Belles on Their Toes

good lord, the use of language re racism certainly has changed.
anyway. it's got far more personality and reality than the first book (though less popular, presumably for that reason). And i laughed out loud -- repeatedly -- over the "ashtray" story.

It was, in fact, possibly one of the most hideous ashtrays ever to come out of the Twentieth Century, which in future centuries may become best known for its production of the atomic bomb and hideous ashtrays ...

(it's written by both Frank Jr and Ernestine Gilbreth, Goodreads. stop ignoring women.)

Belles on Their Toes by brother and sister, Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. And Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, is the sequel to their first book about their lively family, Cheaper by the Dozen. Although this book opens on a sad note, starting up just three days after the father of the family has passed away, it isn’t long before the family exuberance comes to the forefront and the book is putting a smile on the face of the reader.

As they tell of various family events, from seeing off unwanted suitors, dealing with noisy relatives or falling victim to their handyman Tom’s escapades, we see the eleven children growing up, finishing their education and getting married. Through it all, their mother is the backbone of the family as she supported the show more family financially and emotionally. The children are portrayed as cooperative and good natured, and although they get into the odd argument with each other, or misbehave in the way that children do, overall they care and watch out for each other.

Belles on Their Toes is a charming and amusing read. As this family grew up during the 1920’s it was also interesting to read about this by-gone era. Again, for me, the mother is the character that stood out as she continued to enlarge and improve the family business, travelled to give lectures, and received a number of honorary doctorates all the while taking an active role in the lives of her eleven surviving children. show less

I read [b:Cheaper by the Dozen|764903|Cheaper by the Dozen (Perennial Classics)|Frank B. Gilbreth Jr.|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178154137s/764903.jpg|1925199] decades ago, and it stuck with me; the humor, and the deeply moving sadness at the end. I recently read to it to my nine-year-old son, who loved it (we watched the 1950 movie of the book immediately after; for his own sake, we are not watching the trashy and completely unrelated Steve Martin movie of the same name).

He wants to move on to the sequel, and so did I. Fortunately our library was able to obtain a copy. Just to be safe, I decided to read it through before deciding if it was appropriate to read to him.

It is. The humor isn't as rich as it was in Cheaper by the show more Dozen, but that's because this is the story of the family after Frank Gilbreth died, and he was apparently a font of humor. That said, I smiled, laughed, and chuckled many times throughout the book. It's as well-written as the first, and nearly as enjoyable. The ending isn't as moving as the ending of Cheaper by the Dozen, but it's both touching and thought-provoking. I liked this book, and I'm going to search out other books by the authors and about the Gilbreths as well.

There was one jarring point. Just as the family minstrel show suddenly brought home just how much time has passed since the events of Cheaper by the Dozen, in this case my jaw dropped when I read the following. The two oldest girls had taken up smoking, and were caught by their mother:

"I've been trying to think up some good arguments against smoking," Mother said, "but when you analyze them, they don't seem too convincing."

She started to enumerate the arguments, counting them off on her fingers.

...

"It's bad for your health. That's open to debate. Not so bad as overeating, or not getting enough sleep."

She ends up reluctantly giving them permission to smoke - quite a shock to a modern reader. Or at least it was to me! But then, I wasn't alive in the 1920s. Oh I knew, intellectually, that the attitude towards smoking was very different then, but after getting to know the Gilbreth family through their books it's strange to suddenly realize how long ago they lived. show less

In the sequel to Cheaper by the Dozen we learn what happens to the family after the patriarch unexpectedly passes away. Their incredible mother holds the family together as she tours the country lecturing on efficiency. Meanwhile the kids get up to all sorts of hijinks. Loved it. I have so much respect for the mother and I can’t believe she really did all of that! What an amazing woman!

“It’s a mistake ever to think of yourself as indispensable.”

"Belles on Their Toes" is a highly enjoyable continuation of "Cheaper by the Dozen". It is the 1920's: the children are growing up, often without parental oversight, but yet managing to handle the family finances, as well as their siblings' defense from over-amorous boyfriends and schoolyard bullies.

The stories of the Gilbreth family brings to remembrance our own special holidays, squabbles with brothers or sisters, and situations when we joined ranks against outsiders.

Warning: this book may bring a certain wetness to the eye upon reflections of times past. It is fun and poignant, and a good read.

Lovely book. I had to get this after rereading Cheaper by the Dozen, and it did not disappoint. I was really impressed by Mother - she continued to work as a professional work study consultant and teacher, she became one of the faculty at Purdue University (before 1950 - a real feat at an engineering college, I think), she traveled to keep up her speaking engagements... but she kept her large family together and put them all through college - and didn't neglect them or refuse to give them attention. The authors' note in the beginning says a lot - although most of the family stories are about the hijinks the children get into and how they work together.... the book is really about Mother, and how much she did. I now want to do a little show more net searching on the Gilbreth children and the Gilbrethmotion study. show less

Much funnier and engaging than I expected from a 1950 title. Follows the Gilbreath/Cheaper by the Dozen family after father's suddent death. The Gilbreaths come off as a fairly sophisticated family, where even women and girls were able to pursue their life goals without typical constraints of the era. I was pleased to see that it's still on my library's shelf and still checking out.