A review by jobatkin
Cheaper by the Dozen by Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, Frank B. Gilbreth

3.0

Pretty sure my mum read this to us as kids, but all I could remember of it was that it was funny. It stands the test of time quite well, since I still found the anecdotes funny and entertaining. The story is based on fact and follows the adventures of the Gilbreth family with their 12 children, charismatic father and patient and intelligent mother. Set in America, mostly in the 1910s and 1920s, it reflects a more innocent era, highlighted by the parents' genuine love for and enjoyment of their tribe of kids. The father Frank Sr is an efficiency expert who can never stand to see time wasted, and who passes on to his kids a love for learning and each other through many unique and unconventional methods. The story of the tonsils was one of my favourites. To better judge and improve the efficiency of a tonsilectomy, the father hires a cameraman to record this procedure on each of his children, only to find that after their recovery the cameraman had left the lens cap on and not got any successful footage. An easy read full of good stories and still one to share with your kids.