All-Of-A-Kind Family Downtown

From School Library Journal Gr 3-6-It is a feat worth noting when a children's book survives from generation to generation. The All of a Kind Family books by Sydney Taylor evoke a simpler and gentler time, and have been rediscovered anew since the 1950s. The setting is New York's Lower East Side, teaming with immigrants. The author portrays a loving Jewish family, and paints a rich tapestry of their experiences in pre-World War I America. In All of a Kind Family Downtown (IPG Chicago, 1988 reprint ed.), the five sisters are at the center of their loving family. Their laughter, adventures, and old-fashioned activities will delight sensitive readers. Suzanne Toren's nuanced reading brings the characters to life. She perfectly captures the voices of the young sisters, and her rendition of the immigrant accents of New York keeps the reading lively. While the story is not gripping by today's standards, children will find themselves captivated by the family's warmth and humor, and fascinated by the details of Jewish life and celebrations at the beginning of the 20th century.