Up and Down the River

Fairchild Family Stories #3

by Rebecca Caudill, Decie Merwin (Illustrator)

The adventures of the youngest Fairchild sisters, Bonnie and Debby, as they assume the role of peddler and spend their summer in various moneymaking enterprises in the hill country of early 1900s' Kentucky.

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Audiobook, Historical, Middle Grade, Chapter Books

143 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1951

About the author

American's children writer, as well as teacher and editor, known for her Appalachian fiction. Caudill graduated from Wesleyan College and, in 1922, received her master's degree from Vanderbilt University. She taught English in high school and college, and worked briefly as an editor. She moved to Urbana, Illinois, when she married James Ayars in 1931.

Caudill's book, Tree of Freedom, was a Newbery Honor Book in 1950. A Pocketful of Cricket was a Caldecott Honor Book.

The schoolchildren of her adopted state of Illinois vote each year on their favorite book. The winning book is given the Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award (RCYRBA) named in honor of Caudill and her contributions to Appalachian literature.

Reviews

[Luisa Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aww ... this is my favorite of the Fairchild Family Story books!

Debby and Bonnie have become wonderful friends (they're sisters) and their relationship is just so sweet! They are trying to find ways to make money, and together, they start a little business selling items along the river and becoming friends with their neighbors.

Sigh ... these characters - I really, really like them!

Cleanliness: a man smokes a pipe.

Ages: 4 - 10

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[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this! Love all the Fairchild Family books. I especially enjoyed this one because Bonnie is old enough (I'm guessing she is about six and a half here) to really do and participate more in activities (the first book in the series she is not yet five and often lamenting what she misses out on). Unlike the "Schoolhouse" and "Schoolroom" books, this one takes place over the summer and is so full of the joy and wonder of a childhood in which one has responsibilities to help family and farm but also much freedom to simply be a child, to revel in nature, and to explore your own interests. Bonnie and her sister Debby (two years older) decide they are going to get rich by selling bluing powder and art posters from a magazine advertisement. They go "up and down the river" to neighboring houses selling their wears and enjoying several positive interactions with grown-ups along the way. They also lovingly care for several animals. Note that if your young readers are sensitive about animals that there are a few potentially upsetting scenes. In "Little Orphan Dirtyknees" Bonnie and Debby come across a farm where a new lamb's mother has just died. The farmer lets Bonnie and Debby keep the lamb and they raise him with care. In "Diddle Diddle Ducklings" Bonnie and Debby use half of their earnings ($1.00) from selling bluing powder and posters to send away for a dozen duckling eggs (the duckling are supposed to fetch $1.00 each when sold). The girls love the ducklings so much they think maybe they will just keep them. Then a sudden storm comes up and all but one of the ducklings is drowned. (It's pretty sad stuff.) But, the remaining duckling thrives under their care. As ever, I am impressed with the kind, caring and wise parents and their interactions with the children. The three older children aren't as present in this book but they still round out the loving family. At the end of the book, Bonnie says, "I feel richer than almost anybody in the world." I'll leave it up to you to find out if she has much in her piggy-bank at this moment or not ;-)

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first thing the kids asked me as we finished this book was if there is another in the series and if we could start it right away. We adore the Fairchild family and all of their adventures. This book focuses on the two youngest girls who attempt to get rich using sales schemes from a magazine. It has some pretty good and age appropriate economics lessons. Their summer may not have made them much actual currency, but they got "rich" in animals. Very cute stories!

[Tirzah · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Review is for all 4 books in Fairchild Family Series*

Rebecca Caudill is perhaps best known for the children's book award named in her honor. Quite a few worthy books have won the Caudill award over the years. This is my first time reading one of her published works. It is a charming tale of a close-knit family in early 1900s America, similar to Anne Pellowski's Latsch Valley Series and Hilda van Stockum's Bantry Bay Series. As always, it's fun to read how kids lived back then before the ubiquitous technology. The books make for good family read alouds.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my current favorite in the Fairchild family books. In this book Bonnie and Debbie, the two youngest children, set out with grand plans to get rich during the summer vacation.

Some things go as planned. Some most definitely don’t. The results are laughable and sad. The girls’ response to both is instructive for this adult as much as for any child.

What does it mean to be rich? Bonnie and Debbie have a grand summer finding out.

[Lydia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book was good. I mean it was not better than the rest of `em but it was pretty good. I actually finished this a while ago but before that i quit it cause i was reading too many books and then we went on a long car trip and i finished it in there so i said i was reading it when i had already finished it.

