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The Seven Sisters #1
The Seven Little Sisters Who Live on the Round Ball that Floats in the Air
Engaging introduction to the peoples of the world through the stories of the seven little sisters: the little brown baby; Agoonack, the Eskimo sister; Gemila, the child of the desert; Jeannette, the Swiss maiden; Pen-se the Chinese girl; Manenko, the little dark girl; and Louise, the child of the Rhine.
116 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 1861
34 people are currently reading
56 people want to read
About the author
Jane Andrews
99 books2 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 28, 2022
This was a cute story introducing little girls from different continents. While not accurate for today, it was a nice introduction to how these lives were viewed over 100 years ago.
January 10, 2025
I don't know about you, but when not in use, our table has piles of books scattered on it. The Seven Little Sisters Who Live On The Round Ball That Floats In The Air by Jane Andrews is one of them.
This book was originally published in 1861. My burgundy cloth-covered copy is 119 pages. It does not contain a page with the copyright date.
My copy does include a lovely and lengthy Memorial of Miss Jane Andrews. It was written by her friend and schoolmate, Louisa Parsons Hopkins. Hopkins was also a poet and educator. The memorial ends on page XXIV.
While this story is geared to children ages 7 - 9, I feel blessed to now have a copy of it. I will tell you a bit about why I chose it on this chilly winter's day.
It is quite silly really but I picked this book out because I saw it mention Jack Frost. I turned to the back of the book and saw there was a vocabulary listed if I felt the need for assistance.
Now, I must tell you I LOVE- LOVE- LOVE this storybook.
The story begins with the mother explaining to her children that wise men say the earth is nothing but a ball. She talks with them about many charming and astonishing things they will learn.
Readers learn a wealth of information about the seven little sisters and each of the seven continents in which they reside.
I want you to read the book yourself so I will give you but a small glimpse of the sister's lives.
We see a sister that swings in the bed of a tree, Agoonack is the sister kissed by Jack Frost, Gemila is a sister who rests on the sand, Jeannette is a sister who lives in the high snowy peaks, Pen-se is a sister who lives under a bamboo roof, Manenko is a sister who lives among the Buffalo and Louise is a sister who lives on a beautiful river.
This was a lovely book with beautiful illustrations of the seven little sisters. I am thrilled to add this book to my collection.
This book was originally published in 1861. My burgundy cloth-covered copy is 119 pages. It does not contain a page with the copyright date.
My copy does include a lovely and lengthy Memorial of Miss Jane Andrews. It was written by her friend and schoolmate, Louisa Parsons Hopkins. Hopkins was also a poet and educator. The memorial ends on page XXIV.
While this story is geared to children ages 7 - 9, I feel blessed to now have a copy of it. I will tell you a bit about why I chose it on this chilly winter's day.
It is quite silly really but I picked this book out because I saw it mention Jack Frost. I turned to the back of the book and saw there was a vocabulary listed if I felt the need for assistance.
Now, I must tell you I LOVE- LOVE- LOVE this storybook.
The story begins with the mother explaining to her children that wise men say the earth is nothing but a ball. She talks with them about many charming and astonishing things they will learn.
Readers learn a wealth of information about the seven little sisters and each of the seven continents in which they reside.
I want you to read the book yourself so I will give you but a small glimpse of the sister's lives.
We see a sister that swings in the bed of a tree, Agoonack is the sister kissed by Jack Frost, Gemila is a sister who rests on the sand, Jeannette is a sister who lives in the high snowy peaks, Pen-se is a sister who lives under a bamboo roof, Manenko is a sister who lives among the Buffalo and Louise is a sister who lives on a beautiful river.
This was a lovely book with beautiful illustrations of the seven little sisters. I am thrilled to add this book to my collection.
August 16, 2025
Would probably rate this a solid 6/10, maybe a 7/10.
Cute book and I really liked the introduction written by Louisa Parsons Hopkins. Was a short read, which I appreciated in between long novels - and I liked how each sister was given her own chapter/section. Had a theological/philosophical component that was made clearer at the end, explaining how the seven "sisters" in the book were considered sisters. This was definitely a book that was meant to be read when you are a bit younger, as is made clear by the prose and explanations included, but I still enjoyed it quite a bit. I may have enjoyed it more if I read it when I was young, though. Jane Andrews also brings in some of her own personality and thoughts into the book, and the whole book feels as though it is a written version of oral stories she may have told to children. It feels like she is telling her schoolchildren about all the places she may have once visited, and the different types of people and cultures you can find in each one. It is quite a charming little book.
Bought this as a used book, and it was a leather bound edition published by Ginn & Company in 1902/1903 - was owned by various people over the years, some of whom wrote their names on the front page. It was cool to see the history of the book before I owned it, as some of the names and dates written on the front page were from over 100 years ago!
Cute book and I really liked the introduction written by Louisa Parsons Hopkins. Was a short read, which I appreciated in between long novels - and I liked how each sister was given her own chapter/section. Had a theological/philosophical component that was made clearer at the end, explaining how the seven "sisters" in the book were considered sisters. This was definitely a book that was meant to be read when you are a bit younger, as is made clear by the prose and explanations included, but I still enjoyed it quite a bit. I may have enjoyed it more if I read it when I was young, though. Jane Andrews also brings in some of her own personality and thoughts into the book, and the whole book feels as though it is a written version of oral stories she may have told to children. It feels like she is telling her schoolchildren about all the places she may have once visited, and the different types of people and cultures you can find in each one. It is quite a charming little book.
Bought this as a used book, and it was a leather bound edition published by Ginn & Company in 1902/1903 - was owned by various people over the years, some of whom wrote their names on the front page. It was cool to see the history of the book before I owned it, as some of the names and dates written on the front page were from over 100 years ago!
January 23, 2023
Jahz (6 years old): I looooove it! I love all the stories and the characters! I am super excited for the next story!
May 27, 2016
Children discover how other children live their lives in different regions of the world. Although there have been many changes since this book was written in the mid 1800's, it can be useful to present these facts to the student.
January 9, 2015
Cute. A little harder for Lucy (4.5) to follow than the "twin books" but still an enjoyable geography read. I think I'll wait another year or so for the sequel.
Read
June 24, 2017While definitely not politically correct in places (which I edited while I was reading aloud to my 6yo son), this was an interesting overview of the seven continents and people who live in them. We particularly liked the chapter on Gemila.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews