Introduction
Sydney Taylor (October 30, 1904 – February 12, 1978) was an American author.
She was born Sarah Brenner in New York City to Jewish immigrant parents. Her parents and eldest sister Ella emigrated in 1900 to the United States and settled in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, as many Jewish families did. Her stories based on life in her large family are chronicled in a set of five books known as the All-of-a-Kind Family series. "During the second half of the twentieth century [the books in the series] were the most widely known books about American Jewish children."
Her summers were spent as counselor and administrator at Cejwin Camps in Port Jervis, New York, where she was known as "Aunt Syd". Several of her siblings were associated with the camp as well. She shared her family and its stories with post-World War II children who were largely from second- and third-generation Jewish families.
She died of cancer at age 73. Her husband Ralph established The Sydney Taylor Book Award in her honor.
Works
- All-of-a-Kind Family (1951), illustrated by Helen John
- More All-Of-A-Kind Family (1954), illustrated by Mary Stevens
- All-of-a-Kind Family Uptown (1958), illustrated by Mary Stevens
- Mr. Barney's Beard (1961), illustrated by Charles Geer
- Now That You Are 8 (1963), illustrated by Ingrid Fetz
- The Dog Who Came to Dinner (1966), illustrated by John E. Johnson
- A Papa Like Everyone Else (1966), illustrated by George Porter
- All-of-a-Kind Family Downtown (1972), illustrated by Beth and Joe Krush
- Ella of All-of-a-Kind Family (1978), illustrated by Gail Owens
- Danny Loves a Holiday (1980), illustrated by Gail Owens
Upon the one-hundredth anniversary of the author's birth, in 2004, the Association of Jewish Libraries issued The All-of-A-Kind-Family Companion.
In 2014, Lizzie Skurnick of Lizzie Skurnick books began to reissue the four sequels. More All-Of-A-Kind Family was released on June 10 and All-Of-A-Kind Family Uptown was released on July 15. June Cummins wrote the forewords for the new editions.