Long before the Duggar family of 19 Kids And Counting television fame the most well known large family was the Gilbreths of the Cheaper By The Dozen books. I first read Cheaper By The Dozen and its sequel Belles On Their Toes (the story of the family after the father died) as a child and loved them enough to read them many times. The books, written by two of the children, Frank and Ernestine Gilbreth, tell the story of the Gilbreth family of twelve children who grew up in the 1920s. Their father, Frank Gilbreth, was a well know efficiency expert and ran his family on the same efficiency principles as he did his business. Whether it was having tonsils out en masse, learning to touch type or playing educational games so as to skip grades at school the results were often very humorous. If you get a chance watch the 1950 film of the same name with Clifton Webb and Myrna Loy which is true to the books in a way that the versions with Steve Martin are definitely not
All posts by Pamela
Pamela’s Picks: Cleopatra’s Daughter by Michelle Moran
Most people know the story of Cleopatra the Egyptian queen who committed suicide after her country was overrun by Roman forces as told in Shakespeare’s tragedy Antony and Cleopatra. But the story didn’t end there. Cleopatra and Marc Antony had three children who survived and Cleopatra’s Daughter by Michelle Moran is the story of the only daughter Cleopatra Selene and how she adapts to being taken prisoner by the Roman Ceasar Octavian and brought to Rome to a place and culture that is totally foreign to her. At first she is unsure that if she will even have a future (prisoners were often killed) but as time goes by she learns how to adapt to her new homeland and experiences things that are common to girls of every age such as friendship, development of special talents, and first love. Based on historical facts, Selene’s story is captivating and intriguing. So come experience life in ancient Rome with Selene, you will not be disappointed.
Pamela’s Picks: Bad Kitty by Nick Bruel
One of the first things most people find out about me is that I am an ailurophile (which means that I like cats). I read as many books about cats that I come across whether fiction or non-fiction, for children or adults. Recently I came across the Bad Kitty books by Nick Bruel. There are four of them, Bad Kitty, Bad Kitty Gets A Bath, Happy Birthday Bad Kitty and the latest Bad Kitty Vs Uncle Murphy (plus another book called Poor Puppy about Bad Kitty’s canine companion). Bad Kitty reminds me of my cat Ebony, black fur and a prickly personality. Bad Kitty behaves in typical feline ways such as doing everything possible to not get a bath (I would get seriously hurt if I tried to give Ebony a bath) and the illustrations of Bad Kitty and her feline companions add much to the stories. There are also little facts about cats scattered among the pages so you learn things as well. While these books are marked as junior they are just as enjoyable for adults so why not bring Bad Kitty home with you today?