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A Papa Like Everyone Else
Gisella hopes her father will return to Hungary, but World War I separates them for five years
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1966
11 people are currently reading
393 people want to read
About the author
Sydney Taylor
72 books160 followers Taylor was born on October 31, 1904 on New York City's Lower East Side. Her Jewish immigrant family lived in poverty conditions, but they felt great respect and appreciation for the country that gave them hope and opportunities for the future. This childhood led Taylor eventually into writing.
Taylor started working as a secretary after she graduated from high school, married her husband, and spent her nights with the Lenox Hill Players, a theater group. As an actress, she also learned modern dance, which she thoroughly enjoyed. After dancing with the Martha Graham Dance Company, Taylor took time off to have her one and only child, a daughter. As her daughter grew up Taylor would tell her stories about her own childhood. Because of her daughter's inquiries, Taylor wrote down her memories and then tucked them away in a drawer.
While Taylor was working at a nonprofit summer camp directing and choreographing dance and dramatics, her husband saw an announcement about a writing contest. Unbeknownst to his wife, he sent in her manuscript about her childhood. A short time later Taylor received word that an editor from Wilcox and Follett wanted to publish her work. Surprised and somewhat nervous, Taylor edited and revised her story, and All-of-a-Kind Family became a popular book. She had also won first prize in the contest. Taylor's success encouraged her to pen four more books in the series and write more short stories for books and magazines.
This author, actress, dancer, and choreographer then passed away from cancer on February 12, 1978. In her honor, the Sydney Taylor Book Award is given each year by the Jewish Association of Libraries to a book for young people that authentically portrays the Jewish experience.
In 2014, the All-of-a-Kind Family series is being re-released for another generation of readers to understand and appreciate Jewish immigrant life at the beginning of the twentieth century.
Taylor started working as a secretary after she graduated from high school, married her husband, and spent her nights with the Lenox Hill Players, a theater group. As an actress, she also learned modern dance, which she thoroughly enjoyed. After dancing with the Martha Graham Dance Company, Taylor took time off to have her one and only child, a daughter. As her daughter grew up Taylor would tell her stories about her own childhood. Because of her daughter's inquiries, Taylor wrote down her memories and then tucked them away in a drawer.
While Taylor was working at a nonprofit summer camp directing and choreographing dance and dramatics, her husband saw an announcement about a writing contest. Unbeknownst to his wife, he sent in her manuscript about her childhood. A short time later Taylor received word that an editor from Wilcox and Follett wanted to publish her work. Surprised and somewhat nervous, Taylor edited and revised her story, and All-of-a-Kind Family became a popular book. She had also won first prize in the contest. Taylor's success encouraged her to pen four more books in the series and write more short stories for books and magazines.
This author, actress, dancer, and choreographer then passed away from cancer on February 12, 1978. In her honor, the Sydney Taylor Book Award is given each year by the Jewish Association of Libraries to a book for young people that authentically portrays the Jewish experience.
In 2014, the All-of-a-Kind Family series is being re-released for another generation of readers to understand and appreciate Jewish immigrant life at the beginning of the twentieth century.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
January 5, 2026
I’m on a “Sydney Taylor” kick!
“ A Papa Like Everyone Else” is a sweet, gentle story, from the famed author of the All-of-a-Kind-Family series. I’ve owned this one for awhile, but hadn’t gotten around to it (huge TBR list!). Now that I’ve read the biography of Sydney Taylor, “Papa” meant so much more. This was a fictional account of the experiences of Taylor’s friend Gertrude, upon waiting for and then getting the chance to join her father in America. I loved it!
“ A Papa Like Everyone Else” is a sweet, gentle story, from the famed author of the All-of-a-Kind-Family series. I’ve owned this one for awhile, but hadn’t gotten around to it (huge TBR list!). Now that I’ve read the biography of Sydney Taylor, “Papa” meant so much more. This was a fictional account of the experiences of Taylor’s friend Gertrude, upon waiting for and then getting the chance to join her father in America. I loved it!
September 11, 2008
I didn't know this book existed, until I stumbled across it at Powell's. I think it's basically All Of A Kind Family, before they left the Old Country.
