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Cheaper by the Dozen #1
Cheaper by the dozen
"Dad had enough gall to be divided into three parts." Dad was Frank B. Gilbreth, to the world a distinguished innovator in scientific factory management, and to his family of six boys and six girls a lively, unpredictable and wholly beloved autocrat.
Their house in Montclair, New Jersey, was a sort of laboratory for the elimination of waste motions - "motion study" as the elder Gilbreth called it. The children made excellent, if occasionally unwilling, guinea pigs.
Only a motion-study expert could have coped with their temperamental Pierce Arrow (nicknamed "Foolish Carriage"). But Dad found no difficulty in blowing all three horns (one electric, two of the bulb variety) as he stepped on the gas, steered madly through traffic, puffed on his cigar, cuffed a noisy youngster in the back seat, and bellowed, "Road hog, road hog," at the unwary.
The annual trip to their summer home in Nantucket, Massachusetts, was always fraught with drama. They inevitably caused a sensation when they passed through a small town, and were once taken for an entire orphanage on an outing. Stops were, of course, frequent and once when one of the twelve got left behind, the loss was not discovered for several hours.
Democracy was religiously practiced in the Gilbreth family through the medium of the family council. There was the matter of the dog, for instance. Dad firmly believed that "any pet which didn't lay eggs was an extravagance that a man with twelve children could ill afford." But the vote was twelve to one, with Mother abstaining, and the dog was added to the general bedlam.
The Gilbreths astounded the Nantucket natives (who considered the Gilbreth homestead - a pair of lighthouses with a cottage squeezed between - a must stopping place for visiting tourists), paralyzed the Montclair schools, and routed the visiting psychiatrists. Their high jinks are faithfully reported by two of the famous dozen in this uproarious book.
Their house in Montclair, New Jersey, was a sort of laboratory for the elimination of waste motions - "motion study" as the elder Gilbreth called it. The children made excellent, if occasionally unwilling, guinea pigs.
Only a motion-study expert could have coped with their temperamental Pierce Arrow (nicknamed "Foolish Carriage"). But Dad found no difficulty in blowing all three horns (one electric, two of the bulb variety) as he stepped on the gas, steered madly through traffic, puffed on his cigar, cuffed a noisy youngster in the back seat, and bellowed, "Road hog, road hog," at the unwary.
The annual trip to their summer home in Nantucket, Massachusetts, was always fraught with drama. They inevitably caused a sensation when they passed through a small town, and were once taken for an entire orphanage on an outing. Stops were, of course, frequent and once when one of the twelve got left behind, the loss was not discovered for several hours.
Democracy was religiously practiced in the Gilbreth family through the medium of the family council. There was the matter of the dog, for instance. Dad firmly believed that "any pet which didn't lay eggs was an extravagance that a man with twelve children could ill afford." But the vote was twelve to one, with Mother abstaining, and the dog was added to the general bedlam.
The Gilbreths astounded the Nantucket natives (who considered the Gilbreth homestead - a pair of lighthouses with a cottage squeezed between - a must stopping place for visiting tourists), paralyzed the Montclair schools, and routed the visiting psychiatrists. Their high jinks are faithfully reported by two of the famous dozen in this uproarious book.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1948
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,475 reviews
October 8, 2019
3.75 stars, partly for the nostalgia factor. I adored Cheaper by the Dozen when I was a young teen, and I read it more times than I can count. I still have the ancient paperback copy of this book and its sequel, Belles on Their Toes, on my basement bookshelves. I just reread it for the first time in years, and though much of it was still amusing, the book as a whole hasn’t aged as well as I’d hoped.
This is a semi-factual account of the Gilbreth family, growing up in the early 1900s. The Gilbreth parents were both well-known engineers and "efficiency experts" who tried, with mixed success, to apply their theories and ideas to raising a large family of twelve (YES) children.* It's a funny, fond, and heartwarming account of their growing up years, as told by two of the children.
The stories are generally amusing, but they’re kind of strung together. The whole book is more anecdotal than I remembered. And there’s much more casual racism than I’d recalled. I was especially struck by the wince-worthy descriptions of their grandparents’ stereotypical Chinese cook, and the impromptu minstrel shows by their father (with the mother playing along). I give this book somewhat of a pass on this, though, because it’s at least a semi-true life account of a bygone time, plus it was written in 1943.
On the plus side, it’s a great snapshot of life in an unusual family a hundred years ago. I liked the affection and teasing between them. And it was really interesting to see the social changes that the 1920’s brought.
Recommended if you like humorous, nostalgic memoirs and can forgive the outdated social attitudes of the time. In many ways the Gilbreths were actually a surprisingly modern family.
*One of their daughters, Mary, died in her childhood. I vividly remember how disappointed I was as a teen when I ran the numbers mentally and realized that the family never had twelve living children at the same time. "How can the dad say his children were cheaper by the dozen? And why did they put twelve kids in the car in the cover image?"
I was rather literal-minded as a girl.
This is a semi-factual account of the Gilbreth family, growing up in the early 1900s. The Gilbreth parents were both well-known engineers and "efficiency experts" who tried, with mixed success, to apply their theories and ideas to raising a large family of twelve (YES) children.* It's a funny, fond, and heartwarming account of their growing up years, as told by two of the children.
Dad himself used to tell a story about one time when Mother went off to fill a lecture engagement and left him in charge at home. When Mother returned, she asked him if everything had run smoothly. 'Didn't have any trouble except with that one over there,' he replied. 'But a spanking brought him into line.'This probably goes without saying, but other than being about a very large family, the Steve Martin movie Cheaper by the Dozen has pretty much zero in common with this book.
Mother could handle any crisis without losing her composure.
That's not one of ours, dear,' she said. 'He belongs next door.'
The stories are generally amusing, but they’re kind of strung together. The whole book is more anecdotal than I remembered. And there’s much more casual racism than I’d recalled. I was especially struck by the wince-worthy descriptions of their grandparents’ stereotypical Chinese cook, and the impromptu minstrel shows by their father (with the mother playing along). I give this book somewhat of a pass on this, though, because it’s at least a semi-true life account of a bygone time, plus it was written in 1943.
