| Description |
ix, 383 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 325-372) and index. |
| Summary |
The untold life story of All-of-a-Kind Family author Sydney Taylor, highlighting her dramatic influence on American children's literature. |
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This is the first and only biography of Sydney Taylor (1904-1978), author of the award-winning All-of-a-Kind Family series of books, the first juvenile novels published by a mainstream publisher to feature Jewish children. The family-based on Taylor's own as a child-includes five sisters, each two years apart, dressed alike by their fastidious immigrant mother so they all look the same: all-of-a-kind. The four other sisters' names were the same in the books as in their real lives; only the real-life Sarah changed hers to the boyish Sydney while she was in high school. Cummins elucidates the deep connections between the progressive Taylor's books and American Jewish experiences, arguing that Taylor was deeply influential in the development of national Jewish identity. This biography conveys the vital importance of children's books in the transmission of Jewish culture and the preservation of ethnic heritage. |
| Contents |
Introduction -- Family background in the old country: 1880-1900 -- Sarah's childhood on the Lower East Side: 1901-1910 -- Gateways to a wider world: 1910-1916 -- Sarah becomes Sydney: 1916-1920 -- Romance and the new woman: 1920-1923 -- Political awakening and contentious courtship: 1923-1925 -- Performance at home and on stage: 1925-1935 -- Progressive motherhood: 1935-1950 -- Camp Cejwin: 1942-1960 -- Award-winning author: 1950-1960 -- Personal loss and artistic anxiety: 1960-1970 -- Last years and legacy: 1970-1978. |
| Subject |
Taylor, Sydney, 1904-1978.
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Authors, American -- 20th century -- Biography.
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Children's literature, American -- History and criticism.
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Taylor, Sydney, 1904-1978. (OCoLC)fst00053924
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Authors, American. (OCoLC)fst00821764
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Children's literature, American. (OCoLC)fst00855882
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Taylor, Sydney, 1904-1978.
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Taylor, Sydney, 1904-1978. All-of-a-kind family.
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Immigrants -- New York (State) -- New York -- Biography.
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Jewish families -- New York (State) -- New York -- Biography.
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Jewish women authors -- United States -- Biography.
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Children's literature, American -- History and criticism.
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Lower East Side (New York, N.Y.)
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| Chronological Term |
1900-1999
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| Genre/Form |
Biographies. (OCoLC)fst01919896
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Criticism, interpretation, etc. (OCoLC)fst01411635
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| Added Author |
Dunietz, Alexandra Whelan, 1961- author.
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| ISBN |
0300243553 (hardcover) |
|
9780300243550 (hardcover) |
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