[Mrs R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet book about two of the Fairchild children, Bonnie & Debby. We go on adventures with them as they spend their summer trying to make a little money. A very simple, but entertaining story. Wholesome reading that many different ages groups in my family enjoyed.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars per my five year old...

[Linnea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet gentle story of two industrious sisters and their summer expliots

[Danielle Barger · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5. This series is so sweet for reading aloud to my girls. We all loved the animals in this one.

[Lori Hatch · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful little series! And the kids approved, based on how many times I heard “Please just a little bit more?” 😅

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was sweet. I read it to my daughter and two younger sons. My daughter really enjoyed it, my boys enjoyed parts of it. We liked to enough to want to continue the series.

[Kymberli Briggs · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Another fun Fairchild Family story. I am enjoying these tales, they give off such a cozy, nostalgic feel.

Content Warnings- Death of Farm Animals; Smoking; Minor Injury

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

First sentence: "I do wish we could find some way to get rich, like Althy!" said Bonnie.

Premise/plot: Bonnie and her older sister Debby really want to find a way to make money over the summer. A way to make money without spending money, or much money. They settle on a magazine scheme--offer. Selling picture cards for ten cents each, and selling bluing for ten cents a sheet. They get enough to sell--just paying for stamps to mail the company--to earn two dollars. (The company would be mailed two dollars too.) This involves a lot of walking up and down the river to visit each of their neighbors. At one of their neighbor's farms they get a newly orphaned lamb to take home as a pet. It won't be the only pet of the summer either! A duck, two Bantam chickens--a king and queen--and three kittens complete the assortment! There is a story behind each pet! But some stories are bittersweet. (Poor ducks!)

My thoughts: I always enjoy spending time with Bonnie and her family. I like this one but I am not sure it is my favorite from the series. The message might be on learning responsibility. Or it might be something to do with our greatest riches are friends and family and the memories we share together.

[Books Kids Like · Rating 4 out of 5]

All of the older Fairchild children have a way to earn money. Althy teaches organ lessons, Emmy sells the eggs from her two laying hens, and Chris sells ginseng that he finds in the woods. Bonnie and Debby wish they could get “rich” like everyone else. Then, Bonnie finds an advertisement that promises a dollar for selling twenty colored pictures and one that says a person can earn two dollars for selling bluing. And, just like that, the little girls become businesswomen. As Bonnie and Debby go “up and down the river” selling their wares, they earn much more than a few coins. They have wonderful experiences making new friends and acquiring a few new pets. The girls, also, face some difficult trials that help them grow up a bit.
©2024 Kathy Maxwell at https://bookskidslike.com

[Lydia Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book, somewhat short, but it was good! I enjoyed reading it. Warning, *SPOILERS*

Deborah and Bonnie look through a magazine, looking for ways to get rich! They buy bluing and pictures and travel to every house near them to try and sell it for ten cents each! While they're doing that, one of their neighbor's sheep has a baby and dies, so he gives the two girl the baby goat to take care of! After that, they buy eggs to hatch and sell, but out of twelve eggs, only one little ducky makes it and they like it so much that they don't want to sell it! They do make some money, though, and it's fun to read their adventures.

[Laura Fan · Rating 5 out of 5]

We loved the phrase "goin' a get rich!" that the girls + narrator used to describe their money making plans. Bonnie and Debbie both enthusiastically plan and stick with a door to door product sales. Along the way, they become more intentional neighbors and better animal husbandry experts. When they head back to school for the fall, they realize that their summer works yielded them to be truly wealthy - and in an entirely different way than they had anticipated. We will definitely re-read this sweet story, as there were treasures for our preschooler as well as important life lessons and a comprehendible storyline for our school age child.

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations elevate this slight, heartwarming story into something that made my eyes fill with tears every time I turned a page. A simply lovely evocation of a different time- a time when stamps were two cents and a pair of little girls aged 8 and 6 were free to wander around their town selling bluing. I enjoyed it mightily and suspect the under ten set might as well. I found this at a thrift shop and have just discovered that it's part of a series. I'll be looking for the rest!

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

These Happy Little Family books are so cute.

[Caleb · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very cute book.

[Inhabiting Books]

One of our favorite family story read-alouds.

[Rachel L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this one a loooong time ago. Fun story, from what I remember.

[E.L.]

Ages when first read: 6 and 4. Liked this the best of all the Fairchild books. Especially loved all the animals, and Bonnie and Debby having adventures on their own.

[Elanor]

All by herself!

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

With Lanie. What a wonderful series for girls. A slightly disturbing episode concerning the deaths of nine ducklings, but no one seemed too scarred by it.

[Lily Bliss · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ★ - (really liked it)

Thought this was very sweet, favorite of the series :)

3/5/24