On the plus side, it’s a great snapshot of life in an unusual family a hundred years ago. I liked the affection and teasing between them. And it was really interesting to see the social changes that the 1920’s brought.
Recommended if you like humorous, nostalgic memoirs and can forgive the outdated social attitudes of the time. In many ways the Gilbreths were actually a surprisingly modern family.
*One of their daughters, Mary, died in her childhood. I vividly remember how disappointed I was as a teen when I ran the numbers mentally and realized that the family never had twelve living children at the same time. "How can the dad say his children were cheaper by the dozen? And why did they put twelve kids in the car in the cover image?"
I was rather literal-minded as a girl.
September 8, 2022
It seems times haven't changed as fathers have always been maddeningly embarrassing and intrusive while ever believing that they are fair, prudent, and frequently witty.
These entertaining memoirs pay loving homage to the best and worst qualities of not just the Gilbreth parents, but also in kindred spirit to all parents who take on the challenge to nurture and raise the next generation. An affectionate tribute and a benevolent realization that love was always behind every exasperating moment!
These entertaining memoirs pay loving homage to the best and worst qualities of not just the Gilbreth parents, but also in kindred spirit to all parents who take on the challenge to nurture and raise the next generation. An affectionate tribute and a benevolent realization that love was always behind every exasperating moment!
January 10, 2014
Forget that wretched Steve Martin movie and read the charming original. Authored by two of the 12, this is the first of two memoirs about a large family’s madcap adventures. In tone it reminded me most of Gerald Durrell’s The Corfu Trilogy.
Frank and Lillian Gilbreth were pioneers in the field of motion study, often hired as efficiency experts for industry – and they ran their home like a well-oiled machine too. Nevertheless, there was more than enough love and humor to go around. Frank was the kind of man who, never having touched a brick in his life, would walk up to a bricklayer and tell him just how best to do his job (and be completely right), but he also took a personal interest in each of his children and was to be seen loitering around their schools and chaperoning the girls on dates.
Lillie gave birth to six boys and six girls between 1905 and 1922. (For a joke, a neighbor once sent round a birth control advocate.) When all the children were in “Foolish Carriage,” their Pierce Arrow car, they looked like an orphanage on an outing. For their summer vacations on Nantucket, they had to buy not one but two lighthouses to fit everyone. And when the 1920s hit, Frank had the challenge of multiple daughters trying on flapper identities all at once.
The Gilbreths also had more than their fair share of medical drama. On a train trip back to the East Coast after visiting Lillie’s family in Oakland, California, all seven children extant at the time came down with whooping cough. Later they all had their tonsils out at once – an experiment in efficiency that nearly turned disastrous when the doctor confused Martha’s tonsils with Ernestine’s.
The book ends with a death, something I certainly wasn’t expecting. But overall it’s a sweet celebration of life: when asked what he was saving time for, Frank answered, “For work, if you love that best...For education, for beauty, for art, for pleasure...For mumblety-peg, if that’s where your heart lies.” For all his bluster and brisk efficiency, he knew what mattered in life. Lillie, too, had mastered living in the moment; she once turned to her children and marvelled, “Right now is the happiest time in the world.”
For a book published in 1948 that covers the first few decades of the twentieth century, Cheaper by the Dozen is still remarkably fresh. (The only element that seems somewhat dated is a description of a Chinese cook.)
I read the 2013 Open Road Media edition via NetGalley, which has bonus end material including mini-biographies of the authors and a terrific series of black-and-white family photos.
This book gave me plenty of laughs at a time when I really needed that distraction; I highly recommend it as lighthearted and heartwarming reading.
Frank and Lillian Gilbreth were pioneers in the field of motion study, often hired as efficiency experts for industry – and they ran their home like a well-oiled machine too. Nevertheless, there was more than enough love and humor to go around. Frank was the kind of man who, never having touched a brick in his life, would walk up to a bricklayer and tell him just how best to do his job (and be completely right), but he also took a personal interest in each of his children and was to be seen loitering around their schools and chaperoning the girls on dates.
Lillie gave birth to six boys and six girls between 1905 and 1922. (For a joke, a neighbor once sent round a birth control advocate.) When all the children were in “Foolish Carriage,” their Pierce Arrow car, they looked like an orphanage on an outing. For their summer vacations on Nantucket, they had to buy not one but two lighthouses to fit everyone. And when the 1920s hit, Frank had the challenge of multiple daughters trying on flapper identities all at once.
The Gilbreths also had more than their fair share of medical drama. On a train trip back to the East Coast after visiting Lillie’s family in Oakland, California, all seven children extant at the time came down with whooping cough. Later they all had their tonsils out at once – an experiment in efficiency that nearly turned disastrous when the doctor confused Martha’s tonsils with Ernestine’s.
The book ends with a death, something I certainly wasn’t expecting. But overall it’s a sweet celebration of life: when asked what he was saving time for, Frank answered, “For work, if you love that best...For education, for beauty, for art, for pleasure...For mumblety-peg, if that’s where your heart lies.” For all his bluster and brisk efficiency, he knew what mattered in life. Lillie, too, had mastered living in the moment; she once turned to her children and marvelled, “Right now is the happiest time in the world.”
For a book published in 1948 that covers the first few decades of the twentieth century, Cheaper by the Dozen is still remarkably fresh. (The only element that seems somewhat dated is a description of a Chinese cook.)
I read the 2013 Open Road Media edition via NetGalley, which has bonus end material including mini-biographies of the authors and a terrific series of black-and-white family photos.
This book gave me plenty of laughs at a time when I really needed that distraction; I highly recommend it as lighthearted and heartwarming reading.
January 18, 2021
Read this book to meet the father and the rest of the Gilbreth family. A family with twelve kids! He is an efficiency expert designing machines and organizing tasks so time and in turn money can be saved. The Mom works alongside him as an industrial organizational psychologist. It is watching the family as a whole that is the attraction of the book. I guarantee you will laugh.
We are given a real family, albeit exceptional because of its size. They live in Montclair, New Jersey, Providence, Rhode Island, and Nantucket, Massachusetts, in the first half of the 20th century. Small details mentioned about these places are all correct! I know Nantucket and Providence. While the story is extremely amusing what we are told is also true. While the negative is not emphasized neither is it totally ignored. The father spanks the kids and his temper is not hidden. At the same time we see his loving nature, his kindness and his sense of justice. His overall enthusiasm and belief in the value of his mission is engaging and extremely funny. The whole is refreshing, if at the same time absurd. Therein lies the book’s humor.
The reader gets a real feel for the trials and joys of being part of the family. It is two of the family’s twelve children that are the authors of this book. That one of the twelve children dies of diphtheria at the age of six is not mentioned.
Even if family roles are somewhat dated, mom often defers to dad, it is nevertheless clear that when Mom says something the whole family listens and adheres.
The audiobook narration by Dana Ivey is absolutely excellent. I loved it from start to finish. Her intonations used for the father and mother are priceless
We are given a real family, albeit exceptional because of its size. They live in Montclair, New Jersey, Providence, Rhode Island, and Nantucket, Massachusetts, in the first half of the 20th century. Small details mentioned about these places are all correct! I know Nantucket and Providence. While the story is extremely amusing what we are told is also true. While the negative is not emphasized neither is it totally ignored. The father spanks the kids and his temper is not hidden. At the same time we see his loving nature, his kindness and his sense of justice. His overall enthusiasm and belief in the value of his mission is engaging and extremely funny. The whole is refreshing, if at the same time absurd. Therein lies the book’s humor.
The reader gets a real feel for the trials and joys of being part of the family. It is two of the family’s twelve children that are the authors of this book. That one of the twelve children dies of diphtheria at the age of six is not mentioned.
Even if family roles are somewhat dated, mom often defers to dad, it is nevertheless clear that when Mom says something the whole family listens and adheres.
The audiobook narration by Dana Ivey is absolutely excellent. I loved it from start to finish. Her intonations used for the father and mother are priceless
March 15, 2008
I read this as a school assignment when I was in the sixth grade. I think it was first published in 1948. I have seen, within the last year, about a half hour of the old fifties-era movie of it, starring Clifton Webb as the beloved father. I have not seen the Steve Martin one. (If I'm not wrong, there's a second one with him, too.)
I grant that this extremely light memoir of family life in pre-World War One America paints an extremely rosy picture, but it is not unrealistic. There is room in this world for fond reminiscence.
Basically, this book is a tribute to the parents of a family of twelve children. The family is clearly upper-middle class, but the quality of life described is not available to those who fit the upper-middle-class bill today. One reason this book is worth reading in our fear-stricken age is that it is a reminder that, at least on the surface, a self-made man in the early 20th century could set up a virtual palace for his family, perform civic duties cheerfully and give his children a sense of well-being.
The obvious question for anybody reading this review is, "Is CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN a lie?" Ultimately not. I believe it appeals to a sense of idealism. It is free of the snobbery of most memoirs of the privileged. It is not Jacob Riis. (Look him up, my Goodreads pals!) But it is not a flashy reflection of gaudy times. What I took from this book in sixth grade was that a family could believe in diligence, good works and duty and still be happy. If it's not true that most diligent people who do good and fulfill duties are happy, it probably is true that any happy person is diligent, does good works and fulfills duties.
I grant that this extremely light memoir of family life in pre-World War One America paints an extremely rosy picture, but it is not unrealistic. There is room in this world for fond reminiscence.
Basically, this book is a tribute to the parents of a family of twelve children. The family is clearly upper-middle class, but the quality of life described is not available to those who fit the upper-middle-class bill today. One reason this book is worth reading in our fear-stricken age is that it is a reminder that, at least on the surface, a self-made man in the early 20th century could set up a virtual palace for his family, perform civic duties cheerfully and give his children a sense of well-being.
The obvious question for anybody reading this review is, "Is CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN a lie?" Ultimately not. I believe it appeals to a sense of idealism. It is free of the snobbery of most memoirs of the privileged. It is not Jacob Riis. (Look him up, my Goodreads pals!) But it is not a flashy reflection of gaudy times. What I took from this book in sixth grade was that a family could believe in diligence, good works and duty and still be happy. If it's not true that most diligent people who do good and fulfill duties are happy, it probably is true that any happy person is diligent, does good works and fulfills duties.
January 4, 2009
HILARIOUS. An AWESOME story. Anyone who has a family, or wants to have a family, will love this book. Especially people with a lot of kids in their family (my mom) or very eccentric dads (me).
This is the true story of a family of twelve children, whose father is a motion study expert and believes that what applies to workers in a factory also applies to children at home, and vice versa.
Mykle and I are reading this together right now, and we cannot turn a page without him busting up laughing.
The only thing I hate about this book is the cover on my copy, which is a picture from the movie "Cheaper by the Dozen" starring Steve Martin. I HATE this because the movie and the book are completely separate stories, and the image of one should NOT be used to endorse the other; the one and ONLY thing that the family in the movie has in common with the family in the book is that they have twelve children. That is IT. The rest of the movie is 100% Hollywood, and it SUCKS. I would gladly trade my like-new copy of this book for a run-down older version with yellowing pages.
This is the true story of a family of twelve children, whose father is a motion study expert and believes that what applies to workers in a factory also applies to children at home, and vice versa.
Mykle and I are reading this together right now, and we cannot turn a page without him busting up laughing.
The only thing I hate about this book is the cover on my copy, which is a picture from the movie "Cheaper by the Dozen" starring Steve Martin. I HATE this because the movie and the book are completely separate stories, and the image of one should NOT be used to endorse the other; the one and ONLY thing that the family in the movie has in common with the family in the book is that they have twelve children. That is IT. The rest of the movie is 100% Hollywood, and it SUCKS. I would gladly trade my like-new copy of this book for a run-down older version with yellowing pages.
November 22, 2024
My dad read this book out loud to my siblings and I growing up and while I generally retained positive vibes, I forgot how funny it was. This is a delightful, wholesome, joyful look at life with 12 kids in the early 1900s. If you're only familiar with the Steve Martin film, you're missing out.
