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Cheaper by the Dozen
Im Dutzend billiger / Aus Kindern werden Leute
The hilarious and heartwarming #1 New York Times bestseller and its beloved sequel about a larger-than-life family with twelve kids.
Cheaper by the Dozen: Made into two classic movies—one starring Clifton Webb and the other starring Steve Martin—and translated into more than fifty languages, Cheaper by the Dozen is an amusing, endearing, and unforgettable memoir of the Gilbreth clan as told by siblings Frank Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth.
Mother and Dad are world-renowned efficiency experts, helping factories fine-tune their assembly lines for maximum output at minimum cost. At home, the Gilbreths themselves have cranked out twelve kids, and Dad is out to prove that efficiency principles can apply to family as well as the workplace—with riotous results.
“A touching family portrait that also happens to be very, very funny.” —Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post
Belles on Their Toes: With twelve kids, life at the Gilbreth house has always been a big project. But after their father passes away, there are more challenges than ever. As their resourceful mother works to keep the family business running, the kids tackle the adventures of raising themselves and running a household.
With the irrepressible blend of humor and good cheer characteristic of one of the most beloved families in America, the Gilbreths rise to every occasion and find a way to keep it all together. Belles on Their Toes was also made into a movie with Myrna Loy and Jeanne Crain reprising their roles.
“There is a sincere and heartwarming atmosphere in this second volume that makes it almost better reading, if possible, than the first.” —Library Journal
Cheaper by the Dozen: Made into two classic movies—one starring Clifton Webb and the other starring Steve Martin—and translated into more than fifty languages, Cheaper by the Dozen is an amusing, endearing, and unforgettable memoir of the Gilbreth clan as told by siblings Frank Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth.
Mother and Dad are world-renowned efficiency experts, helping factories fine-tune their assembly lines for maximum output at minimum cost. At home, the Gilbreths themselves have cranked out twelve kids, and Dad is out to prove that efficiency principles can apply to family as well as the workplace—with riotous results.
“A touching family portrait that also happens to be very, very funny.” —Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post
Belles on Their Toes: With twelve kids, life at the Gilbreth house has always been a big project. But after their father passes away, there are more challenges than ever. As their resourceful mother works to keep the family business running, the kids tackle the adventures of raising themselves and running a household.
With the irrepressible blend of humor and good cheer characteristic of one of the most beloved families in America, the Gilbreths rise to every occasion and find a way to keep it all together. Belles on Their Toes was also made into a movie with Myrna Loy and Jeanne Crain reprising their roles.
“There is a sincere and heartwarming atmosphere in this second volume that makes it almost better reading, if possible, than the first.” —Library Journal
- GenresFiction
351 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1992
107 people are currently reading
114 people want to read
About the author
Frank B. Gilbreth Jr.
25 books72 followersFrank Bunker Gilbreth, Jr. (March 17, 1911 – February 18, 2001) was co-author, with his sister Ernestine, of Cheaper by the Dozen and Belles on Their Toes. Under his own name, he wrote Time Out for Happiness and Ancestors of the Dozen.
He was born in Plainfield, New Jersey, the 5th child (and first boy) of the 12 children born to efficiency experts Frank Gilbreth, Sr. and Lillian Moller Gilbreth, and grew up in the family home in Montclair, New Jersey.
During World War II, he served as a naval officer in the South Pacific. In 1947, he returned to The Post and Courier as an editorial writer and columnist. In his later years, he relocated to Charleston, South Carolina, where he went on to be a journalist, author and newspaper executive. Under nom de plume Ashley Cooper, he wrote a long-running column, "Doing the Charleston," for the Charleston paper The Post and Courier; it ran until 1993.
He was born in Plainfield, New Jersey, the 5th child (and first boy) of the 12 children born to efficiency experts Frank Gilbreth, Sr. and Lillian Moller Gilbreth, and grew up in the family home in Montclair, New Jersey.
During World War II, he served as a naval officer in the South Pacific. In 1947, he returned to The Post and Courier as an editorial writer and columnist. In his later years, he relocated to Charleston, South Carolina, where he went on to be a journalist, author and newspaper executive. Under nom de plume Ashley Cooper, he wrote a long-running column, "Doing the Charleston," for the Charleston paper The Post and Courier; it ran until 1993.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 11, 2021
Funny...and inspiring
I added another idol to my list..Mam Lillian Gilbreth. No doubt she was lucky to have a helpful mother in law and a dozen normal children. But beyond that it was all put down your head and get to work.
The book is very well written...simple language, good selection of anecdotes and yet inspires reflection.
The love and mutual connectedness among members of this family is the most striking thing and should be the ultimate goal in family life.
I added another idol to my list..Mam Lillian Gilbreth. No doubt she was lucky to have a helpful mother in law and a dozen normal children. But beyond that it was all put down your head and get to work.
The book is very well written...simple language, good selection of anecdotes and yet inspires reflection.
The love and mutual connectedness among members of this family is the most striking thing and should be the ultimate goal in family life.
April 21, 2024
Unterhaltsam zu lesen. Und aus verschiedenen Blickwinkeln interessant. Würde gern noch mehr über diese frühe "Bewegungsforschung" erfahren. Fand es erstaunlich, wie weit Frank und Lilian Gilbreth ihrer Zeit in vielem voraus waren.
July 19, 2020
I hadn't realised the movies were based on books (although modernised.) Enjoyable read.
July 24, 2020
A lot of fun in this book!
Considering I read these stories in the year 2020, it was a good diversion from the endless lockdown this year.
Considering I read these stories in the year 2020, it was a good diversion from the endless lockdown this year.
February 5, 2021
"Belles on Their Toes" is the second book about the Gilbreth family after the death of their father. A deeper insight into their mother and her amazing contributions to time management. Fun read--
May 12, 2021
Two of the most humorous books I’ve read
It isn’t often I sit and laugh out loud while reading a book, but both of these books had me laughing. Put 12 children together and you can have a circus and it seems that was common practice on a daily basis.
It isn’t often I sit and laugh out loud while reading a book, but both of these books had me laughing. Put 12 children together and you can have a circus and it seems that was common practice on a daily basis.
May 29, 2021
I loved these books as a kid - think its why I so delight in efficiency :)
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews