The Bobtails meet the Preacher's Kid

by Arthur Yeomans

Robert was determined to do his best and make his dead father proud. Esther put her grief aside to take care of her little sister. Roger didn’t believe his parents were dead, and was just going to have fun until they came back. Ruth was confused and lost. But Aunt Grace had set her mind to providing the best possible home for her orphaned niblings; and Aunt Grace always did what she set her mind on.

A poignant story about four orphans and their widowed aunt who takes them in. Set on a dairy farm in Northern Vermont in 1889, Bobtails follows the children’s journey through grief, jealousy, and, finally, settled love with a new family and friendships.

224 pages, Paperback

Published December 7, 2022

About the author

I like to write, and love to read. I like to write for my family, write about family, and read to my family. I like to write about marriage, having children, raising children... and how God can and should be glorified in all of those things. I have a large family, have had several jobs and have lived in several countries, all of which bring their own influence to my writing.

Reviews

[Wayne Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is 1889, and four orphaned children, eleven year old Robert who was determined to do his best and make his dead father proud, younger sister Esther who put her grief aside to take care of her little sister, younger brother Roger who didn’t believe that his parents were really dead and was just going to have fun until they came back, and little sister Ruth who was confused and lost, go to live on a dairy farm in northern Vermont with their widowed Aunt Grace Livingston. The children’s parents had been killed in a gas explosion. The four siblings do not like their aunt, but she sets her mind to providing the best possible home for her orphaned nephews and nieces, and Aunt Grace always does what she sets her mind on.

The youngsters soon come in contact with the local preacher’s kid named Geoffrey, who calls Robert and his siblings “The Bobtails” and is somewhat of a bully. Can Robert and Geoffrey learn to get along? How do the children fit in with a new community? And what can Aunt Grace do to earn the respect and affection of her nephews and nieces? The Bobtails Meet the Preacher’s Kid is a lovely, family friendly book that follows the children’s journey through grief, jealousy, and, finally, settled love with a new family and friendships. The story does deal with death, but not in a tear-jerky or scary way. Christianity is an important part of the children’s lives. They pray, have daily Bible reading, and go to church. Firm but loving discipline in the home and the importance of hard work are emphasized. Through the characters’ lives we learn all about how people lived back then in 1889. The sequels are The Bobtails and the Cousins and The Bobtails Go to France.

[Cindy Navarro · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Bobtail Adventures begin when 4 children (Robert, Esther, Roger, and Ruth) are orphaned due to the deaths of both parents. During a meeting to decide who will raise them, the judge decides their Aunt Grace is in the best position to take custody. She is the children's least favorite relative, but they know there is no choice and prepare to move miles away from their hometown.

Grace does live up to her reputation of being very strict, but they soon learn she believes children need a balance of work and play. Even their nightly reading sessions are divided among spiritual growth through Bible reading, an educational book, and a book for pleasure reading. There are other bumps along the road as they deal with grief, new surroundings, learning responsibility with their new chores on Aunt Grace's dairy farm, and fitting into a new community including a few boys who want to challenge them. Robert gains a nemesis in Geoffrey who is the one who disparagingly calls the new kids "The Bobtails." Grace also finds unexpected romance with a widowed neighbor!

The book is very well written and interesting. To modern eyes, the lives of these kids may seem harsh, but there was also a common sense approach to raising responsible children to become adults who can take care of themselves. These would be a fun family reading project with a lot of material for discussions. I also enjoy the train motif of the covers, and there are train-related stories included. The illustrations included are an absolute delight, and could also be included in a family project. I highly recommend this book!

[Robin Willson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous series. These are the kind of books that I want to read.
The kids are orphaned, and it's decided by their family that their strict widowed Aunt will take them in as she has a cheese farm and has the room and the work for them. Common sense, down to earth, and I loved it. I'm a fan of Grace Livingston Hill books, with the life lessons here it reminded me somewhat of her style of story. In this book there are lessons about everything you do on a dairy farm, and life lessons as they all work through this big change in their lives. Good Christian lessons throughout. Their Aunt believes in showing them what to do and expecting them to do it well and quickly. Even the smallest toddler was given a job. In addition, wonderful way to bring up the kids with nurturing routines like daily family reading and play time. Excellent for kids and adults alike. I can't speak highly enough of this series.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

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[Stephanie - Books Less Travelled · Rating 3 out of 5]

A delightful read, and overall would be a good children's book if not for the inclusion of "The Gods of the Copybook Headings" which might not be quite so age appropriate for some children. It's rather heavy reading, and is something that if read at all by children should be read, and explained, by a knowledgeable parent. Especially since this is listed as a Christian book, and for the most part is, but the inclusion of this poem might cause some young readers to stumble in their faith, and therefore makes me a bit hesitant to recommend it for that reason.

I loved meeting Grace and the children, and even Jonathan later on in the story. The overall story was very well-written. The story includes several enjoyable scenes and is a full of fun times and useful lessons for children mixed in with some amusing and entertaining mishaps that happen along the way as they get used to living with their aunt and life on the farm. Their story was a good one, and for the right families this might be an enjoyable read, but parents should probably read it first before passing it I to their children, to be sure the lessons and teachings align with their own beliefs, or be willing to discuss it with their children should the need arise.

[David Flathmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an engaging story about four recently orphaned children from the city and their adjustment to life on a farm. It explores the difficult topic of grief from the perspective of each of the major characters without getting maudlin or overly graphic. I found the interactions among characters, especially children with adults, to be very realistic; the author seems to understand how children (of different ages and genders) actually think. I also enjoyed the book’s depiction of life in a bye-gone era, and I loved the quotes before each chapter and the simple drawings throughout the book, both of which give it a vintage feel. There is some grammatical awkwardness; this could have been fixed with a few more rounds of editing, but in general the story flows well. I’m looking forward to the next installment in the series!