I definitely recommend this one. I laughed out loud often while reading it, and nearly teared up there at the end. It is a good time.
I definitely recommend this one. I laughed out loud often while reading it, and nearly teared up there at the end. It is a good time.
December 6, 2024
Quite delightful! Written in 1948, but set in the early 1900s through 1920s, this is chock full of fun history and nostalgia. It's written in second person, from the perspective of the children, as if one of the 12 is looking back on her early childhood with admiration. The tone is a little too rosy sometimes, painting the chaos of 12 kids as something light and flippant, easily handled--as if the parents never really struggled with parenting so many children at once. But it's not meant to be a heavy, thoughtful book about the drama of family life. It's an episodic romp through fun fads and fancies of the family, particularly the father's interests, in his efforts to teach the children. Mentions of the Victrola or Pierce Arrow and other signs of the time really highlight the setting in a vivid way.
September 5, 2016
Yup, still as delightful as it was when I was a kid. Somehow I missed, back then, that Mother, too, was an engineer. And the bonus of re-reading it now is that I can go online and find out that the Time-Motion analyses were real, and even see some of the films and promotional pictures. My family values efficiency & economy to a very high degree, but we're pikers compared to Gilbreth. I would have loved to learn Morse code the way these kids did! Really too bad Dad died so young, but many men did back then. Anyway, yes, if you haven't treated yourself to this yet, it's about time you did. Oh, and I have no interest in a movie version.
October 15, 2007
Although this book was sold to me as a 7th-grader as a "heartwarming" memoir of children raised by an efficiency expert, I realized not too long thereafter that the book presented an insidious hidden agenda. In real life, the Gilbreth father was an acolyte of efficiency engineer Frederick "Speedy" Taylor (1856-1915), considered the founder of "the theory of scientific management." Taylorism, as it had come to be called, destroyed the craft underpinnings of much of the manufacturing industry in the US, and segmented factory workers' activities into simple, repetitious, mind-numbing tasks. While this may have increased the wealth of the owners, and, over time, provided a steady wage for some industrial workers, a fairly decent critique of Taylorism, and in particular management's treatment of workers as replaceable cogs in a well-oiled machine, rather than human beings with inherent capabilities and imagination, can be found in Harry Braverman's Labor and Monopoly Capital. If I were subjected to the indignities inflicted on the Gilbreth children by their father, I would have gone on strike, or run away from home as soon as possible. The recent Steve Martin movies, of course, have little to do with the raison d'etre of the book---any movie with Steve Martin and Eugene Levy can be guaranteed to yield plenty of laughs. Not so the book.
February 14, 2017
This is one of the more hilarious books ever! It's also an incredible history of an incredible family. The Gilbreths are absolutely incredible, and their stories are ridiculous to the point of unbelievability ... but they're true!
Mr. Gilbreth (Dad) is the best, but I really like Ernestine, too ... and Anne ... and Mrs. Gilbreth is pretty neat ... and everyone else. xD
I'm not going to try to list all the amazing stuff about this book ... you should read it yourself! :)
~Kellyn Roth, Reveries Reviews
Mr. Gilbreth (Dad) is the best, but I really like Ernestine, too ... and Anne ... and Mrs. Gilbreth is pretty neat ... and everyone else. xD
I'm not going to try to list all the amazing stuff about this book ... you should read it yourself! :)
~Kellyn Roth, Reveries Reviews
December 5, 2017
Lovely tale of a huge family with great parents who were masters of economy at home and on the job, both were efficiency experts. It ends sort of abruptly when their father passes at a young age.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 3, 2024
I have always had a special spot for this charming book, and always will.
January 17, 2025
1st - 08.18.14
2nd - 01.15.25
★★★★★ –I loved everything about this book – the plot line, the way the story flowed, the characters and their interactions with each other, the writing style – everything was perfect to keep me interested in the story and the characters. This is a definite keeper and re-reader.
It's about Frank and Lillie Gilbreth, pioneers in the science of motion study, and their 12 children. I thought it was wonderfully written and it made me laugh out loud several times. I love how the children interact with each other and the relationship with their parents. Because the book was set in the early 1900's, Lillie (the mother) does seem to defer to Frank quite a bit and doesn't seem to really have her own voice until toward the end of the book. There are also some racial tones and mention of corporal punishment when it comes to disciplining children, but I didn't find it offensive.
There is another book "Belles On Their Toes" that follows this one that I will definitely be reading.
2nd - 01.15.25
★★★★★ –I loved everything about this book – the plot line, the way the story flowed, the characters and their interactions with each other, the writing style – everything was perfect to keep me interested in the story and the characters. This is a definite keeper and re-reader.
It's about Frank and Lillie Gilbreth, pioneers in the science of motion study, and their 12 children. I thought it was wonderfully written and it made me laugh out loud several times. I love how the children interact with each other and the relationship with their parents. Because the book was set in the early 1900's, Lillie (the mother) does seem to defer to Frank quite a bit and doesn't seem to really have her own voice until toward the end of the book. There are also some racial tones and mention of corporal punishment when it comes to disciplining children, but I didn't find it offensive.
There is another book "Belles On Their Toes" that follows this one that I will definitely be reading.
December 15, 2024
This book is hilarious, deep, and relatable (in unexpected ways). I need to be more in the moment and maximize my moments that are less important so I have more time for the moments that are more important.
November 12, 2017
11/12/17 $1.99 for Kindle version.
October 14, 2025
89th book read in 2025
My Big Fat Reading Project, in which I attempt to read as many books as I can that have been published in my lifetime, sometimes develops holes, like moths getting at a wool garment, and years after I think I have read all I want from a certain year, I discover books I missed.
Cheaper By the Dozen is one of those, published in 1948! I began my reading for the project in 2005, starting with books from 1940, figuring I would get to know the decade into which I was born in 1947. Cheaper By the Dozen came out when I was one year old.
It is a memoir by a brother and sister who were born into a family of twelve children. It was a bit hard to follow the birth order but essentially Frank and Lillian Gilbreth brought them into the world from 1902 to 1922. Twelve pregnancies and births in 20 years! Their mother was a professional through it all, teaching and writing books.
