Best known for her All-of-a-Kind Family series of children’s books based on her own childhood in New York City, Sydney Taylor led a full and impressive life beyond what is depicted in her beloved stories. Born Sarah Brenner, Sydney was the middle of five daughters (eventually joined by a brother) in a Jewish immigrant family that maintained their religious practice while making an effort to learn American customs. Creative and expressive, Sarah loved acting and dance and began keeping a diary at age 14, signing her entries “Sydney,” a name she felt was bolder and more “modern.” She had a strong sense of justice and self-worth; she believed that women and Jews deserved full rights and respect, and she was active in the Young People’s Socialist League, where she met her husband, Ralph Taylor. When their daughter, Jo, lamented that protagonists in books were all Christian, Sydney began telling stories from her childhood, which she eventually wrote down. While she didn’t have immediate success in publishing, Ralph later submitted her stories to a publishing contest, leading to a book that became a series that was popular with both Jewish and non-Jewish children alike. While the ending is rather abrupt, this narrative succeeds in conveying Sydney Taylor’s singular spirit.

For fans of All-of-a-Kind Family, here is the true story of how Sarah Brenner, a poor girl from New York City’s Lower East Side, became Sydney Taylor: dancer, actress, and successful children’s book author.

Sarah Brenner might have come from an all-of-a-kind family (five sisters who all dressed alike), but she was always one of a kind. Growing up in a Jewish immigrant family on New York’s impoverished Lower East Side, Sarah loved visiting the library, celebrating holidays with her family, and taking free dance classes at the Henry Street Settlement. But she was always aware of things that weren’t fair—whether it was that women couldn’t vote, or how girls were treated in her school, or that her parents had had to leave Europe because they were Jewish. When she grew up, Sarah changed her name to Sydney and became an actress and a dancer, but she never forgot the importance of fighting unfairness, whether it was anti-Semitism at her job or the low wages of workers. And when her daughter complained that it wasn’t fair that there were no books about Jewish children like her, Sydney put pen to paper and wrote a one-of-a-kind children’s book.

From well-known Jewish children’s author Richard Michelson, this is the story of how Sarah became Sydney and how she showed children the joy of seeing their culture reflected on the page.