Margaret Sidney

Times are tough around the little brown house! The widowed Mrs. Pepper has to sew all day long just to earn enough to pay the rent and to feed the five growing Peppers. But she faces poverty and trouble with a stout heart, a smiling face, and the help of her jolly brood: blue-eyed Ben, the eldest and the man of the house at the age of 11; pretty Polly, so eager to cook for the family and make everyone happy and comfortable; and the three littlest...

The Five Little Peppers book series was, created by Margaret Sidney. It covers the lives of the five children of Mamsie and the late Mister Pepper, who are born into poverty in a rural "little brown house." In this book, Joel and Davie Pepper are away at boarding school, trying to learn manners and self-reliance, while their sister Polly must cope with gossips and snobs at her school. But when, a terrible train accident leaves the brakeman's wife...

The first in a series of books about the Pepper family, these imaginative children's stories have delighted readers since their original publication in 1881. This first novel introduces Ben, Polly, Joel, Davie, and Phronsie, the children of their widowed Mamsie, Mrs. Pepper. While very poor, the Peppers live in a supportive little town in their beloved Little Brown House. The family faces many challenges, such as sickness and an overflowing generosity...