Such large families are unusual in the 21st century and I think are sometimes considered a sign of poverty, irresponsibility and even abuse of women. The Gilbreths did not see it that way. They decided from the start of their marriage that they wanted a big family, and they got one!
Aside from all the hilarity and hair-raising events in this book, I came to the end full of respect for the Gilbreth family. I am sure that was the intent of the authors.
I once knew a family who had 12 children. They were Catholic (another stereotype, I know, but still) and they were a jolly bunch living a successful middle class American life in the 1970s. Their mother seemed healthy and content.
My sisters and I begged our mother to have one more baby because we wanted a brother. She said she was done having kids. My sisters have four children each.
In any case, if you have never read the book, I recommend it.
My Big Fat Reading Project, in which I attempt to read as many books as I can that have been published in my lifetime, sometimes develops holes, like moths getting at a wool garment, and years after I think I have read all I want from a certain year, I discover books I missed.
Cheaper By the Dozen is one of those, published in 1948! I began my reading for the project in 2005, starting with books from 1940, figuring I would get to know the decade into which I was born in 1947. Cheaper By the Dozen came out when I was one year old.
It is a memoir by a brother and sister who were born into a family of twelve children. It was a bit hard to follow the birth order but essentially Frank and Lillian Gilbreth brought them into the world from 1902 to 1922. Twelve pregnancies and births in 20 years! Their mother was a professional through it all, teaching and writing books.
Such large families are unusual in the 21st century and I think are sometimes considered a sign of poverty, irresponsibility and even abuse of women. The Gilbreths did not see it that way. They decided from the start of their marriage that they wanted a big family, and they got one!
Aside from all the hilarity and hair-raising events in this book, I came to the end full of respect for the Gilbreth family. I am sure that was the intent of the authors.
I once knew a family who had 12 children. They were Catholic (another stereotype, I know, but still) and they were a jolly bunch living a successful middle class American life in the 1970s. Their mother seemed healthy and content.
My sisters and I begged our mother to have one more baby because we wanted a brother. She said she was done having kids. My sisters have four children each.
In any case, if you have never read the book, I recommend it.
September 23, 2024
Really humorous—at times uproariously so!—and enjoyable! And with a surprisingly poignant ending to tie together many of the book’s ideas and themes of family unity, finding one’s purpose in life, developing one’s character, and taking responsibility for your own agency in life’s choices, some of which are thrust upon you with no anticipation or warning.
February 9, 2025
3-1/2 Stars
I enjoyed the antics of the Gilbert family and there were some very funny scenes. The father did get a little wearing at times however and I wish there had been a list of all the children and their ages as it was hard for me to keep everyone straight. But overall I enjoyed this.
I enjoyed the antics of the Gilbert family and there were some very funny scenes. The father did get a little wearing at times however and I wish there had been a list of all the children and their ages as it was hard for me to keep everyone straight. But overall I enjoyed this.
January 31, 2025
FIRST READ (01/2014) What a charming book. I absolutely loved it, and it had especial meaning as it was a book my mother read to us as little kids when we were small, and it was one of her favorite books. A father, a mother and 12 darling kids make a delightful family and they work together and the father and mother work with the kids to teach them to be efficiency experts in tons of areas. The father had a lot of talent and was hired by corporations, medical facilities, etc. to make their operations run smoother and faster. He was very good at what he did, and brought it into their home. It's so clever. I miss a lot of the fun things we did as a family growing up. By no means were we efficiency experts, but my Mom was awesome in so many areas.
I highly recommend, and getting ready to start Bells on Their Toes, the next book in the series. Awesome!!!!
SECOND READ ( 01/2025) I’m having a blast reading this book a second time. Sure missing my Mom right now.
I just finished, and oh how much fun and sweet this book is. I'd forgotten several things that make it cute. When the girls got older, more of dating age, their Dad at first would discuss chaperoning them on their dates. Luckily fate intervened, and he couldn't go, whew! The boys were wanting to learn to drive, and once again, Dad hoped in and worked with them to learn how. I held my breath a few times as that was an exciting venture too. Their efficiency business was becoming worldly renown. They took trips all over the world. Early on in the book, Dad has decided they needed to move into a larger home. So they packed up and he drove them to a really run down piece of junk, that had broken walls, windows, and a crappy yard. He then said "Let me check the address to make sure I got it right, and it was WRONG. They got back in and found the correct address. And WOW, it was a much larger home, with nice rooms. 20 fruit trees in an orchard, huge yard, and lots of really nice space in and out. Great home for their family.
Dad really didn't know he had a heart problem. He was in his 50's when it started to make itself known. He was still traveling making efficiency speeches. One trip he called Lillian as he was at the airport, and his voice got weaker and weaker. All of a sudden she heard a thump, and he had fallen and died. This was June 14, 1924, six days before my Dad was born.
A major transition the Mom and 12 children needed to make. Mom wanted to know if they could manage if she was to keep their business going. They did a pretty good job.
I really loved this book yet again. It has so much heart, love and fun in it. A best for my family.
I highly recommend, and getting ready to start Bells on Their Toes, the next book in the series. Awesome!!!!
SECOND READ ( 01/2025) I’m having a blast reading this book a second time. Sure missing my Mom right now.
I just finished, and oh how much fun and sweet this book is. I'd forgotten several things that make it cute. When the girls got older, more of dating age, their Dad at first would discuss chaperoning them on their dates. Luckily fate intervened, and he couldn't go, whew! The boys were wanting to learn to drive, and once again, Dad hoped in and worked with them to learn how. I held my breath a few times as that was an exciting venture too. Their efficiency business was becoming worldly renown. They took trips all over the world. Early on in the book, Dad has decided they needed to move into a larger home. So they packed up and he drove them to a really run down piece of junk, that had broken walls, windows, and a crappy yard. He then said "Let me check the address to make sure I got it right, and it was WRONG. They got back in and found the correct address. And WOW, it was a much larger home, with nice rooms. 20 fruit trees in an orchard, huge yard, and lots of really nice space in and out. Great home for their family.
