Belles on Their Toes

Title: Belles on Their Toes
Author: Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr., Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
Sequel to: Cheaper by the Dozen
Major Themes: Family Life, Humor
Synopsis: After Dad died, how could Mother keep her family together and prospering?

After we read Cheaper by the Dozen, we wanted to read more about the Gilbreth family. I was able to find Belles on Their Toes in an online library, so we read this book together. These stories begin where Cheaper by the Dozen ended, when Dad died. Suddenly, Mother had to figure out how to keep the family together. They did not want to be divided among relatives, but how could they make a living for themselves with Dad gone?

Dad had been planning a speaking tour of Europe, so Mother used his tickets and gave his lectures. That left the 11 children to take care of themselves at home while she was away, with the help of Tom, the man of all work. Mother left all the money she could to keep the family going, but they all knew it would hardly be enough. With Martha at the reins though, and her new budget in place, the children figured out how to save money and make everything work. That’s not to say that everything went without a hitch, however…imagine 11 people coming down with chickenpox, and then traveling to Nantucket Island for the summer. Sheer, hilarious chaos!

Once Mother returned, it was soon time to go back to school. This necessitated shopping trips for clothes. Imagine taking six boys shopping for clothing, when each of the younger ones must approve the older ones’ purchases because they would have to wear them someday. The closing statement of that chapter was hilarious.

Belles on Their Toes follows the adventures and misadventures of the Gilbreth family through about 15 years, until the last ones had graduated from college and everyone was married. It is a beautiful story of a family working together to make their way in the world. We loved this book, and even the three-year-old would beg for more chapters of it. If you want a funny book to read together as a family, look for this one. It may be a good idea to pre-read chapters 5, 6, 7, and 20, before giving it to your children, however.

WARNING: Chapter 2: heck, no. Chapter 3: heck; oh gee, oh gosh, oh golly. Chapter 4: for cat’s sake, my cow, gosh, damn it, be damned, gee. Chapter 5: girls in swimming suits. Chapter 6: a man talking about a woman’s anatomy. Chapter 7: girls smoking, gosh twice, gee. Chapter 10: what the devil. Chapter 11: golly, gosh, for Pete’s sake. Chapter 12: I’ll be doggoned, gosh, gee twice. Chapter 13: fight between boys, gee. Chapter 16: for Pete’s sake, I swear, son of a gun. Chapter 20: boys teach their sister how to be popular with the boys at school and dances.

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