18 Children’s Books with Old Fashioned Families

This list is for my new Mom Friend, Liz, who lives in my town but we met through a mutual friend from business school on the other side of the country who figured out that we are neighbors and should meet.  And lo and behold, we did meet at our magic coffee shop, L’Aroma Cafe, a vortex that seems to bring in all people we mutually know.  Not only did we discover a myriad of mutual friends, but some walked in the door that very day so it was a fun time.  She asked for a list of old-fashioned books for her daughter, a fourth-grader.  I was thrilled that someone actually read my esoteric lists!

I do love those old-fashioned chapter books; you know, the ones where no one fights with their families at all EVER.  Siblings get along beautifully, parents never get divorced, and there’s always a happy ending. In fact, there is so little conflict, that there isn’t much plot.  It’s more like a series of short vignettes of what life was like back then.  Was life that simple and conflict-free back then?  I doubt it, but I do love reading about “back in the day” with my kids.

I was impressed that one blogger revived a beloved but out-of-print chapter book series so I recruited her for my pet project which is getting the All-of-a-Kind Family series back into print.  Right now, only the first book is available so there are 5 others that are exorbitant on Amazon and available only through the library (by reserving!).  Here’s hoping.  We all have our mission in life, right?!

p.s.  If you like this post, you might like Top 10: Best Old Fashioned Children’s Books and Their Modern-Day Equivalent, Top 10:  Classic Children’s Books Not Beloved Now, Top 10: Classic Picture Books (from Little One Books).

Best Old Fashioned Families in Children’s Books

10. All-of-a-Kind Family series by Sydney Taylor

A really wonderful series depicting a Jewish family living in the Lower East Side of New York at the turn of the century.  Both my girls loved this series.  It reads like a series of short stories within each book so it’s great for newly independent readers to reach with help. The American Girl doll, Rebecca, is based on this series. [middle grade, ages 8 and up]

9. The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew by Margaret Sydney

I loved this book when I grew up and it’s similar to the All-of-a-Kind Family though slightly more advanced to read. [middle grade, ages 9 and up]

8. Betsy-Tacy series by Margaret Hart Lovelace

I remember this series from my childhood.  The early books about three young friends — Betsy, Tacy, and Tib — are perfect for newly independent readers but the books when the girls are in high school are more suited for an older audience.  I think this jump in age appropriateness is one of the key reasons why this great series isn’t translating for a new audience.  I’d recommend starting out with the books when the girls are younger and then waiting for the high school years to see if your child is still interested.  Chances are they will not be.  YA(Young Adult) will be calling to them and this is definitely not YA.  Hence, I think the younger books translate a little better.  [chapter books, ages 6 and up and then 11 and up]

7. The Cobble Street Cousins series by Cynthia Rylant

I discovered this series from my neighbor for my oldest just as she started to read independently in 1st grade.  There are pictures on every page which makes it perfect for new readers just starting out on real chapter books.  Both my girls loved this series as well as their book clubs.  [chapter book, ages 6 and up]

6. One Morning In Maine by Robert McCloskey

My kids think this book is boring but I love, love, love it.  Maybe it is because we actually live in the Northeast whereas I grew up in California so clam digging seemed exotic to me?!  This is an advanced picture book.  I wish I could live this morning in Maine; it sounds like an idyllic day for a child!  [picture book, ages 6 and up]

5. Cheaper by the Dozen series by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr.

I hope that the movie with Steve Martin doesn’t turn you off of this book.  The movie is nothing like the book, I assure you.  This is one book that I have vivid memories of from childhood.   It’s a biography of a real family but told in interesting little stories that are still fascinating. Interesting note:  none of the 12 children had more than 2 kids themselves! [middle grade, ages 8 and up]

4. The Penderwicks series by Jeanne Birdsall

This series has an “instant classic” feel. Each sister in the family gets her own book, from oldest to youngest, so five sisters = a five-book series. What makes this series feel old-fashioned are a few factors: the sisters by and large get along really well, the bad guy is not a scary person, and the conflicts are resolved in “happy ending” big moments like in the movies. [middle grade, ages 9 and up]

3. The Vanderbeekers series by Karina Yan Glaser

This is another “instant classic” where the bad guy is usually misunderstood and gets enfolded into the group by the end of the book. The books on this list are generally optimistic and full of hope, with good deeds being rewarded. The story is a gentle one where each word can be savored and enjoyed and The VAnderbeekers are no different from the books on this list except that they are a modern version with a bi-racial family. Their mixed racial identity, in keeping with gentle stories, is more of a stated fact than a point of conflict. This is one of my new favorite series! [middle grade, ages 9 and up]

2. Homer Price and Centerburg Tales: More Tales of Homer Price by Robert McCloskey

This is a small-town hijinks at its best but told in the sweetest way.  These books are like an animated Norman Rockwell painting that comes to life as a children’s chapter book.  Sadly, I don’t think my kids tried either of them yet.  I need to change that! [middle grade, ages 8 and up]

1. The Great Brain series by John D. Fitzgerald

The Great Brain is the middle brother with a smart mind and a money-loving heart AND the family is Catholic but living in Salt Lake City during the late 1880s.  I loved this series as a kid and it’s still funny now.  The font is a little small, or the books would be appropriate for younger readers of a reluctant nature.  I picked this series as the number 1 because a little conflict makes for a more exciting read. [middle grade, ages 10 and up]

More Great Old Fashioned Families in Children’s Books

Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater

Thankfully, the book is nothing like the movie. I just finished this book with my middle daughter and she loved it. Her older sister also loved it and it made a great read-aloud book at school (3rd grade?). [middle grade, ages 8 and up]

Cricket in Times Square by George Selden

My middle daughter also loved this chapter book immensely. It became the book that all other books were measured against.  We tried the other books in the series (yes, it is a series!) but they were not nearly as good. I think the reason why is that the Newsstand family isn’t featured in the other books like Cricket in Times Square.  Our advice, ignore the other books in the series and treat them as a standalone book. [middle grade, ages 9 and up]

The Saturdays series by Elizabeth Enright

My oldest daughter and I both loved The Saturdays, which is part of a quartet of old-fashioned books. Bored on a rainy Saturday, the kids come up with a plan to pool their allowances to allow one sibling at a time an exceptional Saturday experience. Their series of adventures comes full circle in the end and each adventure is a marvelous short story in and of itself. I read this as a child and liked it, and my 11-year-old daughter also enjoyed it. It would make a nice summer read, especially for bored children! [middle grade, ages 9 and up]

The Boxcar Children series by Gertrude Chandler Warner

I just found an old copy of The Boxcar Children that I bought at a yard sale. I never realized that it went to a mystery chapter book series … I think that was after my time but I just re-read it and loved it all over again and my oldest had read it as well and really liked it. [middle grade, ages 9 and up]

Best Old Fashioned Families in Children’s Books Recommendations From Readers!

Thank you to @jengod for these book recommendations. I remember Mama’s Bank Account — she had a fictitious bank account she told the kids about so that they wouldn’t worry about becoming homeless and when the kids were grown and found up, they set up a real bank account for her. I remember they would count out their money each week and figure out their expenses (someone needed their shoes re-shod so they all held their breath in case they would run short of money). I do love that book so much but wasn’t able to recall the title. Thank you for bringing back this memory!!!

Mama’s Bank Account by Kathryn Forbes

Belles on Their Toes by Frank Gilbreth Jr.

Little Heathens: Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression by Mildred Armstrong Kalish

p.s. Related posts:

Top 10: Old Fashioned Children’s Books Set On a Farm

Top 10: Best Old Fashioned Children’s Books and Their Modern Day Equivalents

Top 10: Best Old Fashioned Easy Readers

Best Books for Kids: Classic Children’s Books Still Beloved Now

Top 10: Classic Children’s Books Not Beloved Now (ages 3-14)

Picture Books Celebrating Farmers’ Markets

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