Dad really didn't know he had a heart problem. He was in his 50's when it started to make itself known. He was still traveling making efficiency speeches. One trip he called Lillian as he was at the airport, and his voice got weaker and weaker. All of a sudden she heard a thump, and he had fallen and died. This was June 14, 1924, six days before my Dad was born.
A major transition the Mom and 12 children needed to make. Mom wanted to know if they could manage if she was to keep their business going. They did a pretty good job.
I really loved this book yet again. It has so much heart, love and fun in it. A best for my family.
July 27, 2023
2023: listened to this again on a road trip. Just as funny the second time ‘round!
2022: I first read this book a year or two ago and loved the hilarious, adventurous romp. Shortly afterward, I got the audiobook from the library and my family listened to it on vacation. At times, we all were laughing so hard we joked that my dad would drive off the road if he wasn't careful! :)
2022: I first read this book a year or two ago and loved the hilarious, adventurous romp. Shortly afterward, I got the audiobook from the library and my family listened to it on vacation. At times, we all were laughing so hard we joked that my dad would drive off the road if he wasn't careful! :)
May 7, 2019
Read this years ago and enjoyed it a lot.
January 14, 2022
I loved Cheaper by the Dozen growing up. My mom read it aloud to us, and my brother and I were simultaneously grateful for our small family and jealous of the Gilbreths. To this day, the book still makes me cry with laughter until my entire abdomen hurts and my lungs burn for air. I’m not sure I could get through reading this aloud because I would laugh so much.
Over a century after the time period it depicts, Cheaper by the Dozen remains poignant and funny. Lillian and Frank seem like modern parents, not always presenting a unified front, but open about their love for each other and their many children. Frank Gilbreth, remembered by his children, is an unforgettable character. (Since some of his children were quite young when he passed away, I imagine the stories that went into this book helped the youngest “know” their father.) He is just as mischievous as his dozen, and he finds the most creative ways to teach his careless children life skills.
Once again, I must resolve to learn more about Lillian Moller Gilbreth. She deserves a place in my history of women in STEM collection. The Gilbreth methods of management sound useful even today, with their priority on “the human element” and dedication to reducing worker fatigue. Every once in a while, when I find a more efficient way of completing a mundane task, I feel a Gilbreth smiling on me warmly. (Like Frank, “efficient” is the magic word for my husband, also an engineer.) I can only imagine what the big tech world would be like with Gilbrethian architects. Imagine if our email apps were designed for efficiency rather than addiction, if social media was designed for human connection rather than addiction, if smart devices in the home were designed for usefulness rather than addiction…alas. These things are supposed to make our lives easier, not to override executive function and addict our brains!
Because Cheaper by the Dozen is such a good read-aloud, I would also urge those going through it with young readers to preview the material and plan what to skip. Lillian’s visit from a birth control activist is h i l a r i o u s but may go over the heads of little readers, and this really isn’t the place to begin a conversation about Margaret Sanger and her eugenics scheme. The Peeping Tom scene is uproarious, a satisfying comeuppance tale, but I’m glad my mom skipped it when she read it to us because it would have terrified me as a young girl who wasn’t blessed with a bevy of siblings to defend my honor against a skunk. And the few evidences of racism can be skipped without confusion to the story, if the young readers are in an imitating stage, not quite ready for rational discussion about such things. There are two particularly mean-spirited scenes, one with a Chinese cook with the Gilbreths visit the Mollers in California, and one where both Dad and Mother imitate vaudeville blackface acts in the chapter on family performances and recitation.
Cheaper by the Dozen has never been satisfactorily adapted on screen for me. The key lies in casting Dad. The 2000s Disney movies didn’t make a pretense of adhering to the books, but Steve Martin could have made a passable Gilbreth, had he been allowed to be the mischievous, boisterous Dad rather than the pranked-upon father of the film. The 1950s films do a passable job of recreating the story, but the casting of Clifton Webb is simply a desecration upon the real person. Webb lacks the body type, along with Gilbreth’s charisma. Webb brings a stiffness and starchiness to the character that ruins it for me. However, Cheaper by the Dozen was made into a stage play, and I think I may have seen a school production of it ages ago, but I might be thinking of the whistling assembly scene in The Sound of Music. The story would be smashing onstage, with the right actor having a blast in the role of Gilbreth. Live performance would capture the essence of the book, which is chaos narrowly restrained by familial affection and two engineers’ best efforts.
Over a century after the time period it depicts, Cheaper by the Dozen remains poignant and funny. Lillian and Frank seem like modern parents, not always presenting a unified front, but open about their love for each other and their many children. Frank Gilbreth, remembered by his children, is an unforgettable character. (Since some of his children were quite young when he passed away, I imagine the stories that went into this book helped the youngest “know” their father.) He is just as mischievous as his dozen, and he finds the most creative ways to teach his careless children life skills.
Once again, I must resolve to learn more about Lillian Moller Gilbreth. She deserves a place in my history of women in STEM collection. The Gilbreth methods of management sound useful even today, with their priority on “the human element” and dedication to reducing worker fatigue. Every once in a while, when I find a more efficient way of completing a mundane task, I feel a Gilbreth smiling on me warmly. (Like Frank, “efficient” is the magic word for my husband, also an engineer.) I can only imagine what the big tech world would be like with Gilbrethian architects. Imagine if our email apps were designed for efficiency rather than addiction, if social media was designed for human connection rather than addiction, if smart devices in the home were designed for usefulness rather than addiction…alas. These things are supposed to make our lives easier, not to override executive function and addict our brains!
Because Cheaper by the Dozen is such a good read-aloud, I would also urge those going through it with young readers to preview the material and plan what to skip. Lillian’s visit from a birth control activist is h i l a r i o u s but may go over the heads of little readers, and this really isn’t the place to begin a conversation about Margaret Sanger and her eugenics scheme. The Peeping Tom scene is uproarious, a satisfying comeuppance tale, but I’m glad my mom skipped it when she read it to us because it would have terrified me as a young girl who wasn’t blessed with a bevy of siblings to defend my honor against a skunk. And the few evidences of racism can be skipped without confusion to the story, if the young readers are in an imitating stage, not quite ready for rational discussion about such things. There are two particularly mean-spirited scenes, one with a Chinese cook with the Gilbreths visit the Mollers in California, and one where both Dad and Mother imitate vaudeville blackface acts in the chapter on family performances and recitation.
Cheaper by the Dozen has never been satisfactorily adapted on screen for me. The key lies in casting Dad. The 2000s Disney movies didn’t make a pretense of adhering to the books, but Steve Martin could have made a passable Gilbreth, had he been allowed to be the mischievous, boisterous Dad rather than the pranked-upon father of the film. The 1950s films do a passable job of recreating the story, but the casting of Clifton Webb is simply a desecration upon the real person. Webb lacks the body type, along with Gilbreth’s charisma. Webb brings a stiffness and starchiness to the character that ruins it for me. However, Cheaper by the Dozen was made into a stage play, and I think I may have seen a school production of it ages ago, but I might be thinking of the whistling assembly scene in The Sound of Music. The story would be smashing onstage, with the right actor having a blast in the role of Gilbreth. Live performance would capture the essence of the book, which is chaos narrowly restrained by familial affection and two engineers’ best efforts.
June 7, 2008
Teaching Ideas From Cheaper by the Dozen
DeEllen Stowell
This book made me laugh and think all at the same time. I absolutely loved the conviction of the parents for teaching their own children. I thought my husband was accepting when I put huge pieces of paper up on the walls and drew out pictures of things we were going to learn, but to paint the walls??? The mother was very gracious to allow her home to be used in this manner. I imagine it was a fun time living in their home!
I also loved that he didn’t back down on letting the littlest children learn along with the big ones. How amazing it was to hear of the little ones shouting out answers to the multiplication problems they had learned at the dinner table. I loved that he used that “wasted time” to his advantage. The father was never short of anything to say to his children and his passion often spread.
When they were learning about sailing, I was reminded of Ms. Frizzle from The Magic School Bus. He made the experience so real! To an outsider, he may have been looked upon as being a bit crazy, but to his children, he was taking them on an adventure! I loved when they all jumped off the ship and swam to shore leaving him behind and only then realizing that he could sail that ship all on his own, but instead had made it a learning experience for them.
I think am going to try something similar to his method for teaching my children foreign languages. I’m going to look for Spanish learning CDs/downloads and play them for our children when they are playing in the playroom. I will have to listen as well and we will all learn together! I think it is important to learn another language, and often I wish that I had taken the time to learn Spanish as it would be helpful quite often where we live.
I thought about the trust the mother had for the father that she was willing to let him try his “efficiency” methods out on her family. Even when they were babies, he tried to get them to swim and do other things. However, I also loved that she had the wisdom to take them back when he had gone too far or his “trial” had failed. I thought it was great that he was caught cooing to the baby in the middle of the night. He had learned that babies (and children) simply aren’t efficient. Rather you must try different methods of teaching until you find the one that works. Yet, he was able to teach them efficiency methods of getting housework and other chores done.
I loved that he had the older children bond to the youngest ones. I’ve often heard that big families have such a “generation gap” in them that the oldest don’t know the youngest very well. I find it interesting that he closed up that generation gap by making the oldest responsible for the little ones. At first I didn’t agree and felt it wasn’t their job, however after I heard of the tight bond all of the children had, I felt perhaps it wasn’t such a bad idea after all.
I thought the end to be very interesting as we find out why he felt he needed to have the older children help out. I was quite shocked to learn of his heart condition. I loved that he did not go down without a fight and without using every minute to the fullest with the children he loved so much. While we do things a little differently in our home, we can definitely learn much from this family as we strive to give our children the best opportunities in learning and the best education that we possibly can.
DeEllen Stowell
This book made me laugh and think all at the same time. I absolutely loved the conviction of the parents for teaching their own children. I thought my husband was accepting when I put huge pieces of paper up on the walls and drew out pictures of things we were going to learn, but to paint the walls??? The mother was very gracious to allow her home to be used in this manner. I imagine it was a fun time living in their home!
I also loved that he didn’t back down on letting the littlest children learn along with the big ones. How amazing it was to hear of the little ones shouting out answers to the multiplication problems they had learned at the dinner table. I loved that he used that “wasted time” to his advantage. The father was never short of anything to say to his children and his passion often spread.
When they were learning about sailing, I was reminded of Ms. Frizzle from The Magic School Bus. He made the experience so real! To an outsider, he may have been looked upon as being a bit crazy, but to his children, he was taking them on an adventure! I loved when they all jumped off the ship and swam to shore leaving him behind and only then realizing that he could sail that ship all on his own, but instead had made it a learning experience for them.
I think am going to try something similar to his method for teaching my children foreign languages. I’m going to look for Spanish learning CDs/downloads and play them for our children when they are playing in the playroom. I will have to listen as well and we will all learn together! I think it is important to learn another language, and often I wish that I had taken the time to learn Spanish as it would be helpful quite often where we live.
I thought about the trust the mother had for the father that she was willing to let him try his “efficiency” methods out on her family. Even when they were babies, he tried to get them to swim and do other things. However, I also loved that she had the wisdom to take them back when he had gone too far or his “trial” had failed. I thought it was great that he was caught cooing to the baby in the middle of the night. He had learned that babies (and children) simply aren’t efficient. Rather you must try different methods of teaching until you find the one that works. Yet, he was able to teach them efficiency methods of getting housework and other chores done.
I loved that he had the older children bond to the youngest ones. I’ve often heard that big families have such a “generation gap” in them that the oldest don’t know the youngest very well. I find it interesting that he closed up that generation gap by making the oldest responsible for the little ones. At first I didn’t agree and felt it wasn’t their job, however after I heard of the tight bond all of the children had, I felt perhaps it wasn’t such a bad idea after all.
I thought the end to be very interesting as we find out why he felt he needed to have the older children help out. I was quite shocked to learn of his heart condition. I loved that he did not go down without a fight and without using every minute to the fullest with the children he loved so much. While we do things a little differently in our home, we can definitely learn much from this family as we strive to give our children the best opportunities in learning and the best education that we possibly can.
August 18, 2022
This is an interesting book. Two of the Gilbreth children tell anecdotes of their childhood as a large family, and of the father's character and organizational methods. He and his wife made a career improving efficiency in many jobs (their inventions and methods are still in use today), and the children were often the first subjects of their testing. While they sometimes resent these, they also feel proud of their family. It was a fun read.
August 3, 2011
I am currently rereading this book, and I still agree with the 5 stars I gave it earlier. Don't be misled by thinking the Steve Martin movie has anything to do with the original story. If I filled out a Venn diagram to compare/contrast the movie and the book, the middle section of shared traits would have ONE item: the title! Here's a brief overview from Wikipedia: "Cheaper by the Dozen is a biographical book written by Frank Bunker Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey that tells the story of time and motion study and efficiency experts Frank Bunker Gilbreth and Lillian Moller Gilbreth, and their twelve children. The book focuses on the many years the family resided in Montclair, New Jersey. It was adapted to film by Twentieth Century Fox in 1950." (Hollywood should have stopped with THAT film!)
I first read this book when I was going through a severe bout of anxiety/depression. It saved me. Humor mixed with love is the thread that binds the story of the crazy antics of this family together. I laughed on every page. Now I'm reading the book aloud to Janna, and we're both laughing.
I first read this book when I was going through a severe bout of anxiety/depression. It saved me. Humor mixed with love is the thread that binds the story of the crazy antics of this family together. I laughed on every page. Now I'm reading the book aloud to Janna, and we're both laughing.
May 8, 2020
Cheaper by the Dozen is a sweet memoir that serves as a loving tribute to the author's parents and eleven siblings. The home life feels very old-fashioned for this modern reader, but I enjoyed the unique and quirky stories. The mother was warm and sweet, but also a bit subservient. The father is intelligent and hard-working, but his views are a bit strange. Neither character is too perfect, which I liked as the memoir felt a bit more honest and real.
May 10, 2019
Loved it!
October 23, 2009
A truly charming and heartwarming book about the efficiency expert Frank Gilbreth, his wife, and their dozen children - written by two of the children (Frank Jr. and Ernestine).
This book was a massive best-seller back in its day. But as time passed, it went out of print and was forgotten and virtually unavailable for many years. I found a copy tucked onto a shelf at a rented vacation cabin on a lake in Maine; the shelves were simply packed with old books, including many issues of Reader's Digest Condensed Classics. Cheaper By The Dozen is not great literature, I suppose. But it's a touching and entertaining window into a time now long gone.
Please do not mistake it for the current movies of the same title, which have as little to do with the book as Eddie Murphy's Doctor Dolittle movies have to do with Hugh Lofting's beloved classic books for children.
The movies should be forgotten. The book, on the other hand, is still worth remembering and rereading.
10/22/2009 - After another re-reading I want to emphasize two things: this is an extremely funny book, and it is also, at the end, a deeply moving one.
Also, in my initial review I was unintentionally unfair to Lillian Gilbreth, the mother of the family; she was a distinguished scientist in her own right, and has been honored by the Smithsonian Institution and was featured on a U.S. postage stamp.
The sequel was Belles on their Toes, and I'll be looking for it - as well as other books by Frank and Ernestine.
This book was a massive best-seller back in its day. But as time passed, it went out of print and was forgotten and virtually unavailable for many years. I found a copy tucked onto a shelf at a rented vacation cabin on a lake in Maine; the shelves were simply packed with old books, including many issues of Reader's Digest Condensed Classics. Cheaper By The Dozen is not great literature, I suppose. But it's a touching and entertaining window into a time now long gone.
Please do not mistake it for the current movies of the same title, which have as little to do with the book as Eddie Murphy's Doctor Dolittle movies have to do with Hugh Lofting's beloved classic books for children.
The movies should be forgotten. The book, on the other hand, is still worth remembering and rereading.
10/22/2009 - After another re-reading I want to emphasize two things: this is an extremely funny book, and it is also, at the end, a deeply moving one.
Also, in my initial review I was unintentionally unfair to Lillian Gilbreth, the mother of the family; she was a distinguished scientist in her own right, and has been honored by the Smithsonian Institution and was featured on a U.S. postage stamp.
The sequel was Belles on their Toes, and I'll be looking for it - as well as other books by Frank and Ernestine.
December 29, 2022
When a really smart person can also be funny? What a triumph that is for readers like me, with middling track records at both, what a triumph to imagine the very idea!
No wonder I loved this breezy memoir. While reading, I toggled between the notion of being part of an almost unimaginably huge family and the idea -- to me an almost supremely romantic ideal -- of being an efficiency expert in life.
Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. was a true original, seems to me; likewise his sister Ernestine. And yet that family had so many true originals!
As one of two children, I can't exactly wrap my head around sharing to that degree, being just one of such a large herd of children. But while reading this book, I didn't try hard to imagine. I simply read chapter-after-chapter, which meant story-after-story, having a ball.
Throughout a most refreshing sense of possibility was dawning within me, with so much laughter and cleverness!
Even so, what was my long-term reaction to immersing myself in the Gilbreth family's adventures? Puts me in mind of a famous saying about my home town, New York City:
It's a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.
No wonder I loved this breezy memoir. While reading, I toggled between the notion of being part of an almost unimaginably huge family and the idea -- to me an almost supremely romantic ideal -- of being an efficiency expert in life.
Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. was a true original, seems to me; likewise his sister Ernestine. And yet that family had so many true originals!
As one of two children, I can't exactly wrap my head around sharing to that degree, being just one of such a large herd of children. But while reading this book, I didn't try hard to imagine. I simply read chapter-after-chapter, which meant story-after-story, having a ball.
Throughout a most refreshing sense of possibility was dawning within me, with so much laughter and cleverness!
Even so, what was my long-term reaction to immersing myself in the Gilbreth family's adventures? Puts me in mind of a famous saying about my home town, New York City:
It's a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.
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