idealistic dreams has a message that kids will grasp on their own, and probably quite inventively.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Family Tradition, December 15, 2001

By 

Liese Tschudin Santos (Bonanza,Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Five Little Peppers and How They Grew (Dell Yearling Classic) (Paperback)

This book was the first in a series of 12 about the Pepper family. It was written in 1881 and takes place shortly after the Civil War(1860's-70's). The Pepper books follow the adventures of the 5 Pepper children and their widowed mother. The Peppers are poor but proud and the books extoll the importance of family and love and honesty and believing in yourself. These are wonderful books for children of all ages. They are sweet and funny and have an undercurrent of morality sadly lacking in most books written today. I started with my mothers childhood copy and have read and re-read the 4 books from the series I have been able to track down. I would recommend this and all the Pepper books to everyone. They are especially suited to be passed down from mother to daughter.