Five Little Peppers and How They Grew Book and Charm (Charming Classics) (Paperback)

by Margaret Sidney (Author) "The little old kitchen had quieted down from the bustle and confusion of midday; and now, with its afternoon manners on, presented a holiday aspect..." (more)
Key Phrases: gingerbread boy, poor sick man, brown house, Little Brown House, Miss Jerusha, Doctor Fisher (more...)

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 -- Review --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: HarperFestival; Reprint edition (May 28, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0694015822
• ISBN-13: 978-0694015825
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #278,219 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 32 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 (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (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.

13 of 13 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.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic for Every Generation, June 14, 2002

By	W. Kaplan "calyndula" (Wynnewood, PA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

At the turn of the last century, five children and their widowed mother are left alone in the Brown House to make do in the daunting face of real poverty, with the fear of starvation always looming. And yet, the Pepper house is full of love. The five children, Ben, Polly, Davie, Joel and Phronsie, all help their mother in the day-to-day chores that make up their rough existence.

True to the mores of the time, Polly helps her mother sew so she can earn her pitiful pennies as a seamstress. The older boys do odd jobs and their chores. They frequently have nothing to eat but a cold potato, and when measles strikes the house, the almost deadly consequences just about tear the family apart. But their strength and love pulls them through--just in time to meet a family that will change their lives forever.

If you want your child to learn true family values, and to see and value the true spirit of giving, this is the book. Without preaching, without being cloying, without hammering the point home, "The Five Little Peppers" is a lasting testament to all that is good in people. Its charm is as strong today as it was generations ago.