Update: The AOAKF series is richer and stronger, but this was an interesting, quick read. It's a year or so after WWI, and Mama and her two daughters are living on a small farm in Czechoslovakia (the part that used to be Hungary). Papa is in NYC, saving money to pay for his family's passage. The book covers a year in the village life, with the very poignant departure at the end. Favorite parts were the politically incorrect passages with force-fed geese and Mama insisting her daughters drink beer (to settle their stomachs).
Update: The AOAKF series is richer and stronger, but this was an interesting, quick read. It's a year or so after WWI, and Mama and her two daughters are living on a small farm in Czechoslovakia (the part that used to be Hungary). Papa is in NYC, saving money to pay for his family's passage. The book covers a year in the village life, with the very poignant departure at the end. Favorite parts were the politically incorrect passages with force-fed geese and Mama insisting her daughters drink beer (to settle their stomachs).
January 20, 2023
I give this 2.5 stars.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading The All-of-a-Kind Family books and didn’t even know this one existed until I came across it at the bookstore this weekend. Out of the little pile I bought, this was the first book I started.
It was somewhat of a let down.
Even though “Papa” is in the title, he’s hardly in the book. He has gone to America to get a job and save money to bring his wife and two daughters over where they can rise above poverty and take advantage of “The Land of Opportunity.”
The story revolves around Mama and the daughters still in Czechoslovakia, and primarily from the perspective of the youngest, Gisella. Who, is quite a brat. She doesn’t like her dad (because he left) and doesn’t want to leave their poor farm to move to America. She doesn’t like doing her chores either, and often doesn’t obey.
Mama and Szerena are very sweet and admirable though; and it was fun learning about the various Jewish/Hungarian/Czech customs and how farming was done back then!
The ending is sweet though, and Gisella recognizes her father’s love and devotion, but boy, she was kind of a slog to get through.
Also, as a side note to the editor: there are a lot of typos in this edition! Several letters were scanned in incorrectly (a number of “h’s” that should have been “b’s” etc.) and then weren’t caught before printing.
Ages: 8+
#Hungary #Czechoslovakia #Passover #MayDay
Cleanliness: mentions a girl being scared of goblins, ghosts and witches (it’s only her imagination). A girl runs outside in only her petticoats - they’re so pretty she wants to show them off. A girl is envious of other’s possessions (see above for other attitudes/behaviors). A mother gives her children beer to settle their stomachs. A boy is struck several times by his teacher. A boy tells of a man who tried to commit suicide by hanging himself - you don’t know whether it’s true or not. There is a house robbery and the mother takes after the robber, thinking he did something to her daughters as she can’t find them. It is somewhat of an intense scene with her frantic and the robber hitting her in order to get away. Nothing happened to the girls (they were not even at home).
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! And be sure to check out my bio page to learn a little about me and the Picture Book/Chapter Book Calendars I sell on Etsy!
I thoroughly enjoyed reading The All-of-a-Kind Family books and didn’t even know this one existed until I came across it at the bookstore this weekend. Out of the little pile I bought, this was the first book I started.
It was somewhat of a let down.
Even though “Papa” is in the title, he’s hardly in the book. He has gone to America to get a job and save money to bring his wife and two daughters over where they can rise above poverty and take advantage of “The Land of Opportunity.”
The story revolves around Mama and the daughters still in Czechoslovakia, and primarily from the perspective of the youngest, Gisella. Who, is quite a brat. She doesn’t like her dad (because he left) and doesn’t want to leave their poor farm to move to America. She doesn’t like doing her chores either, and often doesn’t obey.
Mama and Szerena are very sweet and admirable though; and it was fun learning about the various Jewish/Hungarian/Czech customs and how farming was done back then!
The ending is sweet though, and Gisella recognizes her father’s love and devotion, but boy, she was kind of a slog to get through.
Also, as a side note to the editor: there are a lot of typos in this edition! Several letters were scanned in incorrectly (a number of “h’s” that should have been “b’s” etc.) and then weren’t caught before printing.
Ages: 8+
#Hungary #Czechoslovakia #Passover #MayDay
Cleanliness: mentions a girl being scared of goblins, ghosts and witches (it’s only her imagination). A girl runs outside in only her petticoats - they’re so pretty she wants to show them off. A girl is envious of other’s possessions (see above for other attitudes/behaviors). A mother gives her children beer to settle their stomachs. A boy is struck several times by his teacher. A boy tells of a man who tried to commit suicide by hanging himself - you don’t know whether it’s true or not. There is a house robbery and the mother takes after the robber, thinking he did something to her daughters as she can’t find them. It is somewhat of an intense scene with her frantic and the robber hitting her in order to get away. Nothing happened to the girls (they were not even at home).
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! And be sure to check out my bio page to learn a little about me and the Picture Book/Chapter Book Calendars I sell on Etsy!
September 11, 2024
This is such a darling story! I’m not sure I’ve read a book set in Czechoslovakia before; I know I definitely have not read one featuring a Jewish family that was set there in the early 1900s! I fell in love with Gisella right away (she reminds me of myself when I was a girl), and loved getting to know her and her world.
I’m not sure what part of this book was my favorite…the village setting, and all the many things it describes the family making by hand, or the way the community pulled together to help each other with bigger tasks, or maybe even the family element, where Mama did her best to create a loving, happy home atmosphere, even though things can’t have been easy for her. It was all done well!
Highly recommended, if you’re looking for books set in early 20th century Europe to help round out your knowledge of the time period. This is a gentle, heartwarming read, with multiple layers of faith, family, and home. I’m looking forward to reading it to my younger siblings; it’s perfect for the 8–12 age range, although I think slightly younger (and older!) children would like it, too. It’s a simple story, but I thoroughly enjoyed it, and am looking forward to what other gems Sydney Taylor has up her sleeve that I don’t know about yet!
I’m not sure what part of this book was my favorite…the village setting, and all the many things it describes the family making by hand, or the way the community pulled together to help each other with bigger tasks, or maybe even the family element, where Mama did her best to create a loving, happy home atmosphere, even though things can’t have been easy for her. It was all done well!
Highly recommended, if you’re looking for books set in early 20th century Europe to help round out your knowledge of the time period. This is a gentle, heartwarming read, with multiple layers of faith, family, and home. I’m looking forward to reading it to my younger siblings; it’s perfect for the 8–12 age range, although I think slightly younger (and older!) children would like it, too. It’s a simple story, but I thoroughly enjoyed it, and am looking forward to what other gems Sydney Taylor has up her sleeve that I don’t know about yet!
August 27, 2021
As a big fan of the All-of-a-Kind Family series from this author I was excited to learn that she had written one additional book at this same reading level. A Papa Like Everyone Else follows sisters Gisella and Szerena, their mother (aptly called Mama) who live in Czechoslovakia as they wait to have enough money to join Papa in America. Gisella was a baby when her father left and Szerena was a young girl, so he is not a large presence in their daily lives. Most of the book follows their daily lives of celebrations, family life, and small adventures appropriate for early-elementary-aged readers. Even though this book was written long ago it tells age-old lessons of kindness, bravery, and relying on one another.
March 11, 2022
3.5⭐️ Had a bit of a hard time keeping my attention but a sweet story. More about their life on a farm waiting to go to America than the actual trip. One instance of the mother giving children beer to “settle their stomachs.” 😝
I liked All of a Kind Family better.
I liked All of a Kind Family better.
April 30, 2019
A different perspective on the immigration story. A Papa Like Everyone Else portrays the life of two girls and their mother left behind in the old country while Papa went ahead to America. It is a vivid depiction which shares the courage and struggles of the families waiting to join fathers and husbands in America.
September 20, 2023
First sentence: Gisella sat very still, her pale green eyes round with wonder. Again the miracle was happening! She had seen it many times before, but always her pulse quickened with the mystery of it.
Premise/plot: A Papa Like Everyone Else is set in Czechoslovakia circa 1918/1919. Szerena and Gisella long for a 'papa like everyone else' since their papa is far away in America. He went a year before the war started to find a job, to get established, to earn enough to bring his family over. The world war changed plans significantly. But now the war is over and the family hopes to be reunited soon. Meanwhile, life on the farm in the farm village continues on. This is a 'slice of life' glimpse at a rural Jewish family from the time period. There isn't "action" or major plot points so much as it is just capturing the 'old world' life as experienced by one Jewish family. (There is at least one chapter with some excitement. But mostly just flavor of life, normal, ordinary, routine.)
My thoughts: I didn't enjoy this one as much as All of A Kind Family. But I liked it well enough. I am very glad I was able to read it. I've always wanted to read more Sydney Taylor.
Premise/plot: A Papa Like Everyone Else is set in Czechoslovakia circa 1918/1919. Szerena and Gisella long for a 'papa like everyone else' since their papa is far away in America. He went a year before the war started to find a job, to get established, to earn enough to bring his family over. The world war changed plans significantly. But now the war is over and the family hopes to be reunited soon. Meanwhile, life on the farm in the farm village continues on. This is a 'slice of life' glimpse at a rural Jewish family from the time period. There isn't "action" or major plot points so much as it is just capturing the 'old world' life as experienced by one Jewish family. (There is at least one chapter with some excitement. But mostly just flavor of life, normal, ordinary, routine.)
My thoughts: I didn't enjoy this one as much as All of A Kind Family. But I liked it well enough. I am very glad I was able to read it. I've always wanted to read more Sydney Taylor.
December 21, 2020
Children's book from the author of the "All-of-a-Kind Family". This one is also about the Jewish immigrant experience in the early part of the 20th century (post-WWI), but focuses on the pre-immigration part. The mother and two girls are waiting for the father, who is already in the US, to save up enough to bring them over. It explores their life in Czechoslovakia (though they identify as Hungarians) and their emotions as they wait for the fateful letter and have to say goodbye to their friends and family and everything they've ever known.
I was sorry that it stopped once they entered the US. I would have loved to read about how they settled down, learned English, brought over more members of their family, etc. I am looking for another book that covers that aspect of it. "Stitching a Life: An Immigrant Story" looks like a YA take on that aspect of the immigrant experience so I will probably read that soon.
I was sorry that it stopped once they entered the US. I would have loved to read about how they settled down, learned English, brought over more members of their family, etc. I am looking for another book that covers that aspect of it. "Stitching a Life: An Immigrant Story" looks like a YA take on that aspect of the immigrant experience so I will probably read that soon.
October 10, 2021
2.5 stars
I found this to be pretty boring. Basically, the family just lives their lives waiting for Papa to send money for them to come join him in America. The voyage at the end and their arrival in New York felt rushed and anticlimactic. If you enjoy reading about daily life in another time and place, I would still recommend this. The details of daily life for a Jewish family on a farm in a rural area of Eastern Europe (what was once Hungary, but has just become part of Czechoslovakia after World War I) and the different chores and celebrations throughout the seasons of the year were interesting. Some of the content is dated but realistic (for example, a schoolteacher taking a switch to a student), but other parts were really problematic. Notably, there's some stereotypical depictions of Romany people ("gypsies") as thieves and kidnappers and stigma surrounding mental illness (content warning for mention of a suicide attempt).
I found this to be pretty boring. Basically, the family just lives their lives waiting for Papa to send money for them to come join him in America. The voyage at the end and their arrival in New York felt rushed and anticlimactic. If you enjoy reading about daily life in another time and place, I would still recommend this. The details of daily life for a Jewish family on a farm in a rural area of Eastern Europe (what was once Hungary, but has just become part of Czechoslovakia after World War I) and the different chores and celebrations throughout the seasons of the year were interesting. Some of the content is dated but realistic (for example, a schoolteacher taking a switch to a student), but other parts were really problematic. Notably, there's some stereotypical depictions of Romany people ("gypsies") as thieves and kidnappers and stigma surrounding mental illness (content warning for mention of a suicide attempt).
September 25, 2022
In the years following World War I a small Jewish family in Czechoslovakia is separated from their Papa. He emigrated to America prior to the war, and between the war, the influenza epidemic and the fall of the Austro-Hungarian empire, things have held up their reunion. The family identifies as Hungarian but the redrawing of the borders have left them in a new country. It's a interesting glimpse at life in Eastern Europe during that time period, but the stories are brief and the book doesn't hang together well. Furthermore there's very negative depictions of the Roma people, using the g- slur and showing them as dangerous thieves.
November 24, 2023
I've loved Taylor's "All of a Kind Family" series since I was little. This doesn't have quite the magic of those, but I still really liked it. It had a personal connection for me as well because the characters are from Hungary and my great grandparents came to the US from Hungary around the same exact time as the book is set. My great grandfather came to the US first to prepare a life for him and my great grandmother - she followed him after a couple years. It was very cool to see this experience reflected in a work of fiction!
January 1, 2025
Charming story of a family waiting in Czechoslovakia to join their Papa in America in the time after world war 1.
I love learning about culture and history- making lechwar, harvesting flax, dealing with goose feathers.
It was so sweet when things were new to them- 4 story buildings, stairs, ice cream & roller skates!
Imre giving her a button to be returned when they found each other in America was such an impactful gesture,
I wish there had been a resolution- but I can imagine it.
Taylor is great a capturing a young girl's p.o.v., with all their worries and hopes.
I love learning about culture and history- making lechwar, harvesting flax, dealing with goose feathers.
It was so sweet when things were new to them- 4 story buildings, stairs, ice cream & roller skates!
Imre giving her a button to be returned when they found each other in America was such an impactful gesture,
I wish there had been a resolution- but I can imagine it.
Taylor is great a capturing a young girl's p.o.v., with all their worries and hopes.
March 26, 2022
Gisella and her older sister Szerena, lived with their mother in a small Jewish town in Eastern Europe. Their father had gone to America five years earlier. Gisella didn't remember her father and she was quite happy with the way things were. The girls had a happy childhood but eventually the day came when they could leave for America. Once they were reunited with their father they could be a normal family like everyone else.
August 21, 2022
The book A Papa Like Everyone Else is about a family in Czechoslovakia who the father of which has immigrated to America and is working to bring the family over! I loved this book for all the info and perspective on what it was like for a poor farm family just after WW1. Then towards the end when they leave their community to join their husband/father in NYC; that made me cry so much! I wish this book had a sequel to tell about their adjustment to life in America.
May 18, 2023
Read with the boys. A mother and her two daughters live in a small village in Hungary, after the Great War. The father has gone to America to work and begin a life there. Topics of Jewish family traditions, immigration, rural life. We enjoyed the book, even though it was a bit slow moving compared to some of our other reads this year.
September 12, 2025
From the same author as the much-loved All of a Kind Family series... this one was a bit all over the place with the story line, one of the daughters is quite the complainer, the story paused in the middle to tell a random fairy tale, and then it wraps up abruptly without much to learn of the infamous Papa.
And the mom gives the kids beer to settle their stomachs. 😅 It's a pass from me.
And the mom gives the kids beer to settle their stomachs. 😅 It's a pass from me.
July 13, 2020
Descriptive and intriguing.
April 12, 2021
A touching story about a family waiting to be sent to America by their father.
January 31, 2022
Such a sweet story.
October 2, 2013
gr 4-6 ? 159 pgs
aprox 1920 Helmecz, Hungary (Czechoslovak Republic). 10 year old Szerena and 6 year old Gisella live with their mother while their father works hard in America to save up the money to send for them. Szerena looks forward to being together again, but Gisella can't remember her father and can't imagine leaving all their friends and family to move to a strange country. The story follows the family's daily life as they await a letter for them with tickets to America. The story also follows them as they make the trip to America
I would recommend this book to readers who enjoyed The All of a Kind Family series or the Little House on the Praire.
aprox 1920 Helmecz, Hungary (Czechoslovak Republic). 10 year old Szerena and 6 year old Gisella live with their mother while their father works hard in America to save up the money to send for them. Szerena looks forward to being together again, but Gisella can't remember her father and can't imagine leaving all their friends and family to move to a strange country. The story follows the family's daily life as they await a letter for them with tickets to America. The story also follows them as they make the trip to America
I would recommend this book to readers who enjoyed The All of a Kind Family series or the Little House on the Praire.
June 2, 2015
So many books detail the immigrant experience in America - think of this as prologue. Frankly, I wish the travel part of it had been more fleshed out (suddenly, they are in Rotterdam waiting for their ship! what happened?). The whole thing is very episodic - as are most of Taylor's books - but I still liked getting the other half of the story.
September 22, 2015
This is a very good book. Very wholesome reading for children 8 to 12 years of age. We adults, who do not mind reading a good book that does not have you on the edge of your seat in the reading of it, like it also.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews