The high standard of hilarity [in "Cheaper by the Dozen"] is kept up well, and great praise should be given the authors for their choice of anecdotes—of which, the reader feels sure, there must have been a large reservoir. There emerges, in a quietly accumulative way through the pages, a very lovable and loving mother…. And when Mr. Gilbreth's ideas embarrassed his children, which they did frequently, to the real misery of the sensitive adolescents, it was Mrs. Gilbreth's tactful oiling of the waters which saved the day and the family cohesion….
The book is the greatest possible tribute by children to parents, and a living proof that the Gilbreths, at any rate, had so many children they knew just what to do—to the immense enjoyment and pleasure of all their readers.
Ruth Baker, "Fun with a Family," in The Christian Science Monitor (reprinted by permission from The Christian Science Monitor; © 1949 The Christian Science Publishing Society; all rights reserved), January 10, 1949, p. 18.
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