Sydney Taylor, born Sarah Brenner on October 30, 1904, is best known for her children’s book series “All of a Kind Family.” Her Charles W. Follett Award-winning 1951 book, the first in what would become a series of five books, is a charming and compelling story of a family of five American Jewish girls growing up on the Lower East Side of New York City in 1912. According to Taylor’s biography, “From Sarah to Sydney: The Woman Behind All-of-a-Kind Family,” written by June Cummins with Alexandra Dunietz and published in 2021, Taylor was deeply influential in the development of national Jewish identity. This biography conveys the vital importance of children’s books in the transmission of Jewish culture and the preservation of ethnic heritage. Interestingly, the book series never mentions the family’s religion. The series is based on Taylor’s own family. Biographer June Cummins, who was a professor of English and comparative literature at San Diego State University notes that: “Taylor was a transformational figure not only in American children’s literature but in American Jewish life as well…When All-of-a-Kind Family debuted in 1951, it was perceived as groundbreaking, the first book from a mainstream publisher to feature Jewish children and reach a sizable general audience. Immediately praised and highly successful, the book and its four sequels, published over the next 25 years, introduced millions of Americans to Judaism, forging a bridge through literature that moved Jewish characters and themes from the margins of children’s book publishing — and American culture at large — into the national arena, enlarging the public’s understanding and increasing its acceptance of American Jews.” The books were the first juvenile novels published by a mainstream publisher to feature Jewish children characters. The family included five sisters, each two years apart, dressed alike by their fastidious immigrant mother so they all look the same: all-of-a-kind. The four other sisters’ names were the same in the books as in their real lives: Ella, Henrietta, Sarah, Charlotte, and Gertrude. Taylor was born to Cecilia (Marowitz) and Morris Brenner, who had come to New York from Germany, along with their oldest child Ella, in 1901. The family lived on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, and in 1916 moved to the Bronx. While in high school Taylor asked to be called Sydney rather than Sarah. Taylor left high school after two years to work and attended business school in the evenings. In 1923, Taylor joined the Young People's Socialist League. There she met her future husband, Ralph Schneider. The couple joined several theater groups and Taylor did publicity for the troupe and appeared on stage. She also studied under Martha Graham and performed in several of her dances while working in an office during the day. In 1950, Schneider submitted one of Taylor’s stories for a contest in children's literature. The sponsor, Wilcox & Follett, bestowed upon her the second annual Charles W. Follett Award in children's literature, which included a publishing contract. Taylor married Ralph Schneider in July, 1925 at City Hall. Because of their families' objections to the civil ceremony, Taylor continued to live with her parents until she and Ralph had a religious wedding two years later. Schneider later changed his name to Taylor. They had one child, Jo Taylor Marshall, born in 1935. Taylor died of cancer at age 73. Her husband established The Sydney Taylor Book Award in her memory. In addition to The Follett Award, Taylor received the 1952 Isaac Siegel Memorial Award for best Jewish juvenile literature in English; the 1952 National Jewish Book Award for All-of-a-Kind Family (1952); honorable mention from the Golden Pen Playwriting Contest for her play, In God's Hands (1956); the Boys Club of America Junior Award for Mr. Barney's Beard (1961); and the Body-of-Work Award from the Association of Jewish Libraries (1979).

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